Tuesday, March 19
Terre Haute, Ind.
4:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Indiana State
Baseball Central: Indiana State
3/18/2024 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A potential early-season RPI boost is on the calendar for Tuesday (March 19) afternoon as the Indiana Baseball team (11-9) travels to Terre Haute to take on in-state foe Indiana State. The Sycamores, fresh off a Super Regional appearance last season, is No. 15 in the latest RPI rankings.
The Hoosiers opened the offensive floodgates on Saturday and Sunday, combining for 30 runs to take the final two games of the weekend and win the series over Belmont. Sophomore pitcher Ethan Phillips was awarded the win in both outings, the first to do in back-to-back games for IU since 2018.
IU already has a top-15 RPI road win on its resume after dispatching of Coastal Carolina (No. 13) on opening weekend but an additional true road win would benefit Jeff Mercer's ballclub before heading into conference play against Illinois this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field.
Junior catcher Brock Tibbitts will take his nine-game hitting streak to Terre Haute on Tuesday. He and sophomore shortstop Tyler Cerny (team-high 32 hits) are two of the hottest bats in the Big Ten Conference.
Sixth-year senior Ty Rybarczyk will open the game for the second-straight week and is expected to make way to a number of options who will be available out of the bullpen. Sophomore right-hander Aydan Decker-Petty was outstanding in two innings of relief on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt freshman Jacob Vogel and true freshman Ryan Rushing are another pair of arms who could work into the mix as the season progresses.
IU's contest on Tuesday will be broadcasted on ESPN+. The Hoosiers have won five of the last six against the Sycamores but were shut out, 4-0, last April on the road in Terre Haute.
Gameday Info
at Indiana State (Tuesday)
Live Video: t.ly/8cnLi
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/g_NqU
Probable Starters
Indiana at Indiana State (Tuesday)
• Ty Rybarczyk (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. TBD
Notable
Back on Track
• After a four-game losing streak, in which Indiana really struggled, Jeff Mercer's bunch got back on track to win the series against Belmont with a pair of wins on Saturday (15-10) and Sunday (15-7).
• The Hoosiers opened the 2024 campaign at 6-1 but ran into a tough patch over the past few weeks with a condensed schedule and a pitching rotation that got off-track. After a long team meeting on Friday night, IU responded in a big way the rest of the weekend.
Buzz Cuts and Big Bats
• Junior third baseman Josh Pyne decided the team needed a change of pace after Friday's loss to Belmont. He, along with redshirt junior catcher Jake Stadler, led the charge in the buzz-cut trend, shaving down their heads in the locker room. Nearly three-fourths of the team followed suit.
• The Hoosiers won both games since by a combined score of 30-17 and reached base 54 times in those two games after a slow offensive night on Friday evening.
Phillips Does the Job
• Sophomore Ethan Phillips was called in to help manage the pitching on Saturday afternoon in a close game. IU took the lead in the bottom of the seventh to reward him the win. Pitching coach Dustin Glant looked to him to open Sunday's game and he turned in three innings of one-run baseball on a staff day.
• He is the first IU pitcher since Cal Krueger (who won three-in-a-row) in 2018 to be the winning pitcher in consecutive games played.
RPI Check
• Even after some tough losses, IU is holding at No. 65 in the RPI heading into the weekend. Tuesday's game with Indiana State (15) presents another big road RPI opportunity. The Hoosiers already beat Coastal Carolina (13) away from home.
Big Ten Play Gets Underway
• IU opens Big Ten play at home this weekend with Illinois. The Hoosiers swept Ohio State at home last year to open conference play and will look to tack on some more runs this weekend. IU went 2-1 against Illinois in Champaign last year. It is 7-3 against Illinois in the last 10 regular season meetings.
Tibby Stays Hot
• No one has answered the call in the last 10 games like junior catcher/infielder Brock Tibbitts. He is riding a nine-game hitting streak and had multi-hit games in all five contests played last weekend. On the season, he has made the go-ahead play in seven of IU's 11 victories including the game-winning two-run home run in the seventh inning on Saturday vs. Belmont.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State (14-4, 0-0)
• A veteran ballclub and a Super Regional team from last season, Indiana State is known for its tough pitching and outstanding defense. The Sycamores have a collective 4.18 earned run average on the season.
• Luis Hernandez, Randal Diaz and Dominic Listi lead the way offensively. All three have started each game this year and are hitting above .335 respectively on the season. Mike Sears has a team-best seven home runs and 21 RBIs.
