Indiana University Athletics
Friday, March 14
Bloomington, Ind.
2:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Ohio State
Baseball Central: Ohio State
3/13/2025 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Big Ten Baseball returns to the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field as the Indiana Baseball team (8-9, 1-2 B1G) goes for its first series victory in league play this season. Ohio State (5-9, 0-0 B1G) will visit Bloomington for the second time in three years this weekend (March 14-16).
IU has won nine of the past 12 conference series at home – dating back to 2022. After dropping the opening league weekend of the year at Penn State, the Hoosiers will look to respond in the same way they did in 2024. Last year, IU fell to Illinois to begin conference play and proceeded to rattle off five-straight Big Ten weekend victories.
Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson leads a prolific IU offense against an Ohio State pitching staff that has struggled in the first month of the season. Dickerson, the Big Ten hits leader, is one of three IU players (Jake Hanley, Devin Taylor) in the top four of the conference in hits this year.
Ohio State's pitching staff has allowed more walks (95) than any other staff in the Big Ten. Subsequentially, IU's offense has walked more (125) than any other conference team. IU did a fantastic job of hitting with runners in scoring position on Tuesday (March 11) in a 9-4 win over Indiana State and will look to keep that going this weekend against the Buckeyes.
Head coach Jeff Mercer and pitching coach Dustin Glant are starting to find roles for their big crop of new arms this season. Redshirt junior Pete Haas has thrived in a bullpen role over the past weeks and has allowed just two earned runs in his past 7.2 innings of work. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Ben Grable will get a start at some point this weekend and will look to build off of consecutive five-inning outings.
The last time these two teams played a weekend series, IU swept Ohio State in Bloomington in 2023. The Hoosiers won the lone contest last season, a 14-7 win in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Potential weather has altered the weekend schedule to feature a Friday doubleheader. All games will be carried on B1G+.
Gameday Info
vs. Ohio State (Friday, March 14th – 2:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/N82ct
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/TUXL6
vs. Ohio State (Friday, March 14th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/tvNxm
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/ZqC9E
vs. Ohio State (Sunday, March 16th – 1:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/1AY7y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: rb.gy/s37t5o
Probable Starters
Ohio State
• Friday – 1: RHP Pete Haas, R-Jr. (1-1, 5.68 ERA)
• Friday – 2: RHP Ben Grable, Gr. (3-0, 2.25 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
HELLO HANLEY: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has quietly been one of the best hitters in the IU lineup and in the entire Big Ten. In the past 10 games heading into the weekend, Hanley is hitting .462 with 18 hits, 11 runs scored and nine RBIs. He has walked 10 times in that span.
Heading into the weekend series with Ohio State, Hanley leads all NCAA division one freshmen with his 28 base knocks. He is third in the conference in total hits and is one of three Hoosiers in the top three of the Big Ten in the same category.
SPLITTING DUTIES: Catchers Jake Stadler and T.J. Schuyler have split catching responsibilities over the last few weeks due to illnesses and injuries. But both have been great when called upon. The two have combined for 16 hits in the last 10 games and are each hitting above .390 in that stretch.
HISTORIC DAY: Freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian put together a performance for the ages in the second game of last Friday's doubleheader against Penn State. He matched a Big Ten record with 4 doubles in one game. The rookie also set a single game program record.
He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his efforts last week. Malamazian is the 10th player under head coach Jeff Mercer to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in their debut season.
BACK HOME: After playing 15 of the first 17 games away from home, Indiana will stay in the state for the next four games. The Hoosiers begin home Big Ten play with a visit from Ohio State. IU has won 9 of 12 home conference series since the beginning of 2022.
In the past three years, IU has gone 3-1 in Big Ten home series. This year, with an expanded Big Ten schedule, Mercer and the Hoosiers will play five conference series at Bart Kaufman Field.
FREE PASSES: IU has been one of the more disciplined teams in the Big Ten at times this season. The Hoosiers have worked a league best 125 walks in 17 games (7.35 per game). On top of that, IU has struck out just three more times (128) on the year. IU has also reached on 29 hit-by-pitches.
