Indiana University Athletics
Baseball Central: Cincinnati
5/6/2024 8:30:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Midweek baseball returns to Bloomington for the final time this season. The Hoosiers have just four home games remaining including Tuesday's game against Cincinnati. Michigan will come to town on the final weekend of the year.
IU has eight games in the regular season remaining as it looks to win a Big Ten title and cement its case to be an NCAA Tournament team for the second-straight season. IU went to West Lafayette last weekend and won a three-game series on rival soil for the first time since 2002.
The Hoosiers scored four in the ninth inning to complete a miracle comeback that featured three singles, three walks and a fielding error from the Purdue pitcher. The victory kept IU a game back in the Big Ten standings and boosted the all-important RPI ahead of a massive trip to Lincoln this week.
First, however, head coach Jeff Mercer's squad will look to complete a perfect regular season against Big 12 opposition. IU swept Baylor in February and welcomes Cincinnati on Tuesday (May 7) for a big midweek game.
Sophomore right hander Evan Whiteaker will take the start on the mound while his offense looks to add early offense to the board at Bart Kaufman Field. First pitch, barring weather, is scheduled for 6:00 PM ET.
Gameday Info
vs. Cincinnati (Tuesday, May 7th – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Cincinnati
• Tuesday – Evan Whiteaker, RHP (IU) vs. Griffin Hugus, RHP (UC)
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. Tibbitts now has 186 for his career and is 14 away from becoming the 25th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana.
Notable
Turned the Tables in West Lafayette
• Down to its final two outs on Sunday, the Indiana Baseball team pulled off a miraculous comeback, using three singles, three walks and a fielding error to score four runs in the ninth and take the lead. Jacob Vogel recorded the final three outs to secure the series win.
• IU scored 15 runs in the seventh inning or later this weekend, including all 10 in Saturday's victory, taking the series in West Lafayette for the first time since 2002. Potentially a season-defining win, the Hoosiers remain just a game back of league leaders Illinois with six to play.
Massive Eight-Game Stretch in May
• Now comes the fun part of the schedule. Despite injuries, and a rough month of March, IU has kept its head above water with a chance at a conference title. The Hoosiers have eight games left, all against power five schools.
• Cincinnati comes to town this week off the heels of a weekend series win over West Virginia. The Hoosiers then head to Lincoln for a massive Big Ten road series against Nebraska, a fellow 12-6 team in the league.
DT Shines in Leadoff Role
• Head coach Jeff Mercer moved Devin Taylor to the leadoff role before the Rutgers series to spell the struggling Carter Mathison. Taylor, who hardly sees any pitches to hit, has made opposing pitchers pay in the last six games.
• In that stretch, the sophomore is hitting .462 (12-26) with four home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs, a double and a triple. Most of those outs have been hard hit balls right at defenders. He has his season average up to .356 and is seeing the ball with confidence right now.
How 'Bout the Bullpen?
• IU's bullpen, which has been forced into uncomfortable positions this season, has finally begun to turn the corner. Pitchers, who are in weekend roles due to injury, have taken big leaps including the likes of Aydan Decker-Petty, Drew Buhr and Jacob Vogel.
• In 26 innings this past weekend, the Hoosiers allowed just nine earned runs. Eight different pitchers threw. The bullpen threw 20.1 of those innings and only allowed five earned runs. Jacob Vogel gave IU four scoreless while Drew Buhr handed the Hoosiers 4.2 innings of no-run action.
Brothers Meet in Bloomington
• IU freshman Cal Sefcik will see a familiar face in the opposing dugout on Tuesday night. His older brother, Luke, has started 26 games for Cincinnati this year after transferring from Central Michigan. Luke is two years older than Cal and will take the field in the same game for the first time since Luke was a senior in high school and Cal, a sophomore.
Road Series Wins
• When IU heads to Nebraska this weekend, it will be looking to win its fourth and final Big Ten series on the road this year. IU hasn't won all four Big Ten road weekends in the same year since dominating the league in 2014.
Big Ten Road Series Wins (Perfect 4/4 – Current Scheduling Format)
2024: at Maryland (2-1), at Minnesota (2-1) at Purdue (2-1), at Nebraska (TBD)
2014: at Ohio State (3-0), at Iowa (3-0), at Illinois (2-1), at Penn State (3-0)
Scouting the Opponent
Cincinnati (27-21, 13-11 Big 12)
• Cincinnati comes to town on the heels of a weekend series win over West Virginia. It's the second Big 12 opponent that IU has played this year. The Hoosiers swept Baylor in Waco at the beginning of the season.
• Josh Hegemann leads the Bearcats offensively with a .354 average but the main weapon comes in the form of Josh Kross. He's hitting .326 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. He also set a single-season school record with 22 hit by pitches. Tommy O'Connor is also in double digits with 12 home runs.
• Former Hoosier Hunter Jessee makes his return to Bloomington after playing three seasons for the cream and crimson. He's hitting .250 with 3 home runs and 31 RBIs.
• Griffin Hugus makes just his second start of the season. He's 0-2 with a 4.95 earned run average in nine appearances. He has 15 strikeouts but has allowed 13 walks and 11 earned runs. He will likely feature in a short-term opener role.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Cincinnati
• These two teams have met 35 times in program history but it's the first time with the Bearcats in the Big 12 Conference and first with Jordan Bischel as the head man.
