Indiana University Athletics
Friday, April 11
Champaign, Ill.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Illinois
Baseball Central: Illinois
4/10/2025 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After a season-long nine-game homestand, the Indiana Baseball team (19-14, 9-6 B1G) returns to the road for the first time since March 23rd. IU will embark on a road trip to local rival for a critical three-game set (April 11-13) in Champaign against Illinois.
The Hoosiers have won four-straight games after dismantling Michigan State in a weekend sweep and finishing off Ball State in a midweek contest. In that span of four games, IU outscored its opponents 45-13 to close out a 6-3 homestand at Bart Kaufman Field.
IU has benefited from its young offensive core as the second half of the season continues. First baseman Jake Hanley has been a staple in the lineup from day one but shortstop Cooper Malamazian and third baseman Will Moore have held down the left side of the infield. Outfielder Caleb Koskie came into the lineup against Michigan State and hit a grand slam for his first career hit and home run.
With the offense coming alive last weekend, it's been the IU pitching that has flown under the radar. Despite still missing its best bullpen piece in veteran Drew Buhr, the Hoosiers have held teams to six-or-fewer earned runs in 12 of the past 14 games. IU's staff has had to pitch in five doubleheaders and four Monday games this season – keeping it well off schedule throughout the season.
The Hoosiers have yet to win a road series this year and could benefit greatly from picking up a pair of wins at Illinois Stadium this weekend. IU has made up significant ground in the RPI but road wins add extra value to postseason resumes at the end of the season. These two teams have exchanged winning on each other's home field in the past two years – a trend that head coach Jeff Mercer would like to see continue.
Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET in Champaign. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor will continue his chase for history when he steps into the box this weekend. He needs one more hit to reach 200 career hits and two more home runs to break IU's all-time program record.
Gameday Info
vs. Illinois (Friday, April 11th – 7:00 PM ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3YqMzNs
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/42scMwD
vs. Illinois (Saturday, April 12th – 4:00 PM ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3FZ0uEr
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/7Fcp0
vs. Illinois (Sunday, April 13th – 2:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/GSyEf
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/dbrzQ
Probable Starters
Illinois
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
RECORD WATCH: Junior outfielder Devin Taylor is closing in on Hoosier history over the next couple of weeks. He needs two home runs to break the program's all-time home run record. He also needs one hit to become the 25th player in IU history to reach 200 base knocks.
Taylor's fellow junior teammate, Tyler Cerny (177), isn't far behind him in the chase for 200. Cerny and Taylor could be the first pair of teammates from the same recruiting class to reach 200+ career hits since Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis (2012-14). Josh Pyne and Brock Tibbitts fell just short last year with Tibbitts finishing on 199 career base knocks.
PITCHING PICKS UP: IU's pitching staff has been fantastic over the last 10+ games. In the last 10 games, IU is 6-4 and has a team ERA of 4.88. Redshirt junior Grant Holderfield has been especially fantastic with a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings of work in that stretch.
In the four games played since Sunday, the Hoosiers have outscored opponents 45-13. IU has allowed six-or-fewer earned runs in 12 of the past 14 games played this season. That includes five-straight contests to end the season-long homestand in Bloomington.
KD ON A TEAR: IU has already played three games this weekend and redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson has crushed them. He's hitting .571 (8-14) with two home runs, nine RBI's, six runs scored and two doubles on the week. Dickerson is also tied for the Big Ten lead in home runs (15).
Dickerson leads the conference in hits (54) and RBIs (56) and has stated his case to be in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year. On top of that, he's played a near flawless center field and given the Hoosiers a reliable bat in the middle of their order.
FRESHMEN ARE HERE: IU started five true freshmen in the second game of a doubleheader against Michigan State on April 7th. It was the most true freshmen in IU's offensive starting lineup since 2012 when Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis, among others, features for the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers have had more production from freshmen than any other team in the conference. First baseman Jake Hanley leads the Big Ten in most offensive categories among freshmen. Shortstop Cooper Malamazian has the lead among first-year players in doubles (14).
