Indiana University Athletics
Friday, April 25
Iowa City, Iowa
7:02 PM
Indiana University
at
Iowa
Baseball Central: Iowa
4/24/2025 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The final weekend of April will present the Indiana Baseball team (23-18, 12-9 B1G) its biggest test of the season. The Hoosiers will travel west to Iowa City to face the Big Ten-leading Iowa Hawkeyes in a three-game set at Duane Banks Field (April 25-27).
Iowa has jumped out to a 2.5-game lead in the Big Ten but faces a tough four-week stretch to end the regular season. IU made ground in the RPI with a midweek win over Ball State (14-4, F/7) on Wednesday (April 23) evening at Victory Field. But winning weekend series will help the Hoosiers climb the Big Ten standings.
Last year – IU began its late-season resurgence on the final weekend of April with a sweep of Rutgers. Head coach Jeff Mercer will hope to replicate similar success over the last four weeks of the regular season. After Iowa, the Hoosiers just have Purdue and Michigan remaining on the conference schedule.
Mercer and assistant coach Zach Weatherford made the choice to move to freshman third baseman Will Moore into the leadoff spot on Sunday (April 20) against Maryland and it has paid off. In the two games since that decision, IU has put up 29 runs and is seeing junior outfielder Devin Taylor swing a hot bat out of the two hole.
IU's pitching staff will have to match a strong Iowa contingent on the mound this weekend. But as the season progresses, the Hoosiers continue to get healthier and deeper in their rotation. Veteran reliever Drew Buhr will travel and is potentially available this weekend for the first time since March 14th. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Vogel and sophomore Jackson Yarberry are also in full swing after missing over a month with injury earlier in the season.
The Hoosiers will look to avenge the results of three seasons ago when they came to Iowa City and were swept in commanding fashion. IU won the series in Bloomington in 2023 but the two teams didn't meet at all last season. Mercer is 7-7 against the Hawkeyes in his time as the IU skipper. First pitch Friday (April 25) night is set for 7:02 p.m. ET on B1G+ and whcc105.com/iuhoosiers.com.
Gameday Info
vs. Iowa (Friday, April 25th – 7:02 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/2gq4I
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/_R2Wo
vs. Iowa (Saturday, April 26th – 3:02 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/Pq6TN
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/-tJ_u
vs. Iowa (Sunday, April 27th – 2:02 PM ET)
Live Video: tinyurl.com/2mn5fv8y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/PPQeR
Probable Starters
Iowa
• Friday: RHP Pete Haas, R-Jr. (1-2, 4.39 ERA)
• Saturday: RHP Cole Gilley (7-2, 3.92 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
HOME RUN KING: Junior outfielder Devin Taylor made IU history when he hit the 48th home run of his career on Saturday against Maryland. He hit his 49th on Sunday and is now set to stretch out his lead as the program's best home run hitter ever.
With the invisible monkey off his back, Taylor has started to go on his typical late-season run. He's 5-for-8 in the past two games with four runs scored, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs.
AWAY FROM HOME: IU is set to play the next seven games away from home, it's longest such stretch of the season. A trip to Iowa is the only Big Ten contest in that run of time but the Hoosiers will need to be near perfect as they look to climb into a potential NCAA Tournament position.
The Hoosiers run-ruled Ball State on Wednesday (April 23) at Victory Field behind a nine-run fifth inning. IU called on eight pitchers to finish off the victory and gave a majority of its top arms the night off.
MOORE BASES: Freshman third baseman Will Moore has statistically been the best at getting on base in the entire Big Ten conference. He leads the league with a .534 on-base percentage and has 24 walks, 28 hits and 10 hit-by-pitches to his name this year.
It's been a small sample size but the move for Moore to the top of the order has paid off. IU has scored 29 runs in the two games he's hit leadoff. With the young Canadian reaching base, it has opened up more run-scoring opportunities for the middle of IU's order.
LAUNCHING THE LONG BALL: Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson is tied for third nationally with 17 home runs this season. As a team, IU is second in the Big Ten and 13th in the country with 71 long balls. Four players have at least nine home runs on the year.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley hit his 10th home run of the season in a Wednesday win over Ball State. It marks the fourth-straight season that IU has had a true freshman hit at least 10 home runs in one year. Carter Mathison (2022), Devin Taylor/Tyler Cerny (2023) and Jasen Oliver (2024) also reached that mark.
