Indiana University Athletics
Wednesday, April 24
Muncie, Ind.
3:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Ball State
Baseball Central: Ball State
4/22/2024 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After winning a third-straight Big Ten series, the Indiana Baseball team (22-18, 7-5 B1G) returns to the home state for four games. It begins with a trip to Victory Field, home of the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, against Ball State.
The Hoosiers will meet Rutgers this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field, a series with massive season implications on the line. IU received an eight-RBI performance from freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver on Sunday afternoon to secure the series victory. He is the second freshman in the past week to break the record after Joey Brenczewski drove in seven last Sunday against Penn State.
Sophomore Ethan Phillips will start Tuesday's contest. With an outstanding day from sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell on Saturday, IU was able to make it through the weekend without using Phillips, junior Brandon Keyster and freshman Seth Benes, among others. Sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty and juniors Julian Tonghini and Ryan Kraft are among the arms that threw fewer than 30 pitches in Minneapolis.
IU's first matchup against Ball State, scheduled for Bloomington two weeks ago, was canceled due to the rain. This will be the only time the two teams play this year. IU will be the designated road team, wearing grey, with a first pitch scheduled for 6:00 PM in Indianapolis.
Gameday Info
vs. Ball State (Tuesday, April 23rd – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: No Stream
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/XMGOV
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Ball State
• Tuesday – Ethan Phillips, RHP (IU) vs. Jacob Hartlaub, RHP (BSU)
Player and Stat Trends
Closing in on 200
• Josh Pyne (199) is closing on 200 hits through his time in Bloomington. He just needs one more to join the club. 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890's, have recorded 200-career hits. Only nine players have ever reached 200 hits in their first three years on campus.
• He had six hits over the weekend and will have the chance to reach an exclusive club in one of four games this week in his home state. A guy that's embraced being a leader and representative for Indiana, will have a chance to etch his name in all the record books when it's all said in done in Bloomington.
Notable
Raise the Jolly Roger
• Jasen Oliver, commonly known as Jolly in the clubhouse, provided one of the best games by a freshman in program history on Sunday at Minnesota. He came into the day struggling and was moved to the nine hole to turn the lineup over.
• Needing a win, Oliver provided a 3-5 day with a freshman single-game record eight RBIs. The record was set by Joey Brenczewski just last week with seven but Oliver made quick work of it with a two-run single, a three-run home run and a three-run double in the 18-8, series-clinching win.
Bothwell Delivers
• After a disappointing outing last week against Penn State, Ty Bothwell righted the ship with a seven inning, 13-strikeout effort against Minnesota. His 13 strikeouts were a career high as he helped IU to a 7-1 victory in the series opener.
• In his career against Minnesota, he has an 8-1 strikeout to hit (!) ratio with 32 punchies and just four hits allowed. He also passed the 200-strikeout threshold and moved into 8th in program history with 205 career punchouts.
Keeping Pace in the Big Ten Race
• The Big Ten race is as open as it has been in the last five years. The top six teams are separated by three-or-fewer games with Illinois (10-2) pacing the leaderboard. IU (7-5) has won three-straight series to remain in contention. Illinois faces a tough backstretch with Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue on the docket.
• The Hoosiers still have to face Rutgers (H), Purdue (A), Nebraska (A) and Michigan (H). Three of those teams are above IU in the standings, giving Jeff Mercer's squad some opportunities to rise up the leaderboard.
Pyne Close to 200
• Josh Pyne inched closer to the 200-career hit threshold this past weekend with six hits in three games at Minnesota. He sits at 199 for his outstanding IU career, which has potentially another year left in it. With four games this week, Pyne will have the chance to become the 24th member of the 200-hit club at IU in front of friends and family in his home state.
Massive Weekend in the Big Ten
• As mentioned before, the final four weeks in the Big Ten are expected to be wild as seven teams chase the Big Ten title. The final weekend in April could be the deciding factor in the race with a trio of massive series.
• IU (7-5) will host a Rutgers team (3-9) in desperate search of some wins to make the Big Ten Tourney. The Hoosiers will be hoping to keep pace with the leaders and win a fourth series in the month of April.
• Big Ten leaders Illinois (10-2) head to Maryland (6-9), another team looking to stay alive for a trip to Omaha in late-May. Iowa (9-6), who swept Rutgers last weekend, goes to Nebraska (8-4) who is sandwiched in the thick of the title race. Michigan (10-5) plays its non-conference weekend against Long Beach State and will have a better understanding of where it stands this week.