Inside the Series
Indiana at Indiana State
• These two in-state foes have played 115 times with IU leading the all-time series at 67-47-1. IU has won five of the past six meetings but lost the last contest in Terre Haute, 4-0, in 2023.
The Hoosiers opened the offensive floodgates on Saturday and Sunday, combining for 30 runs to take the final two games of the weekend and win the series over Belmont. Sophomore pitcher Ethan Phillips was awarded the win in both outings, the first to do in back-to-back games for IU since 2018.
IU already has a top-15 RPI road win on its resume after dispatching of Coastal Carolina (No. 13) on opening weekend but an additional true road win would benefit Jeff Mercer's ballclub before heading into conference play against Illinois this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field.
Junior catcher Brock Tibbitts will take his nine-game hitting streak to Terre Haute on Tuesday. He and sophomore shortstop Tyler Cerny (team-high 32 hits) are two of the hottest bats in the Big Ten Conference.
Sixth-year senior Ty Rybarczyk will open the game for the second-straight week and is expected to make way to a number of options who will be available out of the bullpen. Sophomore right-hander Aydan Decker-Petty was outstanding in two innings of relief on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt freshman Jacob Vogel and true freshman Ryan Rushing are another pair of arms who could work into the mix as the season progresses.
IU's contest on Tuesday will be broadcasted on ESPN+. The Hoosiers have won five of the last six against the Sycamores but were shut out, 4-0, last April on the road in Terre Haute.
Gameday Info
at Indiana State (Tuesday)
Live Video: t.ly/8cnLi
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/g_NqU
Probable Starters
Indiana at Indiana State (Tuesday)
• Ty Rybarczyk (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. TBD
Notable
Back on Track
• After a four-game losing streak, in which Indiana really struggled, Jeff Mercer's bunch got back on track to win the series against Belmont with a pair of wins on Saturday (15-10) and Sunday (15-7).
• The Hoosiers opened the 2024 campaign at 6-1 but ran into a tough patch over the past few weeks with a condensed schedule and a pitching rotation that got off-track. After a long team meeting on Friday night, IU responded in a big way the rest of the weekend.
Buzz Cuts and Big Bats
• Junior third baseman Josh Pyne decided the team needed a change of pace after Friday's loss to Belmont. He, along with redshirt junior catcher Jake Stadler, led the charge in the buzz-cut trend, shaving down their heads in the locker room. Nearly three-fourths of the team followed suit.
• The Hoosiers won both games since by a combined score of 30-17 and reached base 54 times in those two games after a slow offensive night on Friday evening.
Phillips Does the Job
• Sophomore Ethan Phillips was called in to help manage the pitching on Saturday afternoon in a close game. IU took the lead in the bottom of the seventh to reward him the win. Pitching coach Dustin Glant looked to him to open Sunday's game and he turned in three innings of one-run baseball on a staff day.
• He is the first IU pitcher since Cal Krueger (who won three-in-a-row) in 2018 to be the winning pitcher in consecutive games played.
RPI Check
• Even after some tough losses, IU is holding at No. 65 in the RPI heading into the weekend. Tuesday's game with Indiana State (15) presents another big road RPI opportunity. The Hoosiers already beat Coastal Carolina (13) away from home.
Big Ten Play Gets Underway
• IU opens Big Ten play at home this weekend with Illinois. The Hoosiers swept Ohio State at home last year to open conference play and will look to tack on some more runs this weekend. IU went 2-1 against Illinois in Champaign last year. It is 7-3 against Illinois in the last 10 regular season meetings.
Tibby Stays Hot
• No one has answered the call in the last 10 games like junior catcher/infielder Brock Tibbitts. He is riding a nine-game hitting streak and had multi-hit games in all five contests played last weekend. On the season, he has made the go-ahead play in seven of IU's 11 victories including the game-winning two-run home run in the seventh inning on Saturday vs. Belmont.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State (14-4, 0-0)
• A veteran ballclub and a Super Regional team from last season, Indiana State is known for its tough pitching and outstanding defense. The Sycamores have a collective 4.18 earned run average on the season.
• Luis Hernandez, Randal Diaz and Dominic Listi lead the way offensively. All three have started each game this year and are hitting above .335 respectively on the season. Mike Sears has a team-best seven home runs and 21 RBIs.
Inside the Series
Indiana at Indiana State
• These two in-state foes have played 115 times with IU leading the all-time series at 67-47-1. IU has won five of the past six meetings but lost the last contest in Terre Haute, 4-0, in 2023.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ 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