PRIME KRAFTY: Since the end of the Penn State series (March 10), senior southpaw Ryan Kraft has been dominant for the Hoosiers. He's thrown 11 times in that span with a 2.83 ERA and 25 strikeouts compared to just nine walks. He has become an important part of IU's staff for the stretch run.
The pitching has actually been a strong part of IU's last two months. The Hoosiers are 16-9 in their last 25 games and have held a 5.72 team ERA. However, that number is even still a little inflated. If you take out three games that escaped the staff (USC – March 29, Illinois – April 13 and Maryland – April 18), the team ERA is all the way down to 4.35. On a day-to-day basis, IU's staff has given the team a chance to win most games.
NEAR 2,500: As a program, the Hoosiers are just six wins away from reaching 2,500 all-time victories. The program has risen to national relevance over the last decade plus but has produced high-level players and managers. IU can reach that mark as early as the Abilene Christian series.
Scouting the Opponent
Iowa
• The Hawkeyes come into the weekend with a lead in the Big Ten Conference through 21 games. Iowa has won all seven series' they've played including a sweep at Michigan last week. It split a pair of midweek games with a loss to Western Illinois and a win over St. Thomas.
• Iowa has become one of the most well-balanced teams in the league but the strength of the program starts on the mound. Junior lefty Cade Obermueller turned down the MLB Draft to return to campus and become the Iowa ace. He has starred with a 4-2 record and 79 strikeouts while pitching to a 2.50 ERA. Iowa's primary starting rotation has combined for 188 strikeouts this year.
• The offense for Iowa is balanced across the board. Junior infielder Gable Mitchell leads the team with a .354 batting average but is followed closely by junior utilityman Caleb Wulf (.344) and redshirt sophomore infielder Ben Swails (.343). Redshirt sophomore catcher Reese Moore leads the team with nine home runs.
Inside the Series
Iowa
• The series between Indiana and Iowa has been one of the most balanced histories of any two teams in program history. Iowa holds a slight 86-81 advantage over 167 career meetings. This weekend will see the two sides play games 168, 169 and 170.
• The Hawkeyes have a slight edge in the last 10 games but the two teams are deadlocked at 7-all since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019. His first Big Ten weekend came with an emphatic sweep of Iowa in 2019.
Iowa has jumped out to a 2.5-game lead in the Big Ten but faces a tough four-week stretch to end the regular season. IU made ground in the RPI with a midweek win over Ball State (14-4, F/7) on Wednesday (April 23) evening at Victory Field. But winning weekend series will help the Hoosiers climb the Big Ten standings.
Last year – IU began its late-season resurgence on the final weekend of April with a sweep of Rutgers. Head coach Jeff Mercer will hope to replicate similar success over the last four weeks of the regular season. After Iowa, the Hoosiers just have Purdue and Michigan remaining on the conference schedule.
Mercer and assistant coach Zach Weatherford made the choice to move to freshman third baseman Will Moore into the leadoff spot on Sunday (April 20) against Maryland and it has paid off. In the two games since that decision, IU has put up 29 runs and is seeing junior outfielder Devin Taylor swing a hot bat out of the two hole.
IU's pitching staff will have to match a strong Iowa contingent on the mound this weekend. But as the season progresses, the Hoosiers continue to get healthier and deeper in their rotation. Veteran reliever Drew Buhr will travel and is potentially available this weekend for the first time since March 14th. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Vogel and sophomore Jackson Yarberry are also in full swing after missing over a month with injury earlier in the season.
The Hoosiers will look to avenge the results of three seasons ago when they came to Iowa City and were swept in commanding fashion. IU won the series in Bloomington in 2023 but the two teams didn't meet at all last season. Mercer is 7-7 against the Hawkeyes in his time as the IU skipper. First pitch Friday (April 25) night is set for 7:02 p.m. ET on B1G+ and whcc105.com/iuhoosiers.com.
