Indiana University Athletics
Thursday, May 14
Bloomington, Ind.
6 p.m.
Indiana University
vs
Illinois
Baseball Central: Illinois
5/13/2026 2:30:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The regular season comes to a close this weekend for the Indiana Baseball team (21-30, 7-20 B1G). Even without a trip to the conference tournament this year, IU will look to end the season on a high note against a local rival. IU is looking for its first series victory over Illinois since 2023. These two sides have played every season since 2018.
Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley comes into the weekend having made 107-straight starts for the Hoosiers. He's started in every possible game since his arrival on campus last year. To date, the Mason, Ohio native has recorded 141 career hits, 27 home runs and 97 RBIs. He's got an all-time batting average of .336 during his collegiate tenure.
Graduate student southpaw Tony Neubeck will look for his third-consecutive quality start this weekend. In the month of May, Neubeck has worked 12 innings of two-run baseball against Big Ten opposition. He collected 15 strikeouts to just six walks in a pair of outings against Northwestern and Purdue. Neubeck has 33 strikeouts in five starts at Bart Kaufman Field this year.
With conference tournaments beginning next Tuesday, conference series around the country will shift to a Thursday-Saturday model this week. IU's three-game set with Illinois will kick off on Thursday (May 14) at Bart Kaufman Field. All three games will be available on B1G+ and can be heard at iuhoosiers.com/watch.
Gameday Info
vs. Illinois (Thursday, May 14th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4tt2BU0
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Illinois (Friday, May 15th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3R45MDZ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Illinois (Saturday, May 16th – 2 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3PhXOXo
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Illinois
• Thursday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (6-4, 3.92 ERA)
• Friday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Saturday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-5, 5.51 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
TIMELESS TONY: Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck will look to cap off his season in style this weekend. He's had a quality start in six of his nine Big Ten outings including back-to-back fantastic appearances in May. He has 56 strikeouts to just 17 walks in conference action this year.
FINISH IT OFF: Even while battling injury, sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie has been mightily impressive in his second year in the program. He has improved his batting average from .200 to .371 and has struck out just 22 times, compared to 26 free passes, in 2026.
TAKING FREE BASES: Despite the average being down, sophomore third baseman Will Moore continues to find a way on base. He's worked 52 free passes this year with 34 walks and 18 hit-by-pitches. The 18 times getting hit by a pitch surpasses the 17 he had last season.
SENIOR WEEKEND: The Hoosiers will have 12 seniors go through ceremonies this weekend for the first time. Graduate student Gavin Seebold, who was honored last year, will also have his name read. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel has one more year of eligibility if he elects to take it.
IRONMEN: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley and sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian will attempt to go the entire season without missing a start. Each come into the weekend having started all 51 games. Hanley also went a perfect 56-for-56 last year during his freshman campaign.
EVERY WEEKEND: Neubeck and sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas are set to complete the year by starting a game in all 14 weekends of IU's regular season. It's the first time since 2023 (Luke Sinnard) that an IU pitcher has started all 14 weekends in a season.
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois
• The Fighting Illini come to town as winners five-straight games after a series sweep of Northwestern last weekend. Illinois will be heading to the Big Ten Tournament once again and will look to reach the 30-win mark this weekend against the Hoosiers.
• Veteran outfielder Nick Groves paces the top of the Illinois order after struggling through injury last year. He's reaching base at a .460 clip with 38 walks and nine hit-by-pitches. Freshman infielder AJ Putty is making a push for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in a season where he has eight home runs. 50 RBIs and a .318 batting average.
• Southpaw Regan Hall has been Illinois' top starter all year. He has 67 strikeouts to just 16 walks over 13 starts this year. The Fighting Illini have a number of great relievers including sophomore right-handed pitcher Sam Mommer (1.91 ERA) and senior left-handed pitcher Sam Reed (3.18 ERA).
Inside the Series
Illinois
• These two teams in bordering states have played each other a ton since beginning their baseball programs. In fact, Indiana and Illinois have played every *full* season during head coach Jeff Mercer's tenure in Bloomington. He has split those six series with wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• This has been an extremely competitive series over the last decade. In fact, no one has swept a conference weekend during Mercer's tenure. The winning team has taken two of three games on each occasion. IU will be looking for its first series win over the Fighting Illin since 2023.
Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley comes into the weekend having made 107-straight starts for the Hoosiers. He's started in every possible game since his arrival on campus last year. To date, the Mason, Ohio native has recorded 141 career hits, 27 home runs and 97 RBIs. He's got an all-time batting average of .336 during his collegiate tenure.
Graduate student southpaw Tony Neubeck will look for his third-consecutive quality start this weekend. In the month of May, Neubeck has worked 12 innings of two-run baseball against Big Ten opposition. He collected 15 strikeouts to just six walks in a pair of outings against Northwestern and Purdue. Neubeck has 33 strikeouts in five starts at Bart Kaufman Field this year.
With conference tournaments beginning next Tuesday, conference series around the country will shift to a Thursday-Saturday model this week. IU's three-game set with Illinois will kick off on Thursday (May 14) at Bart Kaufman Field. All three games will be available on B1G+ and can be heard at iuhoosiers.com/watch.
Gameday Info
vs. Illinois (Thursday, May 14th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4tt2BU0
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Illinois (Friday, May 15th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3R45MDZ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Illinois (Saturday, May 16th – 2 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3PhXOXo
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Illinois
• Thursday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (6-4, 3.92 ERA)
• Friday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Saturday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-5, 5.51 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
TIMELESS TONY: Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck will look to cap off his season in style this weekend. He's had a quality start in six of his nine Big Ten outings including back-to-back fantastic appearances in May. He has 56 strikeouts to just 17 walks in conference action this year.
FINISH IT OFF: Even while battling injury, sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie has been mightily impressive in his second year in the program. He has improved his batting average from .200 to .371 and has struck out just 22 times, compared to 26 free passes, in 2026.
TAKING FREE BASES: Despite the average being down, sophomore third baseman Will Moore continues to find a way on base. He's worked 52 free passes this year with 34 walks and 18 hit-by-pitches. The 18 times getting hit by a pitch surpasses the 17 he had last season.
SENIOR WEEKEND: The Hoosiers will have 12 seniors go through ceremonies this weekend for the first time. Graduate student Gavin Seebold, who was honored last year, will also have his name read. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel has one more year of eligibility if he elects to take it.
IRONMEN: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley and sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian will attempt to go the entire season without missing a start. Each come into the weekend having started all 51 games. Hanley also went a perfect 56-for-56 last year during his freshman campaign.
EVERY WEEKEND: Neubeck and sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas are set to complete the year by starting a game in all 14 weekends of IU's regular season. It's the first time since 2023 (Luke Sinnard) that an IU pitcher has started all 14 weekends in a season.
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois
• The Fighting Illini come to town as winners five-straight games after a series sweep of Northwestern last weekend. Illinois will be heading to the Big Ten Tournament once again and will look to reach the 30-win mark this weekend against the Hoosiers.
• Veteran outfielder Nick Groves paces the top of the Illinois order after struggling through injury last year. He's reaching base at a .460 clip with 38 walks and nine hit-by-pitches. Freshman infielder AJ Putty is making a push for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in a season where he has eight home runs. 50 RBIs and a .318 batting average.
• Southpaw Regan Hall has been Illinois' top starter all year. He has 67 strikeouts to just 16 walks over 13 starts this year. The Fighting Illini have a number of great relievers including sophomore right-handed pitcher Sam Mommer (1.91 ERA) and senior left-handed pitcher Sam Reed (3.18 ERA).
Inside the Series
Illinois
• These two teams in bordering states have played each other a ton since beginning their baseball programs. In fact, Indiana and Illinois have played every *full* season during head coach Jeff Mercer's tenure in Bloomington. He has split those six series with wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• This has been an extremely competitive series over the last decade. In fact, no one has swept a conference weekend during Mercer's tenure. The winning team has taken two of three games on each occasion. IU will be looking for its first series win over the Fighting Illin since 2023.
Players Mentioned
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LHP/OF
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INF
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INF
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LHP
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RHP
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LHP
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RHP
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