Indiana University Athletics
Saturday, March 9
Bloomington, Ind.
2:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Troy
Baseball Central: Troy
3/8/2024 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A matchup of two NCAA Tournament teams from last season will take center stage at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington this weekend. The Indiana Baseball team (8-4) welcomes Troy (10-4) for the first three-game home series of the season.
The return trip of a three-game set played at Troy in 2022, the Trojans won all three games, will pit one of the best mid-major programs in the country with IU in a highly-anticipated early-March matchup.
Projected weather in the area will cause the weekend to begin on Saturday with a doubleheader on Sunday. IU is no stranger to Sun Belt programs, having beaten No. 18 Coastal Carolina earlier in the season.
Head coach Jeff Mercer picked up his 150th win as the skipper of the Hoosiers on Wednesday (11-5 over Northern Kentucky) and will now look to get the Hoosiers rolling with 14 of their next 17 games scheduled for Bart Kaufman Field.
Already 8-4 and possessing a pair of top-25 wins, IU is off to an outstanding start in the new season. Three of its four losses came to NCAA Tournament teams from last season including a pair of Friday night defeats to No. 12 Duke and No. 16 Alabama.
Junior catcher Brock Tibbitts picked up four hits in the Wednesday night victory and is hitting .471 (8-17) over his last five games with three runs, three doubles and six RBIs.
All three games this weekend will be broadcasted on BTN+. For more information on the altered schedule, parking information and ticket information, visit this link.
Gameday Info
vs. Troy (Saturday, March 9th)
Live Video: t.ly/lZb33
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/L5jvc
vs. Troy (Sunday, March 10th – Game 1)
Live Video: t.ly/XIAc9
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/Xp5G0
vs. Troy (Sunday, March 10th – Game 2)
Live Video: t.ly/XVY1a
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/49Myy0y
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Troy - Saturday
• Connor Foley (1-0, 2.51 ERA) vs. Luke Lyon (1-0, 0.61 ERA)
Indiana vs. Troy – Sunday (Game 1)
• TBD vs. TBD
Indiana vs. Troy – Sunday (Game 2)
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Top-25 Wins
• The Hoosiers have collected two top-25 wins in four tries to begin the season after a rigorous opening three weekends to the season. Down five runs to Dallas Baptist on Saturday, junior catcher Brock Tibbitts sparked a comeback victory with 4 RBI's, two doubles and a triple.
• Now through three weekends, IU has wins over No. 18 Coastal Carolina and No. 25 Dallas Baptist, two of the top mid-major teams in the entire nation. Two of IU's losses are to consensus top-20 teams in Alabama and Duke.
Home Sweet Home
• After three weekends on the road, IU returns to the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field for 14 of its next 17 contests. Sprinkled in there are weekend series against Troy, Belmont, Butler and the Big Ten opening weekend against Illinois.
• The Hoosiers were 26-4 at home last year and are 2-1 so far this season. IU is nine wins away from 200 all-time wins at Bart Kaufman Field, a stadium that opened in 2013.
First RPI Release
• The NCAA released the first edition of the RPI ratings for the 2024 baseball season. The Hoosiers come in at No. 26, the third-highest team in the entire Big Ten Conference.
• Early-season opponents Alabama (7), Duke (13), Dallas Baptist (17) and Coastal Carolina (23) all rank inside the top-25. IU will also play Nebraska (3), Rutgers (6), Indiana State (37) and Purdue (38) as the year progresses.
Saturday Standard
• Connor Foley and Ty Bothwell have combined to form an outstanding pitching duo on Saturday afternoons. The pair has pitched all 27 innings on Saturdays, helping the Hoosiers to wins against No. 18 Coastal Carolina, Baylor and No. 25 Bothwell.
Early-Season Numbers
- Connor Foley: 1-0, 14.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 21 K
- Ty Bothwell: 2-0, 1 SV, 12.2 IP, 13 H, 3 ER. 11 K
Mitchell Makes an Impact
• After missing the first six games of the season, Nick Mitchell earned his first start of the season on the Sunday at Baylor. Since then, he's started all games and appeared in right field on three occasions.
• Through six games with the Hoosiers, he's hitting .350 (7-20) with nine runs and one RBI. He had a three-hit game in the win over Dallas Baptist and scored three times in the victory.
Wednesday Night Bounce Back
• The Hoosiers returned to winning ways on Wednesday night against Northern Kentucky with a 11-5 win. Brock Tibbitts went 4-for-4 in the victory while Jake Stadler and Andrew Wiggins each homered.
• Ethan Phillips was awarded the win in his second start in four days. Julian Tonghini tallied a save with a 3.2-inning performance and four strikeouts.
Scouting the Opponent
Troy (10-4, 0-0)
• Led by third-year skipper Skyler Meade, Troy is off to a 10-4 start this season after a tough midweek defeat at Alabama. The Trojans own weekend series wins over SIUE and Harvard and also swept Kent State in a pair of midweek games at the end of February.
• Troy owns a potent offensive attack led by Ethan Kavanagh who is hitting .453 (24-53) with 22 runs, two home runs and 14 RBI's through 14 contests this season. Kole Myers is also hitting above .400 and leads the team with six home runs.
• Typical Sunday starter Clete Hartzog, a Florida transfer, is 3-0 with a 0.54 earned run average on the season. He's allowed just one run through 16.2 innings pitched in 2024.
• The Trojans went to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, beating Boston College in the opening game of the Tuscaloosa Regional before dropping their final two contests of the year. Meade's squad is projected to be back in the tournament this year among a host of talented Sun Belt teams.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Troy
• The two schools played a three-game series in 2022, the freshman year for the likes of Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison. Troy swept the series, winning all three games by three-or-fewer runs.
