Credit to: iuhoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The month of May has arrived in college baseball and brings the toughest stretch run of any team in the conference to the Indiana Baseball team (25-18-1, 10-5 B1G). The Hoosiers close out Big Ten play with series at Purdue, at Nebraska and vs. Michigan. Scheduled between that is midweeks with Cincinnati and Louisville.
This weekend will be one of the biggest series between IU and Purdue in recent memory. The Boilermakers (11-4) enter Friday having won 10-straight in the conference while the Hoosiers (10-5) have won 9-of-12 and four-straight Big Ten weekend slates.
There are five teams separated by just one game in the Big Ten standings. IU has already played Illinois (11-4) and will still play Purdue (11-4), Nebraska (10-5) and Michigan (10-5). Despite a number of injuries, IU has kept its head above water and is playing its best baseball heading to the last month of the regular season.
Over the next week, IU has the potential to add some guys back into a lineup that averaged over 10 runs per game in the month of April. Redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski and Nick Mitchell are both hitting .455 in conference play and are heading a potent offensive attack.
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The Hoosiers are starting to get more comfortable on the mound with the likes of graduate student Drew Buhr, juniors Brandon Keyster and Julian Tonghini and sophomore Aydan Decker-Petty taking big innings in big moments.
Friday’s game at Alexander Field in West Lafayette has a scheduled first pitch of 6:00 PM. The ensuing weekend games will slot at the normal times of 2:00 PM (Saturday) and 1:00 PM (Sunday) barring any weather in northern Indiana.
Gameday Info
vs. Purdue (Friday, May 3rd – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
vs. Purdue (Saturday, May 4th – 2:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
vs. Purdue (Sunday, May 5th – 1:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/306Xt
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Purdue
• Friday – Brandon Keyster, LHP (IU) vs. Jordan Morales, LHP (PU)
• Saturday – Connor Foley, RHP (IU) vs. Luke Wagner, LHP (PU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (RU)
Player and Stat Trends
Mathison with 40 Jacks
• Carter Mathison hit a pair of home runs over the weekend to become the seventh member of the 40-home run club in program history. He’s currently tied for No. 6 all-time with MLB All-Star Kyle Schwarber (2012-14) and will have a chance to make a run at the all-time mark (47) over the next month.
Notable
Big Series Sweep
• Indiana got a massive series sweep of Rutgers last weekend in Bloomington. The three wins closed out a month of April that saw the Hoosiers go 9-3 in conference play and win all four Big Ten weekend series.
• The Hoosiers dominated in every facet of the game. The offense hung 38 runs on the board in only 22 offensive innings. IU hit 11 home runs led by three from sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor. The pitching staff held Rutgers to six runs or fewer in all three games. Drew Buhr and Aydan Decker-Petty had massive relief outings on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Hot in the Month of April
• After a really tough stretch of games in March, IU completely flipped the script in the month of April. The Hoosiers went 10-4-1, 9-3 in the Big Ten, to push themselves right back into the postseason conversation.
• IU averaged over 10 runs per game during the month with junior outfielder Nick Mitchell (.418) and redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski (.410) each hitting above .400 in the 15 games. Those offensive numbers come without Brock Tibbitts, who didn’t even have an at-bat in the month due to injury.
Massive Series in West Lafayette
• One of the biggest three-game sets in the history of the Indiana-Purdue rivalry will come this weekend in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers come in one game behind the Boilermakers in a very tight conference race.
• Purdue has won 10-straight conference games with sweeps of Rutgers, Michigan State and Northwestern. The Boilers haven’t played any of the league’s five best teams yet. IU has won 10 of 14 since dropping the Big Ten opener. Both teams swept last weekend’s competition.
Mathison Chases History
• Although time is ticking on the season, and potentially his career (’24 draft eligible), Carter Mathison is making a late push at IU’s all-time record books. He hit two home runs over the weekend, and narrowly missed two more, to push his career home run total to 40.
• The Fort Wayne native is one of seven players in program history with 40+ career home runs and one of three to do so in three-or-fewer seasons (Alex Dickerson, Kyle Schwarber). He is seven away from matching the program record of 47. If he hits eight over the final month and change of the season, he will take the lead outright.
Time to Make Note of Joey B
• Despite taking a redshirt last season, head coach Jeff Mercer has been raving about Joey Brenczewski and his bat-to-ball skills. His bat was going to be enough to keep him in the lineup, but an injury to Brock Tibbitts and AJ Shepard forced him in on defense as well.
• Since Tibbitts went out with injury, and he became the full-time first baseman, Joey B is hitting .410 (25-61) with three home runs and 21 RBIs. In his past 10 games, he’s hitting a scorching .452 (19-42) while slugging .762. He hasn’t made an error in weeks and is beginning to make some outstanding defensive plays.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue (30-15, 11-4)
• One of the surprise teams in the Big Ten this year, Purdue is riding a 10-game conference winning streak behind a collection of different talent and veteran arms. Luke Gaffney has hit the cover off the ball and is the favorite for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and potentially the league’s Player of the Year award.
• Camden Gasser is an on-base machine (.541) and hits .366 with 48 hits and 47 walks this year. Jo Stevens and Logan Sutter have been phenomenal complimentary pieces. Both Purdue and IU are averaging over 8.5 runs per game this season.
• Purdue’s top two weekend arms, Jordan Morales and Luke Wagner, have been great and worked deep into games. They give up a lot of hits but are able to manage the damage well. Each has gone at least 55 innings this season. The duo operates by putting balls into play and working outs.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Purdue
• The most commonly played series in program history returns for perhaps its biggest rendition in the past 20 years. Two teams, separated by a game at the top of the Big Ten standings, meet in West Lafayette for a chance to make a statement to the rest of the league.
• The Hoosiers own the all-time edge 155-136-2 against the Boilermakers. The series began in 1895. IU’s 155 wins against Purdue are the most against any one team in program history. IU has won four of six against Purdue including a dominant sweep last year in Bloomington.
• IU is 5-2 in the last seven weekend series against Purdue. Under head coach Jeff Mercer, including midweek contests that don’t show up in the conference standings, IU is 8-3.