Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, March 12
Nashville, Tenn.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
at
#9 Vanderbilt
Baseball Central: Vanderbilt and Illinois State
3/11/2024 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A quick turnaround awaits the Indiana Baseball team (9-6) as it preps for a pair of midweek contests against No. 9 Vanderbilt (Tuesday) and Illinois State (Wednesday) before welcoming Belmont for a three-game set over the weekend.
The Hoosiers played three games with Troy in the span of 28 hours including a long day of Sunday baseball that featured over seven-and-a-half hours of game time.
IU's matchup with Vanderbilt is the fifth of the season against a ranked opponent and the first vs. a top-10 opponent. IU is 2-2 in such games with wins at No. 18 Coastal Carolina and vs. No. 25 Dallas Baptist.
Head coach Jeff Mercer will rely on his veteran offense to continue paving the way. IU's bats went for 21 runs on Sunday led by junior third baseman Josh Pyne's five-hit day and a pair of home runs from junior outfielder Carter Mathison.
Tuesday's game will be the eighth different SEC opponent the Hoosiers have played under Mercer in just his fifth full season of baseball (Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas).
Gameday Info
at No. 9 Vanderbilt (Tuesday)
Live Video: t.ly/VYi3F
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/jNmAz
vs. Illinois State (Wednesday)
Live Video: t.ly/yZhQW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/Q3Vbn
Probable Starters
Indiana at No. 9 Vanderbilt (Tuesday)
• TBD vs. TBD
Indiana vs. Illinois State (Wednesday)
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Tough Schedule to Open
• IU's schedule through the first month of the season has been nothing short of difficult. Tuesday's matchup with No. 9 Vanderbilt will be the fifth contest against a ranked opponent this season. It will also be the seventh game against power five competition and the second game against an SEC foe.
• According to Warren Nolan.com, a baseball metrics website, IU has the No. 40 non-conference strength of schedule and the No. 36 overall strength of schedule. The most recent RPI update from the NCAA and Warren Nolan has IU at No. 54 after dropping a series against Troy.
Mercer Challenges the Bats
• After a disappointing loss to Troy on Saturday, in which the IU offense mustered just one run, head coach Jeff Mercer challenged the bats to bring the intensity in the Sunday doubleheader. A veteran Hoosier lineup did just that, combining to score 21 runs on 24 hits in two games on Sunday.
• Josh Pyne recorded a four-hit game in the first game Sunday while Nick Mitchell contributed a double and triple in the second game out of the leadoff hole. Carter Mathison hit a pair of home runs while Tyler Cerny added four hits across the two games.
Spring Break Success
• It was this time last year that IU kicked its season into top gear. After a midweek loss at Kentucky on March 14th, the Hoosiers went on to win 13 of their next 16 games, sweeping Morehead State and Ohio State along the way.
• IU's schedule sets up similarly this year. After Tuesday's game at Vanderbilt, IU returns home to take on Illinois State and Belmont (three-game series) with hopes to rattle off a number of wins heading into conference play.
Mitchell Takes the Top Spot
• After missing the season's first six games with a hand injury, Western Illinois transfer and Carmel, Ind. native Nick Mitchell has found his rhythm at the top of IU's lineup. He's hitting .333 through nine games with 11 hits, 13 runs, three doubles, six RBI's and one home run.
• His addition to the lineup has allowed Mercer to shift Mathison back to the cleanup role and provided needed support for the likes of Brock Tibbitts and Devin Taylor at the heart of the order.
Staff Getting Settled
• IU's relatively new pitching staff has taken some lumps after being thrown into the fire in the first weeks of the season, facing some of the top talent in the nation. The Hoosiers are without veterans Luke Sinnard, Ben Grable, Matthew Bohnert and Ty Rybarczyk, forcing younger players to step up.
• Transfers Jack Moffitt (1-0, 5 app., 1.93 ERA) and Julian Tonghini (1-0, 4 app., 2 SV, 3.48 ERA) have joined important IU pieces in Connor Foley (1-1, 2.95 ERA), Ty Bothwell (2-0, 4.32 ERA) and Ryan Kraft (1-0, 4.91 ERA) in being really good on the mound.
Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt (14-3, 0-0)
• Perhaps the best college baseball program over the past 15 years, Vanderbilt has become the standard of success in the sport with five College World Series appearances since 2011 and two titles in 2014 and 2019.
• Six starters are hitting between .302 and .344 including Camden Kozeal (.344) and RJ Austin (.343) who have combined for 45 hits and 34 RBIs through 17 games.
• J.D Thompson has started the past three midweeks for Vanderbilt, tossing six innings in each of the wins over Indiana State and Eastern Michigan.
Illinois State (5-8, 0-0)
• The Redbirds are coming off a sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt over the weekend and bring a 5-8 record to Bloomington.
• Daniel Pacella (.360) and J.T. Sokolove (.346) are the potent bats in the lineup and each have 18 hits on the year.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Vanderbilt
• The two schools most recently played in a 2015 NCAA Regional matchup with Vanderbilt handing IU its first loss of the tournament (6-4). The Hoosiers would bow out in the following games at the hands of Radford. The Commodores lead the all-time series 9-4-1.
