Indiana University Athletics
Baseball Central: Cincinnati
5/12/2025 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This season's midweek slate wraps up on Tuesday (May 13) evening as the Indiana Baseball team (29-22, 14-13 B1G) heads to Cincinnati to begin the final week of the regular season. The Hoosiers have won four-straight games against the Bearcats, including the last two at UC Baseball Stadium.
IU is coming off a weekend series victory over Purdue, capped off by a commanding Sunday run-rule win over the Boilers. The Hoosiers pitched the ball all weekend – maintaining a 1.80 team ERA in three contests against the in-state rivals. Veterans Ryan Kraft and Cole Gilley each provided quality starts.
Freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian had multi-hit games in all three weekend contests while driving in a team-high six runs. Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny had his best weekend in a while with a .500 batting average and zero errors defensively.
The Hoosiers likely have little shot at an at-large bid but can still work up the momentum ahead of a Big Ten Tournament appearance next week. IU wraps up the regular season slate with a trip to Ann Arbor and a series against Michigan. In six games this month, the Hoosiers have a 2.77 team ERA.
Veteran southpaw Deron Swanson (2-1, 4.72 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday against the Bearcats. A lineage of arms – including sophomore right-hander Jackson Yarberry – will probably be up and hot to supplement the start from Swanson. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Gameday Info
at Cincinnati (Tuesday, May 12th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/x8r_L
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/ZI7nC
Probable Starters
Cincinnati
• Tuesday – LHP Deron Swanson, Sr. (2-1, 4.72 ERA)
Leading Off
PITCHING IT WELL: Since the end of the Iowa series, the Hoosiers have started to pitch the ball at a strong rate. IU has a 3.25 team ERA in the past seven games and has worked 67 strikeouts to 19 walks. Graduate student Cole Gilley hasn't given up an earned run in his last 10 innings.
FINAL MIDWEEK: IU wraps up the midweek slate on Tuesday with a contest at Cincinnati. IU's freshmen have been outstanding in midweek contests. Third baseman Will Moore is hitting .474 while shortstop Cooper Malamazian is hitting .444 in said contest. The Hoosiers are 6-4 in midweek games this year.
GOING FOR 30: As a program, IU can reach 30 wins this season with a win over the Bearcats in Cincinnati. It would be the 12th time in the last 13 full seasons that the Hoosiers have reached the mark. IU has a chance to do it despite starting four freshman and missing a number of key arms.
TAKE THE FREE ONES: IU has been hit by 83 pitches this season. The Hoosiers are just four away from breaking the single season program record (86). Both Moore (16) and junior second baseman Tyler Cerny (17) have been hit by at least 15 pitches. Moore's 16 are a single season IU freshman record.
KD CRUSHES: Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson smashed his 19th home run of the season on Sunday. He also became the sixth player in program history with 75 RBIs in a season. One more home run would make him the sixth Hoosier in school history with 20 long balls in a year.
NEAR LOCK: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley is surely a lock to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year this season. He leads all Big Ten freshmen in hits (68), home runs (13), RBIs (50) and batting average (.343). He would be the fourth IU player to win the award.
Scouting the Opponent
Cincinnati
• The Bearcats have enjoyed a successful season under second-year head coach Jordan Bischel. The two teams share the exact same record but Cincinnati finds itself at No. 35 in the RPI entering the week. The Bearcats are in a safe spot on the right side of the bubble at this point of the season.
• Cincinnati has one of the better offensive duos in the country between redshirt senior infielder Kerrington Cross and sophomore catcher Jack Natili. Cross is hitting at an elite .406 clip with an OPS over 1.200. He has 11 home runs – three of which came in one game against Kansas – and 46 RBIs. Natili is the other hitter over .300 on the team (.347).
• The pitching for Cincinnati has been up and down but they have a pair of steady weekend starters. It used a bunch of pitchers to salvage the weekend finale at TCU so could be set up to bullpen Tuesday's game against the Hoosiers. Eight different guys have made starts for them this year.
Inside the Series
Cincinnati
• These two sides have played 35 times in program history, meeting frequently in the midweek. Cincinnati moved to the Big 12 last season after stints in the Big East and American Conference.
• This will be the seventh meeting since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019. They were supposed to play last year in Bloomington but the game was canceled due to rain. The series returns to Cincinnati this season. IU is 5-1 against the Bearcats under Mercer.