HBP KING: Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny broke a record on Tuesday against Ball State when he was hit by a pitch. It was the 39th hit-by-pitch of his career, breaking a 16-year-old program record. He is tied for second (14) in the Big Ten this season in hit-by-pitches.
MORE OF MOORE: Freshman third baseman Will Moore has quietly gone about business in the last 10 games. The Canadian is batting .500 (15-30) in the last 10 games. 14 of those hits have been singles but he did hit his first career home run in a win over Michigan State on April 7th.
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois
• The defending Big Ten regular season champions come into the weekend on the heels of a dominant sweep of Maryland and a midweek defeat at Illinois State. The Fighting Illini put together their best series of the year, taking down the Terrapins by a combined score of 33-7.
• Illinois is 7-5 in the Big Ten and is playing its fifth conference series of the season. It already played its off weekend in league play, taking a weekend series against Valparaiso. The Fighting Illini have won back-to-back Big Ten weekends against Michigan State and Maryland.
• Led by junior infielder Jack Zebig and junior outfielder Nick Groves, Illinois has swung some hot bats this season. Three different players – including Zebig – are tied for the team lead in home runs with seven. Outfielders Vytas Valincius and Cameron Chee-Aloy both return from last year's Big Ten title team.
• Right-handed pitchers Ben Plumley and Tyler Schmitt have started all eight weekends on the mounds for Illinois. They have been hit around but have eaten up big innings in Friday and Saturday contests. Plumley pitched briefly in last year's against the Hoosiers. Illinois has a collective team earned run average of 6.56.
Inside the Series
Illinois
• These longstanding rivals will go at it for the 216th, 217th and 218th times this weekend in Champaign. Illinois holds the all-time advantage at 124-90-1 but IU has won six of the last 10 matchups.
• IU and Illinois have played every season since 2017, alternating between each other's home sites. Under the new Big Ten scheduling format, it's likely to be considered a protected rivalry heading forward.
• The Hoosiers are 3-3 at Illinois Stadium under head coach Jeff Mercer. They took the series there in 2023 but dropped two of three in his debut season in 2019. Illinois got the better of IU last year in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have won four-straight games after dismantling Michigan State in a weekend sweep and finishing off Ball State in a midweek contest. In that span of four games, IU outscored its opponents 45-13 to close out a 6-3 homestand at Bart Kaufman Field.
IU has benefited from its young offensive core as the second half of the season continues. First baseman Jake Hanley has been a staple in the lineup from day one but shortstop Cooper Malamazian and third baseman Will Moore have held down the left side of the infield. Outfielder Caleb Koskie came into the lineup against Michigan State and hit a grand slam for his first career hit and home run.
With the offense coming alive last weekend, it's been the IU pitching that has flown under the radar. Despite still missing its best bullpen piece in veteran Drew Buhr, the Hoosiers have held teams to six-or-fewer earned runs in 12 of the past 14 games. IU's staff has had to pitch in five doubleheaders and four Monday games this season – keeping it well off schedule throughout the season.
The Hoosiers have yet to win a road series this year and could benefit greatly from picking up a pair of wins at Illinois Stadium this weekend. IU has made up significant ground in the RPI but road wins add extra value to postseason resumes at the end of the season. These two teams have exchanged winning on each other's home field in the past two years – a trend that head coach Jeff Mercer would like to see continue.
Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET in Champaign. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor will continue his chase for history when he steps into the box this weekend. He needs one more hit to reach 200 career hits and two more home runs to break IU's all-time program record.
Gameday Info
vs. Illinois (Friday, April 11th – 7:00 PM ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3YqMzNs
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/42scMwD
vs. Illinois (Saturday, April 12th – 4:00 PM ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3FZ0uEr
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/7Fcp0
vs. Illinois (Sunday, April 13th – 2:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/GSyEf
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/dbrzQ
Probable Starters
Illinois
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
RECORD WATCH: Junior outfielder Devin Taylor is closing in on Hoosier history over the next couple of weeks. He needs two home runs to break the program's all-time home run record. He also needs one hit to become the 25th player in IU history to reach 200 base knocks.
