Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, April 21
Muncie, Ind.
3 p.m.
Indiana University
at
Ball State
Baseball Central: Ball State
4/20/2026 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It will be a midweek rematch on Tuesday (April 21) afternoon as the Indiana Baseball team (18-22, 6-12 B1G) goes for the season sweep of Ball State. The Hoosiers won the first meeting on April 7th with six unanswered runs at Bart Kaufman Field. On the season, IU is 7-2 in midweek contests and 3-1 on the road in such games.
IU's offense has picked up with rapid pace since the month of April began. It has helped spark an 8-4 record over the last 12 games. In that stretch, IU has slugged 28 home runs – five of those from the red-hot sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie. He will be looking to push his hitting streak to 22-straight games on Tuesday. That would be the longest streak of any IU player in a single year over the last 21 seasons.
A large cohort of arms will be potential options for the final two midweek games of the year. Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski has been a big part of IU's staff this season. He is tied for the team lead with 17 appearances and has pitched to a 4.34 ERA this year. He and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel have combined for 55 strikeouts and just 24 walks on the season.
Head coach Jeff Mercer is 7-0-1 against Ball State in his time as the IU skipper. The last trip to Muncie, in 2024, was one of the weirder games he's ever coached. The contest was called due to darkness after the 12th inning, resulting in the only tie of his collegiate coaching career. 20 different pitchers were used in that contest but no one could find the winning run.
First pitch on Tuesday afternoon is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+. IU will return to Bart Kaufman Field for an important weekend series (April 24-26) against Iowa, beginning on Friday.
Gameday Info
at Ball State (Tuesday, April 21st – 3 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4vD8HTW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Ball State
• Tuesday: RHP Ivan Mastalski, Fr. (1-0, 4.34 ERA)
Leading Off
KOSKIE'S STREAK: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie hit in all three games of the Abilene Christian series, extending his career long hitting streak to 21-straight contests. Since 2005, it matches the longest single-season hitting streak by any IU player (Alex Dickerson - 2010, Chris Hervey - 2008).
MR. APRIL: Koskie's hot month has helped spark a resurgence of IU's offense. He is hitting .500 (22-44) in 12 games in April with five home runs and 19 RBIs. As a team, the Hoosiers have slugged 28 home runs this month. IU is hitting a collective .331 in April.
COOPER CONTINUES: Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian has pushed his hitting streak to 12-straight games, hitting safely in every single game in the month of April. Not only is he seeing the ball well this month, but he's also fielding at a perfect (1.000 clip) at shortstop.
MIDWEEK SUCCESS: After winning a pair of games last week, the Hoosiers are now 7-2 in midweek contest this year. That includes a 3-1 mark on the road. In those nine games, IU is hitting .348 with 17 home runs. Koskie is hitting .571 (!) in midweek outings this year.
BIG HIT HOOSIERS: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker had his first career four-hit day on Friday in a win over Abilene Christian. He is the sixth player in that sophomore class with a four-hit day for the Hoosiers. Brayden Ricketts has been close to completing the full collection of four-hit efforts for that group.
HOLDING IT DOWN: Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel and freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski have been some of the go-to options for the Hoosiers. Both of them are tied for the team lead with 17 appearances this year.
JUST JAKE: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has started 96-straight games since arriving on campus. Only Dustin DeMuth (102 - 2011-12) has begun their career with more consecutive starts since the 2010 season. Hanley has collected 126 hits in that stretch of play as well.
Scouting the Opponent
Ball State
• It's been just two weeks since these two teams have played. In that span, Ball State has won a series with Akron and taken a series loss to MAC co-leaders Kent State. Midweek struggles have come for the Cardinals all year. They have failed to win a game over a division one team in the midweek this year.
• Sophomore infielder Brayden Huebner is carrying a big load for Ball State offensively. His 1.133 OPS is tops on the team. He also has nine home runs, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs. Graduate student utility man Ryan Muzelaar and junior first baseman Jacob Gillis have each hit seven-or-more home runs.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Nate Bartlett, one of Ball State's most reliable arms will open the Tuesday contest. Five pitchers threw the last time these two teams played with graduate student left-handed pitcher Alex Burden tossing 3.1 efficient innings.
Inside the Series
Ball State
• Despite being two of the most competitive teams in the Midwest, IU has held a commanding advantage in the series over the last 10 years. The Hoosiers have won 10 of the last 11 games including a 6-4 win earlier this season.
