Tuesday, May 20
Omaha, Neb.
3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM CT
Indiana University
vs
(10) Rutgers
Big Ten Tournament Central: Rutgers
5/19/2025 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – The journey to a Big Ten Tournament title begins on Tuesday (May 20) afternoon as 12 teams converge on Charles Schwab Field in Omaha for a week-long showcase of baseball. The Indiana Baseball team (31-23, 16-14 B1G) is making its 12th-straight appearance in the tournament, the longest active streak of any program in the conference.
After finishing up a series victory over Michigan on the final weekend of the regular season, the Hoosiers earned the tie-breaker over the Wolverines and got the rights to the No. 6 seed in the tournament. In a new format this season, IU will be placed in Pool C with No. 3 seed Iowa and No. 10 seed Rutgers.
IU has started to play some of its ball down the stretch. The Hoosiers have won seven of nine games in the month of May and have finished off all three weekend series its played. Pitching coach Dustin Glant has helped his staff to a 3.58 team ERA in the last nine games. Nearly every arm should be lined up to pitch the must-win Tuesday contest against Rutgers.
Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny has enjoyed the month of May more than anyone else in the IU lineup. He's slashing .433/.528/.600 in nine games following the turn of the calendar. Cerny had the go-ahead home run in the series-clinching win over Michigan and has scored 11 times in this stretch.
With lower seeds in each pool needing to win both games in the group stage, the Hoosiers will take all necessary steps to win contests against (10) Rutgers (Tuesday) and (3) Iowa (Friday). All arms and all bats will be up and available to try and earn a spot in Saturday's semifinals. The Hoosiers will benefit from two days of rest after playing Rutgers on the opening day of the tournament.
First pitch on Tuesday (May 20) is currently set for 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT against Rutgers. All games in the tournament will be carried on the Big Ten Network. Connor McKnight and Danan Hughes will have the call on Tuesday against the Scarlet Knights. With potential weather in the Omaha area, stay tuned to IU social media accounts for schedule updates.
Gameday Info
vs. Rutgers (Tuesday, May 20th – 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM CT)
Live Video: t.ly/pGlkQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/HarYH
Probable Starters
Rutgers
• Tuesday – TBD
Leading Off
SCORCHING HOT: Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny has been seeing the ball well in the month of May. The veteran is hitting .433 (13-30) with 11 runs scored in nine games for the Hoosiers this month. He's now just two hits away from reaching 200 in his IU career.
He can join his fellow junior teammate, Devin Taylor, as the first pair of Hoosiers from the same recruiting class to reach 200 hits together since 2014 (Kyle Schwarber & Sam Travis). Taylor did it earlier in the season and is edging closer to the top-10 in program history.
OMAHA REGULARS: IU qualified for its 12th-straight Big Ten Tournament with last week's series victory over Michigan. The Hoosiers have the longest active streak of made tournaments in the league. IU has won at least one game in each of the last three Big Ten Tournaments.
The Hoosiers have inched closer and closer to breaking through and making a long run in the Big Ten Tournament. IU last reached the Big Ten Championship game when it won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. IU lost in the semifinals to Nebraska last season but will look to power through to Sunday in 2025.
DONE ALL HE CAN: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has made his case as Big Ten Freshman of the Year all season long. The award will be announced before IU's first game in Omaha. Hanley leads all freshman in the Big Ten with 71 hits, 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. He's started all 54 games for the Hoosiers.
IU's freshman class has been the story of the season, having to fill some crucial roles in the starting lineup. First-year freshmen for IU have combined to play 241 games with 187 starts while contributing 211 hits, 171 runs scored and 141 RBIs.
PLAYING ITS BEST BALL: Since getting swept in a tough series at Iowa, the Hoosiers have quickly turned their season around. IU has won eight of its last 10 games and has taken all three series in that span. Head coach Jeff Mercer's team will get its first crack at Rutgers this season on Tuesday.
The Hoosiers rode some late-season momentum into Big Ten Tournament wins over Purdue and Ohio State last season. IU has had a similar finish to the regular season and has the pieces for another deep run in Omaha.
KRAFT'S COMMAND: Senior pitcher Ryan Kraft will move into No. 4 in program history with his next appearance (82) for the Hoosiers. Since the end of the Penn State series (March 10), Kraft has pitched to a 3.47 ERA and has been IU's defacto ace on Friday nights.
