Indiana University Athletics
‘Next Level’ – IU Aims for Deep NCAA Baseball Tourney Run
2/11/2025 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jake Stadler doesn't hesitate. The redshirt senior catcher has seen the Indiana Hoosiers at their best, with a promising mix of youth and experience. And even if it's come in workouts and exhibitions, and not games that count, don't overlook the potential.
"This will be a great season," Stadler says. "We return a lot of position players and a lot of new pitchers. The newcomers are great. They just want to win.
"Our goal this year is to host a regional and go to a Super Regional."
And perhaps beyond, standout junior outfielder Devin Taylor adds.
"Our goal is to get to the next level," he says. "We'll do anything we can to win constantly every day."
IU, coming off a 33-26-1 season with the Big Ten's top-scoring offense (8.1 runs per game), is ranked No. 25 in Baseball America's preseason poll.
"This is probably the deepest team I've had in terms of talent," says head coach Jeff Mercer, who is starting his seventh IU season. "What's the ceiling? You don't know. There are a lot of unknowns as far as who could play. You could go in so many different directions."
Consecutive NCAA regional appearances leave the Hoosiers wanting more. Strong recruiting, wise use of the transfer portal, impressive player development and veteran experience set the foundation for a special season.
"Last year there were times we left a lot on the table," shortstop Tyler Cerny says. "We had a lot of injuries pitching wise and didn't show up at the plate very well. This year, it's about being consistent in every game. Not worrying about what the jersey on the other team is. Play the same way, think the same way, no matter who we play. That's the key for us."
Taylor is a consensus second-team preseason All-American after hitting .357 with a Big Ten-leading 20 home runs (12 in IU's final 18 games) and 54 runs batted in last season. He also led the team with 67 runs. He is the first Hoosier to earn All-Big Ten honors in his first two seasons of college baseball. His 36 career home runs rank second among Hoosiers in their first two seasons, behind only Alex Dickerson (38).
"He's been in the spotlight for a long time," Mercer says. "He has high character, a great family, a great network."
A hectic summer split between the Cape Cod Baseball League and Team USA left Taylor drained in the fall, Mercer says, but he's regained his high-energy form.
"Now he's here by 9:30 or 10 in the morning to hit for an hour," Mercer says. "We want to see him be himself."
Cerny hit .315 with 10 home runs and team-leading 60 runs batted in. Sophomore second baseman Jasen Oliver, an All-Big Ten freshman selection last season, hit .285 with 10 homers and 37 RBI. Senior third baseman Josh Pyne hit .291 with 22 doubles and 39 runs batted in. Stadler hit .278 with nine doubles and 27 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins hit .309.
Top returning pitchers are grad student Drew Buhr (2-2, 3.31 earned run average), junior Aydan Decker-Petty (2-2, 6.32 earned run average) and senior Ryan Kraft (1-1, two saves, 7.27 ERA).
IU added transfer pitchers Cole Gilley out of Indiana State and Gavin Seebold out of the University of Southern Indiana. Gilley has NCAA Super Regional experience. He was 3-1 last season with a 6.61 earned run average. Seebold went 7-2 last season.
Mercer is high on Northwestern transfer pitcher Ben Grable, who missed all of last season with an injury. He went 2-2 with two saves and a 5.03 ERA as a Wildcats.
A strong freshman class -- D1 Baseball ranks it among the nation's top-10 impact groups -- includes outfielder/catcher Hogan Denny, infielders Jake Hanley and Cooper Malamazian, and pitchers Brayton Thomas and Henry Brummel.
Denny was the state of Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year out of Mooresville High School. Baseball America lists him as the Big Ten freshman-of-the-year favorite.
"This group is talented and competitive and probably ready to play," Mercer says. "How do you put them in position to be successful?"
Mercer won a Big Ten title in his first season at IU and finished second and third in the conference in the last two years. Strong recruiting and player development has enabled seven of his players to be picked in the first five rounds of the Major League Baseball draft, including four last summer.
This year's team, a strong mix of veterans and young players, aims to continue that trend.
"It's nice to see some guys who have played baseball and can be good leaders and help young guys develop," Mercer says. "Everybody wants to play Major League Baseball, but we have to do it within the confines of team.
While they're here, they'll do everything they can to win games. When the season is over, we'll do everything we can to help them play at the next level. We can develop and win. There will be time for the draft. The guys who came before them have been prepared and succeeded. The best indicator of future success is past success."
IU opens its season on Feb. 14 in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic in Arizona. The Hoosiers will face UNLV (twice), Xavier and No. 7 Oregon State.
At the end of the month, they will travel to Cary, North Carolina to play Northwestern, Fordham and Harvard. They also will travel to Deland, Fla., to play Mount St. Mary's and Stetson.
IU has a three-game Big Ten road trip to UCLA in late March as well as an early May three-game trip to Texas to play Abilene Christian. Its non-conference schedule also includes games against Louisville and Cincinnati.
Mercer says he schedules with the NCAA tourney in mind, seeking games that will boost IU's RPI while balancing the addition of UCLA and USC as part of the expanded Big Ten.
"You have to balance it out," he says. "You want to challenge them, but if you (over-schedule), it can hurt your team. We're still getting the RPI, but in a different way.