• Troy has won the last four games, including a contest in 2007. IU's only two wins came in 1996 and 1997. The schools have never met in Bloomington.
The return trip of a three-game set played at Troy in 2022, the Trojans won all three games, will pit one of the best mid-major programs in the country with IU in a highly-anticipated early-March matchup.
Projected weather in the area will cause the weekend to begin on Saturday with a doubleheader on Sunday. IU is no stranger to Sun Belt programs, having beaten No. 18 Coastal Carolina earlier in the season.
Head coach Jeff Mercer picked up his 150th win as the skipper of the Hoosiers on Wednesday (11-5 over Northern Kentucky) and will now look to get the Hoosiers rolling with 14 of their next 17 games scheduled for Bart Kaufman Field.
Already 8-4 and possessing a pair of top-25 wins, IU is off to an outstanding start in the new season. Three of its four losses came to NCAA Tournament teams from last season including a pair of Friday night defeats to No. 12 Duke and No. 16 Alabama.
Junior catcher Brock Tibbitts picked up four hits in the Wednesday night victory and is hitting .471 (8-17) over his last five games with three runs, three doubles and six RBIs.
All three games this weekend will be broadcasted on BTN+. For more information on the altered schedule, parking information and ticket information, visit this link.
Gameday Info
vs. Troy (Saturday, March 9th)
Live Video: t.ly/lZb33
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/L5jvc
vs. Troy (Sunday, March 10th – Game 1)
Live Video: t.ly/XIAc9
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/Xp5G0
vs. Troy (Sunday, March 10th – Game 2)
Live Video: t.ly/XVY1a
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/49Myy0y
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Troy - Saturday
• Connor Foley (1-0, 2.51 ERA) vs. Luke Lyon (1-0, 0.61 ERA)
Indiana vs. Troy – Sunday (Game 1)
• TBD vs. TBD
Indiana vs. Troy – Sunday (Game 2)
• TBD vs. TBD
Notable
Top-25 Wins
• The Hoosiers have collected two top-25 wins in four tries to begin the season after a rigorous opening three weekends to the season. Down five runs to Dallas Baptist on Saturday, junior catcher Brock Tibbitts sparked a comeback victory with 4 RBI's, two doubles and a triple.
• Now through three weekends, IU has wins over No. 18 Coastal Carolina and No. 25 Dallas Baptist, two of the top mid-major teams in the entire nation. Two of IU's losses are to consensus top-20 teams in Alabama and Duke.
Home Sweet Home
• After three weekends on the road, IU returns to the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field for 14 of its next 17 contests. Sprinkled in there are weekend series against Troy, Belmont, Butler and the Big Ten opening weekend against Illinois.
• The Hoosiers were 26-4 at home last year and are 2-1 so far this season. IU is nine wins away from 200 all-time wins at Bart Kaufman Field, a stadium that opened in 2013.
First RPI Release
• The NCAA released the first edition of the RPI ratings for the 2024 baseball season. The Hoosiers come in at No. 26, the third-highest team in the entire Big Ten Conference.
• Early-season opponents Alabama (7), Duke (13), Dallas Baptist (17) and Coastal Carolina (23) all rank inside the top-25. IU will also play Nebraska (3), Rutgers (6), Indiana State (37) and Purdue (38) as the year progresses.
Saturday Standard
• Connor Foley and Ty Bothwell have combined to form an outstanding pitching duo on Saturday afternoons. The pair has pitched all 27 innings on Saturdays, helping the Hoosiers to wins against No. 18 Coastal Carolina, Baylor and No. 25 Bothwell.
Early-Season Numbers
- Connor Foley: 1-0, 14.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 21 K
- Ty Bothwell: 2-0, 1 SV, 12.2 IP, 13 H, 3 ER. 11 K
Mitchell Makes an Impact
• After missing the first six games of the season, Nick Mitchell earned his first start of the season on the Sunday at Baylor. Since then, he's started all games and appeared in right field on three occasions.
• Through six games with the Hoosiers, he's hitting .350 (7-20) with nine runs and one RBI. He had a three-hit game in the win over Dallas Baptist and scored three times in the victory.
Wednesday Night Bounce Back
• The Hoosiers returned to winning ways on Wednesday night against Northern Kentucky with a 11-5 win. Brock Tibbitts went 4-for-4 in the victory while Jake Stadler and Andrew Wiggins each homered.
• Ethan Phillips was awarded the win in his second start in four days. Julian Tonghini tallied a save with a 3.2-inning performance and four strikeouts.
Scouting the Opponent
Troy (10-4, 0-0)
• Led by third-year skipper Skyler Meade, Troy is off to a 10-4 start this season after a tough midweek defeat at Alabama. The Trojans own weekend series wins over SIUE and Harvard and also swept Kent State in a pair of midweek games at the end of February.
• Troy owns a potent offensive attack led by Ethan Kavanagh who is hitting .453 (24-53) with 22 runs, two home runs and 14 RBI's through 14 contests this season. Kole Myers is also hitting above .400 and leads the team with six home runs.
• Typical Sunday starter Clete Hartzog, a Florida transfer, is 3-0 with a 0.54 earned run average on the season. He's allowed just one run through 16.2 innings pitched in 2024.
• The Trojans went to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, beating Boston College in the opening game of the Tuscaloosa Regional before dropping their final two contests of the year. Meade's squad is projected to be back in the tournament this year among a host of talented Sun Belt teams.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Troy
• The two schools played a three-game series in 2022, the freshman year for the likes of Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison. Troy swept the series, winning all three games by three-or-fewer runs.
• Troy has won the last four games, including a contest in 2007. IU's only two wins came in 1996 and 1997. The schools have never met in Bloomington.
Players Mentioned
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OF
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