He's not the only one pitching the ball well in May. IU's pitching staff has spun a 3.58 ERA since the turn of the calendar. Graduate student Cole Gilley has a 2-0 record and a 0.56 ERA (16.0 IP) in four appearances in the month of May.
ONE AT A TIME: With the way the Big Ten Tournament is set up in 2025, you have to win your first game. IU purposely threw off in the regular season finale to ensure nearly every arm will be up and available on Tuesday. Pitching coach Dustin Glant will likely have everyone hot for the game against (10) Rutgers.
Redshirt senior pitcher Gavin Seebold only pitched one inning against Michigan while sophomore Jackson Yarberry and junior Aydan Decker-Petty each kept their pitch counts to a minimum.
Scouting the Opponent
Rutgers
• Indiana and Rutgers are two of the hottest teams in the conference heading into the Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights did a sweep of Illinois two weeks ago and is coming off a series victory over Maryland. Rutgers is back in the Big Ten Tournament after last season's edition.
• Rutgers is led by a two-headed offensive monster in junior outfielder Trevor Cohen and sophomore first baseman Ty Doucette. Cohen is the conference's leader with 87 base hits and has also supplied 23 doubles and 19 stolen bases. Doucette has followed up a stellar freshman campaign with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs.
• Freshman right-handed pitcher Landon Mack has been the strongest arm for Rutgers this year and is the expected Tuesday starter. He's started on all 14 weekends with a 5-5 record and a 4.36 ERA. He's got 64 strikeouts to just 17 walks and joins IU freshman Jake Hanley as one of the frontrunners for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Inside the Series
Rutgers
• While these two teams are still relatively new foes, they've already played 14 times during the Jeff Mercer era. IU has a 9-5 lead in the series since 2019 and is 6-5 since 2021. Overall, IU leads the series 16-7.
• Rutgers and IU have met just once in the Big Ten Tournament, a 14-2 win for the Scarlet Knights in the late hours of the morning in 2022. Already short on pitching, a 1:00 AM start time didn't help IU find its footing as the season came to a close.
• The last two regular season series' have ended in sweeps. Rutgers won in Piscataway in 2022 with a pair of walkoffs while IU returned the favor in 2024, outscoring Rutgers 38-15 in a sweep at Bart Kaufman Field.
After finishing up a series victory over Michigan on the final weekend of the regular season, the Hoosiers earned the tie-breaker over the Wolverines and got the rights to the No. 6 seed in the tournament. In a new format this season, IU will be placed in Pool C with No. 3 seed Iowa and No. 10 seed Rutgers.
IU has started to play some of its ball down the stretch. The Hoosiers have won seven of nine games in the month of May and have finished off all three weekend series its played. Pitching coach Dustin Glant has helped his staff to a 3.58 team ERA in the last nine games. Nearly every arm should be lined up to pitch the must-win Tuesday contest against Rutgers.
Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny has enjoyed the month of May more than anyone else in the IU lineup. He's slashing .433/.528/.600 in nine games following the turn of the calendar. Cerny had the go-ahead home run in the series-clinching win over Michigan and has scored 11 times in this stretch.
With lower seeds in each pool needing to win both games in the group stage, the Hoosiers will take all necessary steps to win contests against (10) Rutgers (Tuesday) and (3) Iowa (Friday). All arms and all bats will be up and available to try and earn a spot in Saturday's semifinals. The Hoosiers will benefit from two days of rest after playing Rutgers on the opening day of the tournament.
First pitch on Tuesday (May 20) is currently set for 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT against Rutgers. All games in the tournament will be carried on the Big Ten Network. Connor McKnight and Danan Hughes will have the call on Tuesday against the Scarlet Knights. With potential weather in the Omaha area, stay tuned to IU social media accounts for schedule updates.
Gameday Info
vs. Rutgers (Tuesday, May 20th – 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM CT)
Live Video: t.ly/pGlkQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/HarYH
Probable Starters
Rutgers
• Tuesday – TBD
Leading Off
SCORCHING HOT: Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny has been seeing the ball well in the month of May. The veteran is hitting .433 (13-30) with 11 runs scored in nine games for the Hoosiers this month. He's now just two hits away from reaching 200 in his IU career.