"It's a crazy time in college sports in general. We do the best we can to be an at-large team."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jake Stadler doesn't hesitate. The redshirt senior catcher has seen the Indiana Hoosiers at their best, with a promising mix of youth and experience. And even if it's come in workouts and exhibitions, and not games that count, don't overlook the potential.
"This will be a great season," Stadler says. "We return a lot of position players and a lot of new pitchers. The newcomers are great. They just want to win.
"Our goal this year is to host a regional and go to a Super Regional."
And perhaps beyond, standout junior outfielder Devin Taylor adds.
"Our goal is to get to the next level," he says. "We'll do anything we can to win constantly every day."
IU, coming off a 33-26-1 season with the Big Ten's top-scoring offense (8.1 runs per game), is ranked No. 25 in Baseball America's preseason poll.
"This is probably the deepest team I've had in terms of talent," says head coach Jeff Mercer, who is starting his seventh IU season. "What's the ceiling? You don't know. There are a lot of unknowns as far as who could play. You could go in so many different directions."
Consecutive NCAA regional appearances leave the Hoosiers wanting more. Strong recruiting, wise use of the transfer portal, impressive player development and veteran experience set the foundation for a special season.
"Last year there were times we left a lot on the table," shortstop Tyler Cerny says. "We had a lot of injuries pitching wise and didn't show up at the plate very well. This year, it's about being consistent in every game. Not worrying about what the jersey on the other team is. Play the same way, think the same way, no matter who we play. That's the key for us."
Taylor is a consensus second-team preseason All-American after hitting .357 with a Big Ten-leading 20 home runs (12 in IU's final 18 games) and 54 runs batted in last season. He also led the team with 67 runs. He is the first Hoosier to earn All-Big Ten honors in his first two seasons of college baseball. His 36 career home runs rank second among Hoosiers in their first two seasons, behind only Alex Dickerson (38).
"He's been in the spotlight for a long time," Mercer says. "He has high character, a great family, a great network."
A hectic summer split between the Cape Cod Baseball League and Team USA left Taylor drained in the fall, Mercer says, but he's regained his high-energy form.
"Now he's here by 9:30 or 10 in the morning to hit for an hour," Mercer says. "We want to see him be himself."
Cerny hit .315 with 10 home runs and team-leading 60 runs batted in. Sophomore second baseman Jasen Oliver, an All-Big Ten freshman selection last season, hit .285 with 10 homers and 37 RBI. Senior third baseman Josh Pyne hit .291 with 22 doubles and 39 runs batted in. Stadler hit .278 with nine doubles and 27 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins hit .309.
Top returning pitchers are grad student Drew Buhr (2-2, 3.31 earned run average), junior Aydan Decker-Petty (2-2, 6.32 earned run average) and senior Ryan Kraft (1-1, two saves, 7.27 ERA).
IU added transfer pitchers Cole Gilley out of Indiana State and Gavin Seebold out of the University of Southern Indiana. Gilley has NCAA Super Regional experience. He was 3-1 last season with a 6.61 earned run average. Seebold went 7-2 last season.
Mercer is high on Northwestern transfer pitcher Ben Grable, who missed all of last season with an injury. He went 2-2 with two saves and a 5.03 ERA as a Wildcats.
A strong freshman class -- D1 Baseball ranks it among the nation's top-10 impact groups -- includes outfielder/catcher Hogan Denny, infielders Jake Hanley and Cooper Malamazian, and pitchers Brayton Thomas and Henry Brummel.
Denny was the state of Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year out of Mooresville High School. Baseball America lists him as the Big Ten freshman-of-the-year favorite.
"This group is talented and competitive and probably ready to play," Mercer says. "How do you put them in position to be successful?"
Mercer won a Big Ten title in his first season at IU and finished second and third in the conference in the last two years. Strong recruiting and player development has enabled seven of his players to be picked in the first five rounds of the Major League Baseball draft, including four last summer.
This year's team, a strong mix of veterans and young players, aims to continue that trend.
"It's nice to see some guys who have played baseball and can be good leaders and help young guys develop," Mercer says. "Everybody wants to play Major League Baseball, but we have to do it within the confines of team.
While they're here, they'll do everything they can to win games. When the season is over, we'll do everything we can to help them play at the next level. We can develop and win. There will be time for the draft. The guys who came before them have been prepared and succeeded. The best indicator of future success is past success."
IU opens its season on Feb. 14 in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic in Arizona. The Hoosiers will face UNLV (twice), Xavier and No. 7 Oregon State.
At the end of the month, they will travel to Cary, North Carolina to play Northwestern, Fordham and Harvard. They also will travel to Deland, Fla., to play Mount St. Mary's and Stetson.
IU has a three-game Big Ten road trip to UCLA in late March as well as an early May three-game trip to Texas to play Abilene Christian. Its non-conference schedule also includes games against Louisville and Cincinnati.
Mercer says he schedules with the NCAA tourney in mind, seeking games that will boost IU's RPI while balancing the addition of UCLA and USC as part of the expanded Big Ten.
"You have to balance it out," he says. "You want to challenge them, but if you (over-schedule), it can hurt your team. We're still getting the RPI, but in a different way.
"It's a crazy time in college sports in general. We do the best we can to be an at-large team."
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