The Hoosiers will meet Rutgers this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field, a series with massive season implications on the line. IU received an eight-RBI performance from freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver on Sunday afternoon to secure the series victory. He is the second freshman in the past week to break the record after Joey Brenczewski drove in seven last Sunday against Penn State.
Sophomore Ethan Phillips will start Tuesday's contest. With an outstanding day from sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell on Saturday, IU was able to make it through the weekend without using Phillips, junior Brandon Keyster and freshman Seth Benes, among others. Sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty and juniors Julian Tonghini and Ryan Kraft are among the arms that threw fewer than 30 pitches in Minneapolis.
IU's first matchup against Ball State, scheduled for Bloomington two weeks ago, was canceled due to the rain. This will be the only time the two teams play this year. IU will be the designated road team, wearing grey, with a first pitch scheduled for 6:00 PM in Indianapolis.
Gameday Info
vs. Ball State (Tuesday, April 23rd – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: No Stream
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/XMGOV
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Ball State
• Tuesday – Ethan Phillips, RHP (IU) vs. Jacob Hartlaub, RHP (BSU)
Player and Stat Trends
Closing in on 200
• Josh Pyne (199) is closing on 200 hits through his time in Bloomington. He just needs one more to join the club. 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890's, have recorded 200-career hits. Only nine players have ever reached 200 hits in their first three years on campus.
• He had six hits over the weekend and will have the chance to reach an exclusive club in one of four games this week in his home state. A guy that's embraced being a leader and representative for Indiana, will have a chance to etch his name in all the record books when it's all said in done in Bloomington.
Notable
Raise the Jolly Roger
• Jasen Oliver, commonly known as Jolly in the clubhouse, provided one of the best games by a freshman in program history on Sunday at Minnesota. He came into the day struggling and was moved to the nine hole to turn the lineup over.
• Needing a win, Oliver provided a 3-5 day with a freshman single-game record eight RBIs. The record was set by Joey Brenczewski just last week with seven but Oliver made quick work of it with a two-run single, a three-run home run and a three-run double in the 18-8, series-clinching win.
Bothwell Delivers
• After a disappointing outing last week against Penn State, Ty Bothwell righted the ship with a seven inning, 13-strikeout effort against Minnesota. His 13 strikeouts were a career high as he helped IU to a 7-1 victory in the series opener.
• In his career against Minnesota, he has an 8-1 strikeout to hit (!) ratio with 32 punchies and just four hits allowed. He also passed the 200-strikeout threshold and moved into 8th in program history with 205 career punchouts.
Keeping Pace in the Big Ten Race
• The Big Ten race is as open as it has been in the last five years. The top six teams are separated by three-or-fewer games with Illinois (10-2) pacing the leaderboard. IU (7-5) has won three-straight series to remain in contention. Illinois faces a tough backstretch with Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue on the docket.
• The Hoosiers still have to face Rutgers (H), Purdue (A), Nebraska (A) and Michigan (H). Three of those teams are above IU in the standings, giving Jeff Mercer's squad some opportunities to rise up the leaderboard.
Pyne Close to 200
• Josh Pyne inched closer to the 200-career hit threshold this past weekend with six hits in three games at Minnesota. He sits at 199 for his outstanding IU career, which has potentially another year left in it. With four games this week, Pyne will have the chance to become the 24th member of the 200-hit club at IU in front of friends and family in his home state.
Massive Weekend in the Big Ten
• As mentioned before, the final four weeks in the Big Ten are expected to be wild as seven teams chase the Big Ten title. The final weekend in April could be the deciding factor in the race with a trio of massive series.
• IU (7-5) will host a Rutgers team (3-9) in desperate search of some wins to make the Big Ten Tourney. The Hoosiers will be hoping to keep pace with the leaders and win a fourth series in the month of April.
• Big Ten leaders Illinois (10-2) head to Maryland (6-9), another team looking to stay alive for a trip to Omaha in late-May. Iowa (9-6), who swept Rutgers last weekend, goes to Nebraska (8-4) who is sandwiched in the thick of the title race. Michigan (10-5) plays its non-conference weekend against Long Beach State and will have a better understanding of where it stands this week.
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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