He can join his fellow junior teammate, Devin Taylor, as the first pair of Hoosiers from the same recruiting class to reach 200 hits together since 2014 (Kyle Schwarber & Sam Travis). Taylor did it earlier in the season and is edging closer to the top-10 in program history.
OMAHA REGULARS: IU qualified for its 12th-straight Big Ten Tournament with last week's series victory over Michigan. The Hoosiers have the longest active streak of made tournaments in the league. IU has won at least one game in each of the last three Big Ten Tournaments.
The Hoosiers have inched closer and closer to breaking through and making a long run in the Big Ten Tournament. IU last reached the Big Ten Championship game when it won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. IU lost in the semifinals to Nebraska last season but will look to power through to Sunday in 2025.
DONE ALL HE CAN: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has made his case as Big Ten Freshman of the Year all season long. The award will be announced before IU's first game in Omaha. Hanley leads all freshman in the Big Ten with 71 hits, 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. He's started all 54 games for the Hoosiers.
IU's freshman class has been the story of the season, having to fill some crucial roles in the starting lineup. First-year freshmen for IU have combined to play 241 games with 187 starts while contributing 211 hits, 171 runs scored and 141 RBIs.
PLAYING ITS BEST BALL: Since getting swept in a tough series at Iowa, the Hoosiers have quickly turned their season around. IU has won eight of its last 10 games and has taken all three series in that span. Head coach Jeff Mercer's team will get its first crack at Rutgers this season on Tuesday.
The Hoosiers rode some late-season momentum into Big Ten Tournament wins over Purdue and Ohio State last season. IU has had a similar finish to the regular season and has the pieces for another deep run in Omaha.
KRAFT'S COMMAND: Senior pitcher Ryan Kraft will move into No. 4 in program history with his next appearance (82) for the Hoosiers. Since the end of the Penn State series (March 10), Kraft has pitched to a 3.47 ERA and has been IU's defacto ace on Friday nights.
He's not the only one pitching the ball well in May. IU's pitching staff has spun a 3.58 ERA since the turn of the calendar. Graduate student Cole Gilley has a 2-0 record and a 0.56 ERA (16.0 IP) in four appearances in the month of May.
ONE AT A TIME: With the way the Big Ten Tournament is set up in 2025, you have to win your first game. IU purposely threw off in the regular season finale to ensure nearly every arm will be up and available on Tuesday. Pitching coach Dustin Glant will likely have everyone hot for the game against (10) Rutgers.
Redshirt senior pitcher Gavin Seebold only pitched one inning against Michigan while sophomore Jackson Yarberry and junior Aydan Decker-Petty each kept their pitch counts to a minimum.
Scouting the Opponent
Rutgers
• Indiana and Rutgers are two of the hottest teams in the conference heading into the Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights did a sweep of Illinois two weeks ago and is coming off a series victory over Maryland. Rutgers is back in the Big Ten Tournament after last season's edition.
• Rutgers is led by a two-headed offensive monster in junior outfielder Trevor Cohen and sophomore first baseman Ty Doucette. Cohen is the conference's leader with 87 base hits and has also supplied 23 doubles and 19 stolen bases. Doucette has followed up a stellar freshman campaign with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs.
• Freshman right-handed pitcher Landon Mack has been the strongest arm for Rutgers this year and is the expected Tuesday starter. He's started on all 14 weekends with a 5-5 record and a 4.36 ERA. He's got 64 strikeouts to just 17 walks and joins IU freshman Jake Hanley as one of the frontrunners for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Inside the Series
Rutgers
• While these two teams are still relatively new foes, they've already played 14 times during the Jeff Mercer era. IU has a 9-5 lead in the series since 2019 and is 6-5 since 2021. Overall, IU leads the series 16-7.
• Rutgers and IU have met just once in the Big Ten Tournament, a 14-2 win for the Scarlet Knights in the late hours of the morning in 2022. Already short on pitching, a 1:00 AM start time didn't help IU find its footing as the season came to a close.
• The last two regular season series' have ended in sweeps. Rutgers won in Piscataway in 2022 with a pair of walkoffs while IU returned the favor in 2024, outscoring Rutgers 38-15 in a sweep at Bart Kaufman Field.
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
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LHP
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RHP
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OF
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RHP
/ BaseballBig Ten Tournament Press Conference - vs. Rutgers
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