Thursday, May 15
Ann Arbor, Mich.
6:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Michigan
Baseball Central: Michigan
5/13/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The regular season comes to a close this weekend as the Indiana Baseball team (29-22, 14-13 B1G) heads to Ann Arbor for a three-game set (May 15-17) with Michigan. IU needs to win at least one game this weekend to secure its spot in next week's Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
The Hoosiers, as they usually do, are starting to play their best ball of the season at the start of May. IU is 6-1 over its last seven games with a sweep of Abilene Christian and a series win over Purdue during that stretch. Since the beginning of May, IU has spun a 2.77 team ERA with 56 strikeouts among its pitching staff.
IU will need its bats to make a big impact over the next two weeks as it looks for a third regional appearance in three seasons. Freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian is hitting .341 over his last 10 contests with 14 base knocks and eight runs scored. Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has 13 RBIs in the past 10 games for the Hoosiers.
Senior southpaw Ryan Kraft will get the ball at some point this weekend and will look to continue his hot streak on the mound. He's got a sub-3.00 ERA over the past two months and will be an impactful arm as IU gets ready for Omaha. Without a midweek this week, IU will have fresh arms available for Michigan. Only four players threw more than 15 pitches last weekend for the Hoosiers.
Michigan and IU have split recent meetings exactly down the middle. The two teams are 5-5 against each other since 2021. The Hoosiers won the last series played in Ann Arbor, winning two of three in May of 2022. The final weekend of Big Ten play always features a Thursday through Saturday series. First pitch Thursday (May 15) in Ann Arbor is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Gameday Info
at Michigan (Thursday, May 15th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/oCRYB
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/1AFXR
at Michigan (Friday, May 16th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/7IKFP
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/3ZSC6
at Michigan (Saturday, May 17th – 1:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/CPvWS
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: shorturl.at/k64d0
Probable Starters
Michigan
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday: TBD
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.
Since the end of the Penn State series in early March, senior southpaw Ryan Kraft has been a dominant force on the mound. He's held a 2.60 ERA in 14 appearances during that stretch with 39 strikeouts. He's coming off the best start of his career last Friday (May 9) vs. Purdue.
CLOSE TO 100: With at least a series victory this weekend, head coach Jeff Mercer would become the fastest coach in program history to 100 regular season Big Ten victories. Despite navigating a number of challenges, he has done a great job at keeping the Hoosiers as consistent winners in the league.
Mercer already reached 200 career wins at IU during a weekend series at Abilene Christian. In seven seasons at the helm of the Hoosiers, the skipper has helped continue the winning tradition of the program.
GOING FOR 30: As a program, IU can reach 30 wins this season with at least one win over the Wolverines in Michigan. 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.
With at least one victory, IU would finish with at least 15 Big Ten wins for the third-straight season. IU has a chance to fight up to a top-six spot in the Big Ten Tournament with a series victory over the Wolverines.
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.
The Hoosiers have been one of the best teams in the country in getting on the base paths. IU is No. 23 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.419). On the year, IU has 516 hits, 280 walks and 83 hit-by-pitches.
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.
Dickerson continues to lead the Big Ten by a big margin in RBIs and is second nationally, only trailing USC Upstate's Johnny Sweeney (78). 14 of Dickerson's 19 home runs this season have been multi-run long balls. Seven of them have been three-run shots.
NEAR LOCK: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley is surely the favorite to be 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.
He needs just two hits to become the seventh true freshman in program history with at least 70 hits in a season. The last player to do it was Josh Pyne (2022).
Scouting the Opponent
Michigan
• Michigan finds itself just one game up on IU heading into an important series in the league's final weekend. It's the second-straight year the two sides have played on the deciding days of the regular season. A series win would take IU above Michigan in the Big Ten standings. Anything less than that would result in a scramble for one of last couple remaining spots in the conference tournament.
• The Wolverines have a monster duo at the top of their lineup in graduate student infielder Benny Casillas and junior infielder Mitch Voit. Casillas is the runaway leader in batting average (.408) in the Big Ten and has 75 base knocks on the season. He's got an on-base percentage of .495. Voit has supplied the power with 15 doubles and 12 home runs on top of his team-leading 53 RBIs.
• On the mound, it's been ride-or-die by five arms for Michigan this season. Juniors Kurt Barr and David Lally Jr. have eaten up a ton of innings this season but have been extremely reliable for head coach Tracy Smith. Freshman Tate Carey has come on as of late and been big on the weekends. Veteran Will Rogers is their trusted arm out of the bullpen.
Inside the Series
Michigan
• Indiana and Michigan have played over 200 times in program history. The series dates back to the 1890's between the two border rivals. Michigan holds a large all-time advantage but the series has been even in the last 15 seasons.
• Before last season, Michigan and Indiana hadn't played in Bloomington since 2015. The series shifts back to Ann Arbor and is played on the season's final weekend for the second-straight year.