Taylor's fellow junior teammate, Tyler Cerny (177), isn't far behind him in the chase for 200. Cerny and Taylor could be the first pair of teammates from the same recruiting class to reach 200+ career hits since Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis (2012-14). Josh Pyne and Brock Tibbitts fell just short last year with Tibbitts finishing on 199 career base knocks.
PITCHING PICKS UP: IU's pitching staff has been fantastic over the last 10+ games. In the last 10 games, IU is 6-4 and has a team ERA of 4.88. Redshirt junior Grant Holderfield has been especially fantastic with a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings of work in that stretch.
In the four games played since Sunday, the Hoosiers have outscored opponents 45-13. IU has allowed six-or-fewer earned runs in 12 of the past 14 games played this season. That includes five-straight contests to end the season-long homestand in Bloomington.
KD ON A TEAR: IU has already played three games this weekend and redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson has crushed them. He's hitting .571 (8-14) with two home runs, nine RBI's, six runs scored and two doubles on the week. Dickerson is also tied for the Big Ten lead in home runs (15).
Dickerson leads the conference in hits (54) and RBIs (56) and has stated his case to be in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year. On top of that, he's played a near flawless center field and given the Hoosiers a reliable bat in the middle of their order.
FRESHMEN ARE HERE: IU started five true freshmen in the second game of a doubleheader against Michigan State on April 7th. It was the most true freshmen in IU's offensive starting lineup since 2012 when Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis, among others, features for the Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers have had more production from freshmen than any other team in the conference. First baseman Jake Hanley leads the Big Ten in most offensive categories among freshmen. Shortstop Cooper Malamazian has the lead among first-year players in doubles (14).
HBP KING: Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny broke a record on Tuesday against Ball State when he was hit by a pitch. It was the 39th hit-by-pitch of his career, breaking a 16-year-old program record. He is tied for second (14) in the Big Ten this season in hit-by-pitches.
MORE OF MOORE: Freshman third baseman Will Moore has quietly gone about business in the last 10 games. The Canadian is batting .500 (15-30) in the last 10 games. 14 of those hits have been singles but he did hit his first career home run in a win over Michigan State on April 7th.
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois
• The defending Big Ten regular season champions come into the weekend on the heels of a dominant sweep of Maryland and a midweek defeat at Illinois State. The Fighting Illini put together their best series of the year, taking down the Terrapins by a combined score of 33-7.
• Illinois is 7-5 in the Big Ten and is playing its fifth conference series of the season. It already played its off weekend in league play, taking a weekend series against Valparaiso. The Fighting Illini have won back-to-back Big Ten weekends against Michigan State and Maryland.
• Led by junior infielder Jack Zebig and junior outfielder Nick Groves, Illinois has swung some hot bats this season. Three different players – including Zebig – are tied for the team lead in home runs with seven. Outfielders Vytas Valincius and Cameron Chee-Aloy both return from last year's Big Ten title team.
• Right-handed pitchers Ben Plumley and Tyler Schmitt have started all eight weekends on the mounds for Illinois. They have been hit around but have eaten up big innings in Friday and Saturday contests. Plumley pitched briefly in last year's against the Hoosiers. Illinois has a collective team earned run average of 6.56.
Inside the Series
Illinois
• These longstanding rivals will go at it for the 216th, 217th and 218th times this weekend in Champaign. Illinois holds the all-time advantage at 124-90-1 but IU has won six of the last 10 matchups.
• IU and Illinois have played every season since 2017, alternating between each other's home sites. Under the new Big Ten scheduling format, it's likely to be considered a protected rivalry heading forward.
• The Hoosiers are 3-3 at Illinois Stadium under head coach Jeff Mercer. They took the series there in 2023 but dropped two of three in his debut season in 2019. Illinois got the better of IU last year in Bloomington.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballBig Ten Tournament Press Conference - vs. Rutgers
Wednesday, May 21
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss - 2
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Tennessee
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss
Friday, May 31