• A win over Cincinnati ended up being the final game of the season in 2020 before COVID-19 forced the cancelations of the rest of the year.
IU is coming off a weekend series victory over Purdue, capped off by a commanding Sunday run-rule win over the Boilers. The Hoosiers pitched the ball all weekend – maintaining a 1.80 team ERA in three contests against the in-state rivals. Veterans Ryan Kraft and Cole Gilley each provided quality starts.
Freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian had multi-hit games in all three weekend contests while driving in a team-high six runs. Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny had his best weekend in a while with a .500 batting average and zero errors defensively.
The Hoosiers likely have little shot at an at-large bid but can still work up the momentum ahead of a Big Ten Tournament appearance next week. IU wraps up the regular season slate with a trip to Ann Arbor and a series against Michigan. In six games this month, the Hoosiers have a 2.77 team ERA.
Veteran southpaw Deron Swanson (2-1, 4.72 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday against the Bearcats. A lineage of arms – including sophomore right-hander Jackson Yarberry – will probably be up and hot to supplement the start from Swanson. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Gameday Info
at Cincinnati (Tuesday, May 12th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/x8r_L
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/ZI7nC
Probable Starters
Cincinnati
• Tuesday – LHP Deron Swanson, Sr. (2-1, 4.72 ERA)
Leading Off
PITCHING IT WELL: Since the end of the Iowa series, the Hoosiers have started to pitch the ball at a strong rate. IU has a 3.25 team ERA in the past seven games and has worked 67 strikeouts to 19 walks. Graduate student Cole Gilley hasn't given up an earned run in his last 10 innings.
FINAL MIDWEEK: IU wraps up the midweek slate on Tuesday with a contest at Cincinnati. IU's freshmen have been outstanding in midweek contests. Third baseman Will Moore is hitting .474 while shortstop Cooper Malamazian is hitting .444 in said contest. The Hoosiers are 6-4 in midweek games this year.
GOING FOR 30: As a program, IU can reach 30 wins this season with a win over the Bearcats in Cincinnati. It would be the 12th time in the last 13 full seasons that the Hoosiers have reached the mark. IU has a chance to do it despite starting four freshman and missing a number of key arms.
TAKE THE FREE ONES: IU has been hit by 83 pitches this season. The Hoosiers are just four away from breaking the single season program record (86). Both Moore (16) and junior second baseman Tyler Cerny (17) have been hit by at least 15 pitches. Moore's 16 are a single season IU freshman record.
KD CRUSHES: Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson smashed his 19th home run of the season on Sunday. He also became the sixth player in program history with 75 RBIs in a season. One more home run would make him the sixth Hoosier in school history with 20 long balls in a year.
NEAR LOCK: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley is surely a lock to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year this season. He leads all Big Ten freshmen in hits (68), home runs (13), RBIs (50) and batting average (.343). He would be the fourth IU player to win the award.
Scouting the Opponent
Cincinnati
• The Bearcats have enjoyed a successful season under second-year head coach Jordan Bischel. The two teams share the exact same record but Cincinnati finds itself at No. 35 in the RPI entering the week. The Bearcats are in a safe spot on the right side of the bubble at this point of the season.
• Cincinnati has one of the better offensive duos in the country between redshirt senior infielder Kerrington Cross and sophomore catcher Jack Natili. Cross is hitting at an elite .406 clip with an OPS over 1.200. He has 11 home runs – three of which came in one game against Kansas – and 46 RBIs. Natili is the other hitter over .300 on the team (.347).
• The pitching for Cincinnati has been up and down but they have a pair of steady weekend starters. It used a bunch of pitchers to salvage the weekend finale at TCU so could be set up to bullpen Tuesday's game against the Hoosiers. Eight different guys have made starts for them this year.
Inside the Series
Cincinnati
• These two sides have played 35 times in program history, meeting frequently in the midweek. Cincinnati moved to the Big 12 last season after stints in the Big East and American Conference.
• This will be the seventh meeting since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019. They were supposed to play last year in Bloomington but the game was canceled due to rain. The series returns to Cincinnati this season. IU is 5-1 against the Bearcats under Mercer.
• A win over Cincinnati ended up being the final game of the season in 2020 before COVID-19 forced the cancelations of the rest of the year.
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