• Tracy Smith, the former Indiana skipper, is now at the helm of Michigan. He led IU to a pair of Big Ten regular season titles before leaving to take over Arizona State after the 2014 season. IU head coach Jeff Mercer served as a volunteer assistant at Michigan in 2011.
The Hoosiers, as they usually do, are starting to play their best ball of the season at the start of May. IU is 6-1 over its last seven games with a sweep of Abilene Christian and a series win over Purdue during that stretch. Since the beginning of May, IU has spun a 2.77 team ERA with 56 strikeouts among its pitching staff.
IU will need its bats to make a big impact over the next two weeks as it looks for a third regional appearance in three seasons. Freshman shortstop Cooper Malamazian is hitting .341 over his last 10 contests with 14 base knocks and eight runs scored. Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has 13 RBIs in the past 10 games for the Hoosiers.
Senior southpaw Ryan Kraft will get the ball at some point this weekend and will look to continue his hot streak on the mound. He's got a sub-3.00 ERA over the past two months and will be an impactful arm as IU gets ready for Omaha. Without a midweek this week, IU will have fresh arms available for Michigan. Only four players threw more than 15 pitches last weekend for the Hoosiers.
Michigan and IU have split recent meetings exactly down the middle. The two teams are 5-5 against each other since 2021. The Hoosiers won the last series played in Ann Arbor, winning two of three in May of 2022. The final weekend of Big Ten play always features a Thursday through Saturday series. First pitch Thursday (May 15) in Ann Arbor is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Gameday Info
at Michigan (Thursday, May 15th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/oCRYB
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/1AFXR
at Michigan (Friday, May 16th – 6:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/7IKFP
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/3ZSC6
at Michigan (Saturday, May 17th – 1:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/CPvWS
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: shorturl.at/k64d0
Probable Starters
Michigan
• Friday: TBD
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday: TBD
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.
Since the end of the Penn State series in early March, senior southpaw Ryan Kraft has been a dominant force on the mound. He's held a 2.60 ERA in 14 appearances during that stretch with 39 strikeouts. He's coming off the best start of his career last Friday (May 9) vs. Purdue.
CLOSE TO 100: With at least a series victory this weekend, head coach Jeff Mercer would become the fastest coach in program history to 100 regular season Big Ten victories. Despite navigating a number of challenges, he has done a great job at keeping the Hoosiers as consistent winners in the league.
Mercer already reached 200 career wins at IU during a weekend series at Abilene Christian. In seven seasons at the helm of the Hoosiers, the skipper has helped continue the winning tradition of the program.
GOING FOR 30: As a program, IU can reach 30 wins this season with at least one win over the Wolverines in Michigan. 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.
With at least one victory, IU would finish with at least 15 Big Ten wins for the third-straight season. IU has a chance to fight up to a top-six spot in the Big Ten Tournament with a series victory over the Wolverines.
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.
The Hoosiers have been one of the best teams in the country in getting on the base paths. IU is No. 23 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.419). On the year, IU has 516 hits, 280 walks and 83 hit-by-pitches.
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.
Dickerson continues to lead the Big Ten by a big margin in RBIs and is second nationally, only trailing USC Upstate's Johnny Sweeney (78). 14 of Dickerson's 19 home runs this season have been multi-run long balls. Seven of them have been three-run shots.
NEAR LOCK: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley is surely the favorite to be 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.
He needs just two hits to become the seventh true freshman in program history with at least 70 hits in a season. The last player to do it was Josh Pyne (2022).
Scouting the Opponent
Michigan
• Michigan finds itself just one game up on IU heading into an important series in the league's final weekend. It's the second-straight year the two sides have played on the deciding days of the regular season. A series win would take IU above Michigan in the Big Ten standings. Anything less than that would result in a scramble for one of last couple remaining spots in the conference tournament.
• The Wolverines have a monster duo at the top of their lineup in graduate student infielder Benny Casillas and junior infielder Mitch Voit. Casillas is the runaway leader in batting average (.408) in the Big Ten and has 75 base knocks on the season. He's got an on-base percentage of .495. Voit has supplied the power with 15 doubles and 12 home runs on top of his team-leading 53 RBIs.
• On the mound, it's been ride-or-die by five arms for Michigan this season. Juniors Kurt Barr and David Lally Jr. have eaten up a ton of innings this season but have been extremely reliable for head coach Tracy Smith. Freshman Tate Carey has come on as of late and been big on the weekends. Veteran Will Rogers is their trusted arm out of the bullpen.
Inside the Series
Michigan
• Indiana and Michigan have played over 200 times in program history. The series dates back to the 1890's between the two border rivals. Michigan holds a large all-time advantage but the series has been even in the last 15 seasons.
• Before last season, Michigan and Indiana hadn't played in Bloomington since 2015. The series shifts back to Ann Arbor and is played on the season's final weekend for the second-straight year.
• Tracy Smith, the former Indiana skipper, is now at the helm of Michigan. He led IU to a pair of Big Ten regular season titles before leaving to take over Arizona State after the 2014 season. IU head coach Jeff Mercer served as a volunteer assistant at Michigan in 2011.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
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INF
/ Baseball
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