Mercer, Hoosiers Bring in Instant Impact Class
9/15/2025 9:30:00 AM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Head coach Jeff Mercer has never been shy about playing his talented young players during his tenure in Bloomington. The eighth-year skipper will get the chance to do that again in 2026 as his staff welcomes another nationally-renowned recruiting class to Bart Kaufman Field.
Perfect Game announced its top-25 recruiting classes to make it to campus in the fall of 2025. The Hoosiers, led by a collection of talented arms, were ranked No. 14 in the country by the recruiting outlet. IU has the highest-ranked class in the Big Ten and is the only Midwest school to be honored.
Despite losing Indiana natives Matthew Fisher and Alex Barr to the draft, Mercer and his staff brought nine top-500 national recruits to campus. The highlight of the class is a pair of talented in-state pitchers in Blane Metz (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) and Xavier Carrera (Boone Grove, Indiana).
Metz, the No. 67 overall recruit in the class, is just the third top-80 overall recruit (Perfect Game) to make it to Bloomington during the Mercer era. On top of the elite arms, another talented group of position players will be ready to impact the program next year. Outfielder Cal Gates (Bedford, Indiana) and infielder Mateo Noto (Brooklyn, New York) are just two names to watch as the fall progresses.
Mercer's ability to recruit and develop talented young players is backed up by Big Ten numbers during his tenure. No school has more Freshman All-Americans (11) than the Hoosiers during his seven-year run with the program. He's turned out two Big Ten Freshman of the Year selections (Devin Taylor – 2023, Jake Hanley – 2025) and has placed 16 different players on the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
IU has begun fall practice in Bloomington and will play scrimmages against Ball State (Friday, Oct. 3) at Grand Park in Westfield and against Xavier (Sunday, Oct. 19) at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. A talented group of sophomore position players will be on full display as the countdown to the 2026 campaign begins.
Perfect Game announced its top-25 recruiting classes to make it to campus in the fall of 2025. The Hoosiers, led by a collection of talented arms, were ranked No. 14 in the country by the recruiting outlet. IU has the highest-ranked class in the Big Ten and is the only Midwest school to be honored.
Despite losing Indiana natives Matthew Fisher and Alex Barr to the draft, Mercer and his staff brought nine top-500 national recruits to campus. The highlight of the class is a pair of talented in-state pitchers in Blane Metz (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) and Xavier Carrera (Boone Grove, Indiana).
Metz, the No. 67 overall recruit in the class, is just the third top-80 overall recruit (Perfect Game) to make it to Bloomington during the Mercer era. On top of the elite arms, another talented group of position players will be ready to impact the program next year. Outfielder Cal Gates (Bedford, Indiana) and infielder Mateo Noto (Brooklyn, New York) are just two names to watch as the fall progresses.
Mercer's ability to recruit and develop talented young players is backed up by Big Ten numbers during his tenure. No school has more Freshman All-Americans (11) than the Hoosiers during his seven-year run with the program. He's turned out two Big Ten Freshman of the Year selections (Devin Taylor – 2023, Jake Hanley – 2025) and has placed 16 different players on the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
IU has begun fall practice in Bloomington and will play scrimmages against Ball State (Friday, Oct. 3) at Grand Park in Westfield and against Xavier (Sunday, Oct. 19) at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. A talented group of sophomore position players will be on full display as the countdown to the 2026 campaign begins.
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