Friday, May 10
Lincoln, Neb.
7:05 PM
Indiana University
at
Nebraska
Baseball Central: Nebraska
5/9/2024 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – One of the biggest weekends in recent Big Ten baseball memory will take center stage this weekend with the top six teams in the league all meeting each other in the penultimate week of conference play. Part of that slate features a massive series in Lincoln as the Indiana Baseball team (27-19-1, 12-6 B1G) meets Nebraska (12-6 B1G) at Haymarket Park.
The Hoosiers are fresh off a comeback series victory at Purdue and have won their past five Big Ten series, three of those on the road. IU is looking to win all four road series in conference play since going 8-for-8 in weekend sets in the magical 2014 season.
IU has won 11 of its past 14 Big Ten games and only dropped one conference series the entire year, against Illinois in mid-March. On the outside of the bubble, looking in, the Hoosiers have four big quad one opportunities in the next week with road games at Nebraska (x3) and Louisville. The Big Ten title is well in reach but a series victory in Lincoln would go a long way.
A number of players have returned to the lineup to help the Hoosiers down the stretch. Junior Brock Tibbitts started all three games at first base last weekend while sophomore Connor Foley resumed his role as the Saturday starter. Freshman Andrew Wiggins is expected to work back into some at-bats in the coming games in his journey back to full health.
Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell will get the ball on Friday night in one of the best environments in all of the Big Ten Conference. This will be the first time head coach Jeff Mercer has led an IU team into Lincoln. The two teams haven't played at Haymarket Field since 2018. Friday will have a first pitch of 7:05 PM ET/6:05 PM CT while Saturday (7:05 PM ET) and Sunday (1:00 PM ET) will be featured on the Big Ten Network.
Gameday Info
at Nebraska (Friday, May 10th – 7:05 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
at Nebraska (Saturday, May 11th – 7:05 PM)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
at Nebraska (Sunday, May 12th – 1:00 PM)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
Probable Starters
Indiana at Nebraska
• Friday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Brett Sears, RHP (NU)
• Saturday – Connor Foley, RHP (IU) vs. Mason McConnaughey, RHP (NU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (NU)
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 Seven-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 seven games left, all against power five schools.
• After a midweek against Cincinnati was canceled, there are seven chances left to boost the RPI in the right direction. 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.
The Big Ten's Biggest Weekend
• When the Big Ten schedule was released, this weekend wasn't necessarily circled. However, the top six teams in the league will all meet as the Big Ten title picture potentially becomes clearer.
• Indiana and Nebraska will meet in Lincoln, Purdue and Michigan play in Ann Arbor and Illinois hosts Iowa in Champaign. All six teams are separated by no more than 1.5 games in the conference standings.
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
Nebraska (30-17, 12-6 B1G)
• Nebraska is one of the most well-balanced teams in the entire country and has worked an RPI into the top-25 for a majority of the season. The Cornhuskers are tied with Indiana, and Purdue, for second in the Big Ten Standings.
• Case Sanderson is hitting a whopping .352 across 38 games and 29 starts as of May 8th. Nebraska has worked 19 games into the lineup this season with only one player (Cole Evans) playing in all 46 as of Wednesday. Josh Caron works the power in the order with eight home runs and 48 RBIs.
• The pitching has been a strong point for the Cornhuskers this year. Brett Sears is the best pitcher in the Big Ten. Nebraska's Friday man has a 7-0 record and a 2.18 earned run average in 12 starts. He's worked 78.1 innings and allowed just 19 runs.
• As a staff, Nebraska has a 4.41 ERA, before Wednesday's game, the lowest in the conference. IU has played, and beaten, the other four teams with the lowest team ERA's in the conference. Nebraska will be the fifth team IU has played in the top-5 of team ERA.
Inside the Series
Indiana at Nebraska
• IU will make its first trip to Lincoln since 2018 this weekend. Head coach Jeff Mercer has never taken an IU team to Haymarket Park in his tenure. The two teams last met in a three-game set in 2022 in Bloomington with the Hoosiers taking two of three.
• Nebraska and IU met four times in the conference-only COVID-19 season with Nebraska winning three of four including clinching the Big Ten title on IU's field. The teams played two of their four games in Piscataway that season at Rutgers.
