Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, May 21
Omaha, Neb.
5:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
#6 Purdue
Baseball Central: Big Ten Tournament
5/20/2024 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Big Ten Tournament Presented by IFS.ai gets underway at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. as the league's best eight teams gather with a chance at a title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
For the 11th-straight tournament, the Indiana Baseball team (30-22-1, 15-9 B1G) will be part of the bracket and will kick start the week as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Purdue at 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT on Tuesday (May 21) morning on the Big Ten Network.
IU and Purdue haven't met in the conference tournament since 2012, a tournament that the Boilermaker went on to win. The Hoosiers would win the ensuing two tournaments in 2013 and 2014. The winner of Tuesday's game will meet No. 2 Nebraska or No. 7 Ohio State in the winner's bracket on Thursday. The loser will play the loser of the contest between the Huskers and Buckeyes on Wednesday night in an elimination game.
Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell, who is winding down his collegiate career, has at least one more start in him as he gets the ball on Tuesday morning. If the Hoosiers advance throughout the week, there's a strong chance that Bothwell will come into another game as a reliever or starter.
Sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor is red-hot at the plate (7-11, .636 vs. Michigan) and will need to continue that as the Hoosiers go for their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2014. At 59 in the RPI heading into the weekend, IU will likely need to win the whole tournament or advance far into the week for a chance at the NCAA Tournament.
Gameday Info
vs. Purdue (Tuesday, May 21st – 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4ap4OGl
vs. Ohio State/Nebraska (TBD)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4ap4OGl
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Purdue
• Tuesday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Jordan Morales, LHP (PU)
Indiana vs. Nebraska/Ohio State
• Wednesday/Thursday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (TBD)
Player and Stat Trends
Tibbitts Chases 200
• Brock Tibbitts made his return to the lineup after missing a month with a lower-leg injury. He had four hits in the weekend series win over Purdue including the hit that kickstarted an amazing ninth-inning rally. He had two more in the series at Nebraska. Tibbitts now has 190 for his career and is 10 away from becoming the 25th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana.
Notable
Big Ten Tournament Regulars
• The Indiana Baseball team will be featured in the bracket for the 11th-consecutive Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The event was not held in 2020 and 2021 but dating back to 2012, the Hoosiers have been every edition of the conference tournament.
• It is the longest streak in the conference, just beating out Michigan's 10-year active streak. The Hoosiers won the tournament title in 2009, 2013 and 2014 but haven't won it since. This might be IU's best opportunity to claim the crown and the automatic bid since that 2014 season.
Pitching Shines in Regular Season Finale
• Since the last weekend in April, the IU pitching staff has been nothing short of phenomenal. A group that took its lumps and criticism in the month of March, due to some injuries, has completely flipped the script and given the Hoosiers plenty of momentum.
• A group of 9-10 pitchers, including the likes of Drew Buhr, Aydan Decker-Petty and Julian Tonghini, has combined to not allow more than seven runs in a game since the second game of a doubleheader at Minnesota on April 21. IU has gone eight-straight games without giving up more than five runs.
Rivalry Renewed on Opening Day in Omaha
• For the first time since 2012, Indiana and Purdue will meet each other in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The two teams met in a tightly-contested weekend series in early May that saw IU win two of three games in enemy territory.
• Purdue has lost seven of eight conference games since winning the weekend opener 7-4 over IU. The Hoosiers made four errors in that Friday game but bounced back to win the next two. The bats will need to be good against Purdue's ace, Jordan Morales, on Tuesday morning.
DT is Scorching Hot
• There is simply no one hitting the ball better than Devin Taylor in the Big Ten. Over his past 10 games, he's hitting .429. He went 7-for 11 (.636) with six runs, three home runs and seven RBIs in the series victory over Michigan.
• He ranks second in the league in home runs (17), first in runs (61), sixth in hits (77) and ninth in average (.362), all while teams give him very few fastballs to hit this season. His time in the leadoff role has been a revelation for IU's lineup.
Back to 30 Wins
• The Indiana program has reached 30-or-more regular seasons in 11 of the past 12 completed campaigns. Only in 2022, while playing lots of freshmen, did the Hoosiers fail to reach to the 30-win mark in the regular season. The Hoosiers won 15+ games in Big Ten play in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14.
Can the Hoosiers Make a Run?
• Well, that's why they make the bracket. Indiana likely needs to win the whole thing to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. IU's lined up its pitching and will roll out Ty Bothwell (LHP) to start Tuesday's game. Win the opener and you get an extra day off with the chance to potentially bring out Connor Foley in the second round.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue (33-22, 13-11 B1G)
• Purdue has built an identity on small ball, baserunning and manufacturing runs. In between all that are big bats in Luke Gaffney and Connor Caskenette that can stack up extra-base hits in a hurry. Gaffney leads the team with a .368 batting average and is the likely Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• On the mound, Purdue has ridden a veteran trio of Jordan Morales, Luke Wagner and Kyle Iwinski to a strong team earned run average of 5.06. Avery Cook (25 app.) and Aaron Suval (21 app.) are the main options out of the bullpen for the Boilermakers.
• Camden Gasser and Mike Bolton Jr. kickstart the Purdue offense and are on-base merchants. Gasser has an on-base percentage of .512 while he and Bolton Jr. have combined for 40 stolen bases this year.
Inside the Series
Purdue vs. Indiana
• These two teams played earlier in the year with IU winning the final two games of the series. The Sunday contest featured a wild four-run comeback in the ninth to secure the weekend victory. Jacob Vogel and Aydan Decker-Petty were phenomenal in relief that day.
• IU and Purdue haven't played in the Big Ten Tournament since 2012. The Hoosiers are 2-4 all-time in the league tournament against their in-state rivals. Purdue has lost seven of its last eight league games this year since beating IU on the Friday night. The Hoosiers made four errors in that series-opening defeat.