Gameday Info
vs. Iowa (Friday, April 25th – 7:02 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/2gq4I
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/_R2Wo
vs. Iowa (Saturday, April 26th – 3:02 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/Pq6TN
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/-tJ_u
vs. Iowa (Sunday, April 27th – 2:02 PM ET)
Live Video: tinyurl.com/2mn5fv8y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/PPQeR
Probable Starters
Iowa
• Friday: RHP Pete Haas, R-Jr. (1-2, 4.39 ERA)
• Saturday: RHP Cole Gilley (7-2, 3.92 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD
Leading Off
HOME RUN KING: Junior outfielder Devin Taylor made IU history when he hit the 48th home run of his career on Saturday against Maryland. He hit his 49th on Sunday and is now set to stretch out his lead as the program's best home run hitter ever.
With the invisible monkey off his back, Taylor has started to go on his typical late-season run. He's 5-for-8 in the past two games with four runs scored, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs.
AWAY FROM HOME: IU is set to play the next seven games away from home, it's longest such stretch of the season. A trip to Iowa is the only Big Ten contest in that run of time but the Hoosiers will need to be near perfect as they look to climb into a potential NCAA Tournament position.
The Hoosiers run-ruled Ball State on Wednesday (April 23) at Victory Field behind a nine-run fifth inning. IU called on eight pitchers to finish off the victory and gave a majority of its top arms the night off.
MOORE BASES: Freshman third baseman Will Moore has statistically been the best at getting on base in the entire Big Ten conference. He leads the league with a .534 on-base percentage and has 24 walks, 28 hits and 10 hit-by-pitches to his name this year.
It's been a small sample size but the move for Moore to the top of the order has paid off. IU has scored 29 runs in the two games he's hit leadoff. With the young Canadian reaching base, it has opened up more run-scoring opportunities for the middle of IU's order.
LAUNCHING THE LONG BALL: Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson is tied for third nationally with 17 home runs this season. As a team, IU is second in the Big Ten and 13th in the country with 71 long balls. Four players have at least nine home runs on the year.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley hit his 10th home run of the season in a Wednesday win over Ball State. It marks the fourth-straight season that IU has had a true freshman hit at least 10 home runs in one year. Carter Mathison (2022), Devin Taylor/Tyler Cerny (2023) and Jasen Oliver (2024) also reached that mark.
PRIME KRAFTY: Since the end of the Penn State series (March 10), senior southpaw Ryan Kraft has been dominant for the Hoosiers. He's thrown 11 times in that span with a 2.83 ERA and 25 strikeouts compared to just nine walks. He has become an important part of IU's staff for the stretch run.
The pitching has actually been a strong part of IU's last two months. The Hoosiers are 16-9 in their last 25 games and have held a 5.72 team ERA. However, that number is even still a little inflated. If you take out three games that escaped the staff (USC – March 29, Illinois – April 13 and Maryland – April 18), the team ERA is all the way down to 4.35. On a day-to-day basis, IU's staff has given the team a chance to win most games.
NEAR 2,500: As a program, the Hoosiers are just six wins away from reaching 2,500 all-time victories. The program has risen to national relevance over the last decade plus but has produced high-level players and managers. IU can reach that mark as early as the Abilene Christian series.
Scouting the Opponent
Iowa
• The Hawkeyes come into the weekend with a lead in the Big Ten Conference through 21 games. Iowa has won all seven series' they've played including a sweep at Michigan last week. It split a pair of midweek games with a loss to Western Illinois and a win over St. Thomas.
• Iowa has become one of the most well-balanced teams in the league but the strength of the program starts on the mound. Junior lefty Cade Obermueller turned down the MLB Draft to return to campus and become the Iowa ace. He has starred with a 4-2 record and 79 strikeouts while pitching to a 2.50 ERA. Iowa's primary starting rotation has combined for 188 strikeouts this year.
• The offense for Iowa is balanced across the board. Junior infielder Gable Mitchell leads the team with a .354 batting average but is followed closely by junior utilityman Caleb Wulf (.344) and redshirt sophomore infielder Ben Swails (.343). Redshirt sophomore catcher Reese Moore leads the team with nine home runs.
Inside the Series
Iowa
• The series between Indiana and Iowa has been one of the most balanced histories of any two teams in program history. Iowa holds a slight 86-81 advantage over 167 career meetings. This weekend will see the two sides play games 168, 169 and 170.
• The Hawkeyes have a slight edge in the last 10 games but the two teams are deadlocked at 7-all since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019. His first Big Ten weekend came with an emphatic sweep of Iowa in 2019.
Players Mentioned
INF
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OF
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RHP
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INF
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LHP
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OF
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INF
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INF
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OF
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RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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