• IU won the Saturday and Sunday games the last time they played in Lincoln. Each game in that series was separated by three-or-fewer runs.
The Hoosiers are fresh off a comeback series victory at Purdue and have won their past five Big Ten series, three of those on the road. IU is looking to win all four road series in conference play since going 8-for-8 in weekend sets in the magical 2014 season.
IU has won 11 of its past 14 Big Ten games and only dropped one conference series the entire year, against Illinois in mid-March. On the outside of the bubble, looking in, the Hoosiers have four big quad one opportunities in the next week with road games at Nebraska (x3) and Louisville. The Big Ten title is well in reach but a series victory in Lincoln would go a long way.
A number of players have returned to the lineup to help the Hoosiers down the stretch. Junior Brock Tibbitts started all three games at first base last weekend while sophomore Connor Foley resumed his role as the Saturday starter. Freshman Andrew Wiggins is expected to work back into some at-bats in the coming games in his journey back to full health.
Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell will get the ball on Friday night in one of the best environments in all of the Big Ten Conference. This will be the first time head coach Jeff Mercer has led an IU team into Lincoln. The two teams haven't played at Haymarket Field since 2018. Friday will have a first pitch of 7:05 PM ET/6:05 PM CT while Saturday (7:05 PM ET) and Sunday (1:00 PM ET) will be featured on the Big Ten Network.
Gameday Info
at Nebraska (Friday, May 10th – 7:05 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
at Nebraska (Saturday, May 11th – 7:05 PM)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
at Nebraska (Sunday, May 12th – 1:00 PM)
Live Video: bit.ly/44wik9K
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/4dz8mZi
Probable Starters
Indiana at Nebraska
• Friday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Brett Sears, RHP (NU)
• Saturday – Connor Foley, RHP (IU) vs. Mason McConnaughey, RHP (NU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (NU)
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 Seven-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 seven games left, all against power five schools.
• After a midweek against Cincinnati was canceled, there are seven chances left to boost the RPI in the right direction. 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.
The Big Ten's Biggest Weekend
• When the Big Ten schedule was released, this weekend wasn't necessarily circled. However, the top six teams in the league will all meet as the Big Ten title picture potentially becomes clearer.
• Indiana and Nebraska will meet in Lincoln, Purdue and Michigan play in Ann Arbor and Illinois hosts Iowa in Champaign. All six teams are separated by no more than 1.5 games in the conference standings.
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
Nebraska (30-17, 12-6 B1G)
• Nebraska is one of the most well-balanced teams in the entire country and has worked an RPI into the top-25 for a majority of the season. The Cornhuskers are tied with Indiana, and Purdue, for second in the Big Ten Standings.
• Case Sanderson is hitting a whopping .352 across 38 games and 29 starts as of May 8th. Nebraska has worked 19 games into the lineup this season with only one player (Cole Evans) playing in all 46 as of Wednesday. Josh Caron works the power in the order with eight home runs and 48 RBIs.
• The pitching has been a strong point for the Cornhuskers this year. Brett Sears is the best pitcher in the Big Ten. Nebraska's Friday man has a 7-0 record and a 2.18 earned run average in 12 starts. He's worked 78.1 innings and allowed just 19 runs.
• As a staff, Nebraska has a 4.41 ERA, before Wednesday's game, the lowest in the conference. IU has played, and beaten, the other four teams with the lowest team ERA's in the conference. Nebraska will be the fifth team IU has played in the top-5 of team ERA.
Inside the Series
Indiana at Nebraska
• IU will make its first trip to Lincoln since 2018 this weekend. Head coach Jeff Mercer has never taken an IU team to Haymarket Park in his tenure. The two teams last met in a three-game set in 2022 in Bloomington with the Hoosiers taking two of three.
• Nebraska and IU met four times in the conference-only COVID-19 season with Nebraska winning three of four including clinching the Big Ten title on IU's field. The teams played two of their four games in Piscataway that season at Rutgers.
• IU won the Saturday and Sunday games the last time they played in Lincoln. Each game in that series was separated by three-or-fewer runs.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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RHP
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RHP
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OF
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OF
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C
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RHP
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OF
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