Heading into the weekend, the Hoosiers are No. 6 nationally with 125 walks. They are one of six teams in the league with at least 125 free passes.
KD'S IMPACT: Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson has been everything and more the Hoosiers thought he could be. He is the first Big Ten player to reach 30 hits this season and is also top-three in the league with 27 runs scored, eight home runs and 29 RBIs.
Dickerson is one of 11 players nationally to hit the 30-hit mark by this point in the season. He is one of just three power four players to do it so far.
Scouting the Opponent
Ohio State
• The Buckeyes are much better than their record (5-9) indicates this season. First-year Ohio State skipper Justin Haire has seen his team let a couple late leads slip away. Coming into the weekend, Ohio State has won three-straight games including a 13-7 midweek victory over Eastern Michigan.
• Ohio State's offense has been great to this point in the year. Senior Tyler Pettorini leads the Buckeyes with 22 hits and a .355 batting average. He's also tied for the team lead with five home runs. Fellow senior Trey Lipsey is hitting .340 and has scored 21 times this year.
• An area that has been a struggle for Ohio State has been on the mound. The Buckeyes have the highest team earned run average (8.55) in the league. IU has the fourth-worst ERA (6.29). Ohio State has given up the most walks (95) in the Big Ten while IU has earned the most at the plate.
• Sophomore southpaw Chase Herrell has been the most reliable starter with a 3.27 ERA in four starts this year. Redshirt freshman Nik Copenhaver has pitched seven times in relief while giving up just third earned runs.
Inside the Series
Ohio State
• One of IU's most commonly played opponents, the two sides will meet for the 291st, 292nd and 293rd times this weekend. The Hoosiers have lost to Ohio State (167) more than any other team in the program's history. However, it's also one of three division one teams (Purdue, Northwestern) that IU has at least 100 wins (123) wins against.
IU and Ohio State played only one time last year, a 14-7 win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Omaha. The Hoosiers swept the last regular season series between the teams (2023). The last time that IU played in Columbus was 2021. Since then, the two teams have only played in Bloomington or Omaha.
IU has won nine of the past 12 conference series at home – dating back to 2022. After dropping the opening league weekend of the year at Penn State, the Hoosiers will look to respond in the same way they did in 2024. Last year, IU fell to Illinois to begin conference play and proceeded to rattle off five-straight Big Ten weekend victories.
Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson leads a prolific IU offense against an Ohio State pitching staff that has struggled in the first month of the season. Dickerson, the Big Ten hits leader, is one of three IU players (Jake Hanley, Devin Taylor) in the top four of the conference in hits this year.
Ohio State's pitching staff has allowed more walks (95) than any other staff in the Big Ten. Subsequentially, IU's offense has walked more (125) than any other conference team. IU did a fantastic job of hitting with runners in scoring position on Tuesday (March 11) in a 9-4 win over Indiana State and will look to keep that going this weekend against the Buckeyes.
Head coach Jeff Mercer and pitching coach Dustin Glant are starting to find roles for their big crop of new arms this season. Redshirt junior Pete Haas has thrived in a bullpen role over the past weeks and has allowed just two earned runs in his past 7.2 innings of work. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Ben Grable will get a start at some point this weekend and will look to build off of consecutive five-inning outings.
The last time these two teams played a weekend series, IU swept Ohio State in Bloomington in 2023. The Hoosiers won the lone contest last season, a 14-7 win in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Potential weather has altered the weekend schedule to feature a Friday doubleheader. All games will be carried on B1G+.
