Phillip Glasser's name is likely circled on every adversary's scouting report. Indiana baseball's leadoff hitter poses headaches to pitchers. But to the public, the senior shortstop has recently gone unnoticed. Why? Repetition. In 25 games this year, Glasser has 44 hits in 100 at-bats.
In four or five trips to the plate each game, the senior is expected to smack two hits and come around to score twice. The anticipation is at least Glasser will reach base twice, sometimes even more — the senior's on-base percentage is higher than a coin flip.
Leadoff hitters with high on-base percentages are invaluable. The stereotype of players batting in the first lineup spot are that they frequently reach base and generally don't hit for power. Glasser scarcely hits home runs, but roughly 30% of his hits this season are doubles.
If Glasser doesn't strike the ball off the wall, his fierce running typically stretches singles to extra-base hits. In the team's 9-6 Sunday victory against Ohio State, Glasser led off the game by hitting a line-drive double into the gap, which stayed in front of Ohio State's outfielders. Glasser barreled out of the box, tossing aside his sunglasses. The helmet came off, too.
"That's what my dad always said growing up," Glasser said Tuesday. "Get out of the box and try to put pressure on the defense. That's all I try to do."
In Indiana's most recent Tuesday night victory over Kent State 4-3, Glasser identically led off the game with a hit by singling through the left side. The senior later added two doubles to his stat line and was awarded co-player of the game by Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer.
Tuesday's victory pushes Indiana's home record to 15-0 in the 2023 season. Of data dating back to 1985, the team's 14-plus wins are the second-longest home winning streak for an Indiana team to begin the season. Glasser personifies that consistency.
The senior's batting average is .440; he reaches base in 52% of his at-bats. Glasser, who transferred to Indiana last season, only became an everyday leadoff hitter for the Hoosiers this season. It’s easy to overlook that Glasser hasn’t left that spot even just once.
"It holds the standard and raises the standard for everybody else around you," Mercer said of Glasser Tuesday. "When you have someone like him, he doesn't make an excuse. Just go figure it out. I think it makes everyone around him try to have to compete at that level as well."
On Tuesday, Mercer remembered Indiana's road game against No. 9 East Carolina University in early March. ECU's right-hander Trey Yesevage started against the Hoosiers, who D1Baseball projects as the No. 36 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Glasser tallied four hits.
"In the 10 or 12 years I've coached, he's done the most with his physical ability," Mercer said. "He's the most prepared; he's the most professional. He's the most competitive, like he is the best baseball player in totality that I that I've ever been around."
Glasser said the team has plenty of players with strong work ethics, so he tries to lead by example. Glasser has credited teammates for providing feedback to improve his swing — saying that players fuel each other’s enthusiasm — why the offense is recently surging.
The Hoosiers scored 83 runs in their recent eight-game homestand sweep. While acting as the first player that opposing pitchers see, Glasser batted 13-for-31 (.419) with six doubles: repetition and consistency. Those numbers just become, and start to look, routine.
Follow reporters Matthew Byrne (.@MatthewByrne1) and Nick Rodecap (.@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