• IU won last year's matchup in the Queen City 11-9. Brayden Risedorph started and went four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny each hit home runs in the victory.
IU has eight games in the regular season remaining as it looks to win a Big Ten title and cement its case to be an NCAA Tournament team for the second-straight season. IU went to West Lafayette last weekend and won a three-game series on rival soil for the first time since 2002.
The Hoosiers scored four in the ninth inning to complete a miracle comeback that featured three singles, three walks and a fielding error from the Purdue pitcher. The victory kept IU a game back in the Big Ten standings and boosted the all-important RPI ahead of a massive trip to Lincoln this week.
First, however, head coach Jeff Mercer's squad will look to complete a perfect regular season against Big 12 opposition. IU swept Baylor in February and welcomes Cincinnati on Tuesday (May 7) for a big midweek game.
Sophomore right hander Evan Whiteaker will take the start on the mound while his offense looks to add early offense to the board at Bart Kaufman Field. First pitch, barring weather, is scheduled for 6:00 PM ET.
Gameday Info
vs. Cincinnati (Tuesday, May 7th – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Cincinnati
• Tuesday – Evan Whiteaker, RHP (IU) vs. Griffin Hugus, RHP (UC)
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. Tibbitts now has 186 for his career and is 14 away from becoming the 25th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana.
Notable
Turned the Tables in West Lafayette
• Down to its final two outs on Sunday, the Indiana Baseball team pulled off a miraculous comeback, using three singles, three walks and a fielding error to score four runs in the ninth and take the lead. Jacob Vogel recorded the final three outs to secure the series win.
• IU scored 15 runs in the seventh inning or later this weekend, including all 10 in Saturday's victory, taking the series in West Lafayette for the first time since 2002. Potentially a season-defining win, the Hoosiers remain just a game back of league leaders Illinois with six to play.
Massive Eight-Game Stretch in May
• Now comes the fun part of the schedule. Despite injuries, and a rough month of March, IU has kept its head above water with a chance at a conference title. The Hoosiers have eight games left, all against power five schools.
• Cincinnati comes to town this week off the heels of a weekend series win over West Virginia. The Hoosiers then head to Lincoln for a massive Big Ten road series against Nebraska, a fellow 12-6 team in the league.
DT Shines in Leadoff Role
• Head coach Jeff Mercer moved Devin Taylor to the leadoff role before the Rutgers series to spell the struggling Carter Mathison. Taylor, who hardly sees any pitches to hit, has made opposing pitchers pay in the last six games.
• In that stretch, the sophomore is hitting .462 (12-26) with four home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs, a double and a triple. Most of those outs have been hard hit balls right at defenders. He has his season average up to .356 and is seeing the ball with confidence right now.
How 'Bout the Bullpen?
• IU's bullpen, which has been forced into uncomfortable positions this season, has finally begun to turn the corner. Pitchers, who are in weekend roles due to injury, have taken big leaps including the likes of Aydan Decker-Petty, Drew Buhr and Jacob Vogel.
• In 26 innings this past weekend, the Hoosiers allowed just nine earned runs. Eight different pitchers threw. The bullpen threw 20.1 of those innings and only allowed five earned runs. Jacob Vogel gave IU four scoreless while Drew Buhr handed the Hoosiers 4.2 innings of no-run action.
Brothers Meet in Bloomington
• IU freshman Cal Sefcik will see a familiar face in the opposing dugout on Tuesday night. His older brother, Luke, has started 26 games for Cincinnati this year after transferring from Central Michigan. Luke is two years older than Cal and will take the field in the same game for the first time since Luke was a senior in high school and Cal, a sophomore.
Road Series Wins
• When IU heads to Nebraska this weekend, it will be looking to win its fourth and final Big Ten series on the road this year. IU hasn't won all four Big Ten road weekends in the same year since dominating the league in 2014.
Big Ten Road Series Wins (Perfect 4/4 – Current Scheduling Format)
2024: at Maryland (2-1), at Minnesota (2-1) at Purdue (2-1), at Nebraska (TBD)
2014: at Ohio State (3-0), at Iowa (3-0), at Illinois (2-1), at Penn State (3-0)
Scouting the Opponent
Cincinnati (27-21, 13-11 Big 12)
• Cincinnati comes to town on the heels of a weekend series win over West Virginia. It's the second Big 12 opponent that IU has played this year. The Hoosiers swept Baylor in Waco at the beginning of the season.
• Josh Hegemann leads the Bearcats offensively with a .354 average but the main weapon comes in the form of Josh Kross. He's hitting .326 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. He also set a single-season school record with 22 hit by pitches. Tommy O'Connor is also in double digits with 12 home runs.
• Former Hoosier Hunter Jessee makes his return to Bloomington after playing three seasons for the cream and crimson. He's hitting .250 with 3 home runs and 31 RBIs.
• Griffin Hugus makes just his second start of the season. He's 0-2 with a 4.95 earned run average in nine appearances. He has 15 strikeouts but has allowed 13 walks and 11 earned runs. He will likely feature in a short-term opener role.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Cincinnati
• These two teams have met 35 times in program history but it's the first time with the Bearcats in the Big 12 Conference and first with Jordan Bischel as the head man.
• IU won last year's matchup in the Queen City 11-9. Brayden Risedorph started and went four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny each hit home runs in the victory.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballSunday, February 22
Saturday, February 21
Friday, February 20
Wednesday, May 21