Gameday Info
vs. Ohio State (Friday, March 14th – 2:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/N82ct
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/TUXL6
vs. Ohio State (Friday, March 14th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/tvNxm
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/ZqC9E
vs. Ohio State (Sunday, March 16th – 1:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/1AY7y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: rb.gy/s37t5o
Probable Starters
Ohio State
• Friday – 1: RHP Pete Haas, R-Jr. (1-1, 5.68 ERA)
• Friday – 2: RHP Ben Grable, Gr. (3-0, 2.25 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
HELLO HANLEY: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has quietly been one of the best hitters in the IU lineup and in the entire Big Ten. In the past 10 games heading into the weekend, Hanley is hitting .462 with 18 hits, 11 runs scored and nine RBIs. He has walked 10 times in that span.
Heading into the weekend series with Ohio State, Hanley leads all NCAA division one freshmen with his 28 base knocks. He is third in the conference in total hits and is one of three Hoosiers in the top three of the Big Ten in the same category.
SPLITTING DUTIES: Catchers Jake Stadler and T.J. Schuyler have split catching responsibilities over the last few weeks due to illnesses and injuries. But both have been great when called upon. The two have combined for 16 hits in the last 10 games and are each hitting above .390 in that stretch.
HISTORIC DAY: Freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian put together a performance for the ages in the second game of last Friday's doubleheader against Penn State. He matched a Big Ten record with 4 doubles in one game. The rookie also set a single game program record.
He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his efforts last week. Malamazian is the 10th player under head coach Jeff Mercer to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in their debut season.
BACK HOME: After playing 15 of the first 17 games away from home, Indiana will stay in the state for the next four games. The Hoosiers begin home Big Ten play with a visit from Ohio State. IU has won 9 of 12 home conference series since the beginning of 2022.
In the past three years, IU has gone 3-1 in Big Ten home series. This year, with an expanded Big Ten schedule, Mercer and the Hoosiers will play five conference series at Bart Kaufman Field.
FREE PASSES: IU has been one of the more disciplined teams in the Big Ten at times this season. The Hoosiers have worked a league best 125 walks in 17 games (7.35 per game). On top of that, IU has struck out just three more times (128) on the year. IU has also reached on 29 hit-by-pitches.
Heading into the weekend, the Hoosiers are No. 6 nationally with 125 walks. They are one of six teams in the league with at least 125 free passes.
KD'S IMPACT: Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson has been everything and more the Hoosiers thought he could be. He is the first Big Ten player to reach 30 hits this season and is also top-three in the league with 27 runs scored, eight home runs and 29 RBIs.
Dickerson is one of 11 players nationally to hit the 30-hit mark by this point in the season. He is one of just three power four players to do it so far.
Scouting the Opponent
Ohio State
• The Buckeyes are much better than their record (5-9) indicates this season. First-year Ohio State skipper Justin Haire has seen his team let a couple late leads slip away. Coming into the weekend, Ohio State has won three-straight games including a 13-7 midweek victory over Eastern Michigan.
• Ohio State's offense has been great to this point in the year. Senior Tyler Pettorini leads the Buckeyes with 22 hits and a .355 batting average. He's also tied for the team lead with five home runs. Fellow senior Trey Lipsey is hitting .340 and has scored 21 times this year.
• An area that has been a struggle for Ohio State has been on the mound. The Buckeyes have the highest team earned run average (8.55) in the league. IU has the fourth-worst ERA (6.29). Ohio State has given up the most walks (95) in the Big Ten while IU has earned the most at the plate.
• Sophomore southpaw Chase Herrell has been the most reliable starter with a 3.27 ERA in four starts this year. Redshirt freshman Nik Copenhaver has pitched seven times in relief while giving up just third earned runs.
Inside the Series
Ohio State
• One of IU's most commonly played opponents, the two sides will meet for the 291st, 292nd and 293rd times this weekend. The Hoosiers have lost to Ohio State (167) more than any other team in the program's history. However, it's also one of three division one teams (Purdue, Northwestern) that IU has at least 100 wins (123) wins against.
IU and Ohio State played only one time last year, a 14-7 win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Omaha. The Hoosiers swept the last regular season series between the teams (2023). The last time that IU played in Columbus was 2021. Since then, the two teams have only played in Bloomington or Omaha.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
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C
/ Baseball
OF
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