• Since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019, IU has won seven of the eight meetings. The only other game was a 12-inning affair that was called a tie due to darkness. This will be just the third meeting in Muncie since he became the coach.
IU's offense has picked up with rapid pace since the month of April began. It has helped spark an 8-4 record over the last 12 games. In that stretch, IU has slugged 28 home runs – five of those from the red-hot sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie. He will be looking to push his hitting streak to 22-straight games on Tuesday. That would be the longest streak of any IU player in a single year over the last 21 seasons.
A large cohort of arms will be potential options for the final two midweek games of the year. Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski has been a big part of IU's staff this season. He is tied for the team lead with 17 appearances and has pitched to a 4.34 ERA this year. He and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel have combined for 55 strikeouts and just 24 walks on the season.
Head coach Jeff Mercer is 7-0-1 against Ball State in his time as the IU skipper. The last trip to Muncie, in 2024, was one of the weirder games he's ever coached. The contest was called due to darkness after the 12th inning, resulting in the only tie of his collegiate coaching career. 20 different pitchers were used in that contest but no one could find the winning run.
First pitch on Tuesday afternoon is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+. IU will return to Bart Kaufman Field for an important weekend series (April 24-26) against Iowa, beginning on Friday.
Gameday Info
at Ball State (Tuesday, April 21st – 3 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4vD8HTW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Ball State
• Tuesday: RHP Ivan Mastalski, Fr. (1-0, 4.34 ERA)
Leading Off
KOSKIE'S STREAK: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie hit in all three games of the Abilene Christian series, extending his career long hitting streak to 21-straight contests. Since 2005, it matches the longest single-season hitting streak by any IU player (Alex Dickerson - 2010, Chris Hervey - 2008).
MR. APRIL: Koskie's hot month has helped spark a resurgence of IU's offense. He is hitting .500 (22-44) in 12 games in April with five home runs and 19 RBIs. As a team, the Hoosiers have slugged 28 home runs this month. IU is hitting a collective .331 in April.
COOPER CONTINUES: Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian has pushed his hitting streak to 12-straight games, hitting safely in every single game in the month of April. Not only is he seeing the ball well this month, but he's also fielding at a perfect (1.000 clip) at shortstop.
MIDWEEK SUCCESS: After winning a pair of games last week, the Hoosiers are now 7-2 in midweek contest this year. That includes a 3-1 mark on the road. In those nine games, IU is hitting .348 with 17 home runs. Koskie is hitting .571 (!) in midweek outings this year.
BIG HIT HOOSIERS: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker had his first career four-hit day on Friday in a win over Abilene Christian. He is the sixth player in that sophomore class with a four-hit day for the Hoosiers. Brayden Ricketts has been close to completing the full collection of four-hit efforts for that group.
HOLDING IT DOWN: Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel and freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski have been some of the go-to options for the Hoosiers. Both of them are tied for the team lead with 17 appearances this year.
JUST JAKE: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has started 96-straight games since arriving on campus. Only Dustin DeMuth (102 - 2011-12) has begun their career with more consecutive starts since the 2010 season. Hanley has collected 126 hits in that stretch of play as well.
Scouting the Opponent
Ball State
• It's been just two weeks since these two teams have played. In that span, Ball State has won a series with Akron and taken a series loss to MAC co-leaders Kent State. Midweek struggles have come for the Cardinals all year. They have failed to win a game over a division one team in the midweek this year.
• Sophomore infielder Brayden Huebner is carrying a big load for Ball State offensively. His 1.133 OPS is tops on the team. He also has nine home runs, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs. Graduate student utility man Ryan Muzelaar and junior first baseman Jacob Gillis have each hit seven-or-more home runs.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Nate Bartlett, one of Ball State's most reliable arms will open the Tuesday contest. Five pitchers threw the last time these two teams played with graduate student left-handed pitcher Alex Burden tossing 3.1 efficient innings.
Inside the Series
Ball State
• Despite being two of the most competitive teams in the Midwest, IU has held a commanding advantage in the series over the last 10 years. The Hoosiers have won 10 of the last 11 games including a 6-4 win earlier this season.
• Since head coach Jeff Mercer took over in 2019, IU has won seven of the eight meetings. The only other game was a 12-inning affair that was called a tie due to darkness. This will be just the third meeting in Muncie since he became the coach.
Players Mentioned
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