For the 11th-straight tournament, the Indiana Baseball team (30-22-1, 15-9 B1G) will be part of the bracket and will kick start the week as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Purdue at 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT on Tuesday (May 21) morning on the Big Ten Network.
IU and Purdue haven't met in the conference tournament since 2012, a tournament that the Boilermaker went on to win. The Hoosiers would win the ensuing two tournaments in 2013 and 2014. The winner of Tuesday's game will meet No. 2 Nebraska or No. 7 Ohio State in the winner's bracket on Thursday. The loser will play the loser of the contest between the Huskers and Buckeyes on Wednesday night in an elimination game.
Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell, who is winding down his collegiate career, has at least one more start in him as he gets the ball on Tuesday morning. If the Hoosiers advance throughout the week, there's a strong chance that Bothwell will come into another game as a reliever or starter.
Sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor is red-hot at the plate (7-11, .636 vs. Michigan) and will need to continue that as the Hoosiers go for their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2014. At 59 in the RPI heading into the weekend, IU will likely need to win the whole tournament or advance far into the week for a chance at the NCAA Tournament.
Gameday Info
vs. Purdue (Tuesday, May 21st – 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4ap4OGl
vs. Ohio State/Nebraska (TBD)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4ap4OGl
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Purdue
• Tuesday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Jordan Morales, LHP (PU)
Indiana vs. Nebraska/Ohio State
• Wednesday/Thursday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (TBD)
Player and Stat Trends
Tibbitts Chases 200
• Brock Tibbitts made his return to the lineup after missing a month with a lower-leg injury. He had four hits in the weekend series win over Purdue including the hit that kickstarted an amazing ninth-inning rally. He had two more in the series at Nebraska. Tibbitts now has 190 for his career and is 10 away from becoming the 25th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana.
Notable
Big Ten Tournament Regulars
• The Indiana Baseball team will be featured in the bracket for the 11th-consecutive Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The event was not held in 2020 and 2021 but dating back to 2012, the Hoosiers have been every edition of the conference tournament.
• It is the longest streak in the conference, just beating out Michigan's 10-year active streak. The Hoosiers won the tournament title in 2009, 2013 and 2014 but haven't won it since. This might be IU's best opportunity to claim the crown and the automatic bid since that 2014 season.
Pitching Shines in Regular Season Finale
• Since the last weekend in April, the IU pitching staff has been nothing short of phenomenal. A group that took its lumps and criticism in the month of March, due to some injuries, has completely flipped the script and given the Hoosiers plenty of momentum.
• A group of 9-10 pitchers, including the likes of Drew Buhr, Aydan Decker-Petty and Julian Tonghini, has combined to not allow more than seven runs in a game since the second game of a doubleheader at Minnesota on April 21. IU has gone eight-straight games without giving up more than five runs.
Rivalry Renewed on Opening Day in Omaha
• For the first time since 2012, Indiana and Purdue will meet each other in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The two teams met in a tightly-contested weekend series in early May that saw IU win two of three games in enemy territory.
• Purdue has lost seven of eight conference games since winning the weekend opener 7-4 over IU. The Hoosiers made four errors in that Friday game but bounced back to win the next two. The bats will need to be good against Purdue's ace, Jordan Morales, on Tuesday morning.
DT is Scorching Hot
• There is simply no one hitting the ball better than Devin Taylor in the Big Ten. Over his past 10 games, he's hitting .429. He went 7-for 11 (.636) with six runs, three home runs and seven RBIs in the series victory over Michigan.
• He ranks second in the league in home runs (17), first in runs (61), sixth in hits (77) and ninth in average (.362), all while teams give him very few fastballs to hit this season. His time in the leadoff role has been a revelation for IU's lineup.
Back to 30 Wins
• The Indiana program has reached 30-or-more regular seasons in 11 of the past 12 completed campaigns. Only in 2022, while playing lots of freshmen, did the Hoosiers fail to reach to the 30-win mark in the regular season. The Hoosiers won 15+ games in Big Ten play in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14.
Can the Hoosiers Make a Run?
• Well, that's why they make the bracket. Indiana likely needs to win the whole thing to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. IU's lined up its pitching and will roll out Ty Bothwell (LHP) to start Tuesday's game. Win the opener and you get an extra day off with the chance to potentially bring out Connor Foley in the second round.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue (33-22, 13-11 B1G)
• Purdue has built an identity on small ball, baserunning and manufacturing runs. In between all that are big bats in Luke Gaffney and Connor Caskenette that can stack up extra-base hits in a hurry. Gaffney leads the team with a .368 batting average and is the likely Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• On the mound, Purdue has ridden a veteran trio of Jordan Morales, Luke Wagner and Kyle Iwinski to a strong team earned run average of 5.06. Avery Cook (25 app.) and Aaron Suval (21 app.) are the main options out of the bullpen for the Boilermakers.
• Camden Gasser and Mike Bolton Jr. kickstart the Purdue offense and are on-base merchants. Gasser has an on-base percentage of .512 while he and Bolton Jr. have combined for 40 stolen bases this year.
Inside the Series
Purdue vs. Indiana
• These two teams played earlier in the year with IU winning the final two games of the series. The Sunday contest featured a wild four-run comeback in the ninth to secure the weekend victory. Jacob Vogel and Aydan Decker-Petty were phenomenal in relief that day.
• IU and Purdue haven't played in the Big Ten Tournament since 2012. The Hoosiers are 2-4 all-time in the league tournament against their in-state rivals. Purdue has lost seven of its last eight league games this year since beating IU on the Friday night. The Hoosiers made four errors in that series-opening defeat.
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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