Indiana vs. Illinois State
• IU leads this series 5-3, winning the last matchup in 2022. The two teams played in the Louisville Regional in 2019, head coach Jeff Mercer's first year at IU. The Redbirds won that game 8-7.
The Hoosiers played three games with Troy in the span of 28 hours including a long day of Sunday baseball that featured over seven-and-a-half hours of game time.
IU's matchup with Vanderbilt is the fifth of the season against a ranked opponent and the first vs. a top-10 opponent. IU is 2-2 in such games with wins at No. 18 Coastal Carolina and vs. No. 25 Dallas Baptist.
Head coach Jeff Mercer will rely on his veteran offense to continue paving the way. IU's bats went for 21 runs on Sunday led by junior third baseman Josh Pyne's five-hit day and a pair of home runs from junior outfielder Carter Mathison.
Tuesday's game will be the eighth different SEC opponent the Hoosiers have played under Mercer in just his fifth full season of baseball (Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas).
Gameday Info
at No. 9 Vanderbilt (Tuesday)
Live Video: t.ly/VYi3F
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/jNmAz
vs. Illinois State (Wednesday)
Live Video: t.ly/yZhQW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/Q3Vbn
Probable Starters
Indiana at No. 9 Vanderbilt (Tuesday)
• TBD vs. TBD
Indiana vs. Illinois State (Wednesday)
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Tough Schedule to Open
• IU's schedule through the first month of the season has been nothing short of difficult. Tuesday's matchup with No. 9 Vanderbilt will be the fifth contest against a ranked opponent this season. It will also be the seventh game against power five competition and the second game against an SEC foe.
• According to Warren Nolan.com, a baseball metrics website, IU has the No. 40 non-conference strength of schedule and the No. 36 overall strength of schedule. The most recent RPI update from the NCAA and Warren Nolan has IU at No. 54 after dropping a series against Troy.
Mercer Challenges the Bats
• After a disappointing loss to Troy on Saturday, in which the IU offense mustered just one run, head coach Jeff Mercer challenged the bats to bring the intensity in the Sunday doubleheader. A veteran Hoosier lineup did just that, combining to score 21 runs on 24 hits in two games on Sunday.
• Josh Pyne recorded a four-hit game in the first game Sunday while Nick Mitchell contributed a double and triple in the second game out of the leadoff hole. Carter Mathison hit a pair of home runs while Tyler Cerny added four hits across the two games.
Spring Break Success
• It was this time last year that IU kicked its season into top gear. After a midweek loss at Kentucky on March 14th, the Hoosiers went on to win 13 of their next 16 games, sweeping Morehead State and Ohio State along the way.
• IU's schedule sets up similarly this year. After Tuesday's game at Vanderbilt, IU returns home to take on Illinois State and Belmont (three-game series) with hopes to rattle off a number of wins heading into conference play.
Mitchell Takes the Top Spot
• After missing the season's first six games with a hand injury, Western Illinois transfer and Carmel, Ind. native Nick Mitchell has found his rhythm at the top of IU's lineup. He's hitting .333 through nine games with 11 hits, 13 runs, three doubles, six RBI's and one home run.
• His addition to the lineup has allowed Mercer to shift Mathison back to the cleanup role and provided needed support for the likes of Brock Tibbitts and Devin Taylor at the heart of the order.
Staff Getting Settled
• IU's relatively new pitching staff has taken some lumps after being thrown into the fire in the first weeks of the season, facing some of the top talent in the nation. The Hoosiers are without veterans Luke Sinnard, Ben Grable, Matthew Bohnert and Ty Rybarczyk, forcing younger players to step up.
• Transfers Jack Moffitt (1-0, 5 app., 1.93 ERA) and Julian Tonghini (1-0, 4 app., 2 SV, 3.48 ERA) have joined important IU pieces in Connor Foley (1-1, 2.95 ERA), Ty Bothwell (2-0, 4.32 ERA) and Ryan Kraft (1-0, 4.91 ERA) in being really good on the mound.
Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt (14-3, 0-0)
• Perhaps the best college baseball program over the past 15 years, Vanderbilt has become the standard of success in the sport with five College World Series appearances since 2011 and two titles in 2014 and 2019.
• Six starters are hitting between .302 and .344 including Camden Kozeal (.344) and RJ Austin (.343) who have combined for 45 hits and 34 RBIs through 17 games.
• J.D Thompson has started the past three midweeks for Vanderbilt, tossing six innings in each of the wins over Indiana State and Eastern Michigan.
Illinois State (5-8, 0-0)
• The Redbirds are coming off a sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt over the weekend and bring a 5-8 record to Bloomington.
• Daniel Pacella (.360) and J.T. Sokolove (.346) are the potent bats in the lineup and each have 18 hits on the year.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Vanderbilt
• The two schools most recently played in a 2015 NCAA Regional matchup with Vanderbilt handing IU its first loss of the tournament (6-4). The Hoosiers would bow out in the following games at the hands of Radford. The Commodores lead the all-time series 9-4-1.
Indiana vs. Illinois State
• IU leads this series 5-3, winning the last matchup in 2022. The two teams played in the Louisville Regional in 2019, head coach Jeff Mercer's first year at IU. The Redbirds won that game 8-7.
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballBig Ten Tournament Press Conference - vs. Rutgers
Wednesday, May 21
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss - 2
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Tennessee
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss
Friday, May 31