After defeating Northern Kentucky University 11-5 Wednesday night, Indiana baseball turns for a three-game weekend series against Troy University at Bart Kaufman Field.
In four meetings dating back to 2007, the Hoosiers, now sitting at 8-4, have yet to best the Trojans. Troy boasts strong starting pitching and a collection of powerful bats who have helped slug the team to a 10-4 start to the season.
Though checking in at No. 198 in the most recent RPI rankings, Troy returned a solid core from its 2023 campaign, wherein the Trojans finished third in the Sun Belt Conference and made an NCAA Regional. Head coach Jeff Mercer has stressed the importance of scheduling difficult nonconference games.
Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, Mercer and Indiana will get just that.
“We want to have good opponents here,” Mercer said Wednesday night. “We want to have recognizable names here, and good teams. They’ve won a lot of games and they’re really well coached.”
On the mound
At last weekend’s Frisco College Baseball Classic, the Hoosiers went 1-2 and didn’t get much from their tandem of Friday and Saturday starters. Against then-No. 16 University of Alabama, sophomore Brayden Risedorph only managed one inning and surrendered five hits and four earned runs.
The next day, sophomore righty Connor Foley gave more length against then-No. 25 Dallas Baptist University with 4 1/3 innings of work. Still, Foley walked four, gave up four earned runs and plunked a pair of batters, as well.
Indiana threw four arms in Wednesday’s bullpen game, with sophomore Ethan Phillips opening and picking up the win, and junior Boston College transfer Julian Tonghini closing out the final 3 1/3 frames and earning the save.
Tonghini only allowed one hit, struck out four and baffled batters with his wicked slider. After the game, Mercer said an option like Tonghini could be deployed in a similar, longer relief role in either Saturday or Sunday’s games.
On what was working for Tonghini, he said: “The slider, just hammering the slider. Throwing it at guys, starting it at guys…that was on.”
— Matt Press (@MattPress23) March 7, 2024
Definitely had some great movement on it tonight. #iubase https://t.co/IEN9kTOgms
“We haven’t gotten some length on the weekend that we would like,” Mercer said. “We’re not opposed to going more of a pod system where guys can go two or three on a midweek and two or three on the weekend.”
For Troy, junior righty Grayson Stewart has struggled as the team’s ace. In a trio of Friday starts, Stewart tossed 16 1/3 innings and given up 12 runs. His 6.61 ERA pales in comparison to last season, when Stewart had a 3.65 ERA and pitched a team-high number of innings en route to All-Sun Belt First Team honors.
On Saturdays, though, senior Logan Ross found more success. Ross possesses a 3.46 ERA through three starts, pitching 13 innings and striking out nine. To conclude the weekend rotation, Troy has turned to senior University of Florida transfer Clete Hartzog, who has been dominant through three outings.
Across 16 2/3 innings, Hartzog has given up just one earned run, issued two walks and struck out 20 batters. His 0.54 ERA tops the Sun Belt, and his strikeout mark ranks third.
At the plate
Since transferring from community college prior to last season, Troy senior Ethan Kavanagh has been a machine. This year, Kavanagh is batting .453 — seventh best in the conference — and has notched 14 RBIs from the two-hole in the lineup.
Leading off, senior Kole Myers offers a bit more power. Myers has knocked a team-high six homers and paces the team with a .837 slugging percentage, ranking second best in the Sun Belt.
Since scorching starts to the year, Indiana’s hitters have slightly cooled off. Still, sophomore Devin Taylor is batting .408 and slugging .612 while impressing with his glove in left field. Senior Morgan Colopy has found a stroke of power, mashing a team-high four long balls.
On March 6, freshman Andrew Wiggins and redshirt junior Purdue transfer Jake Stadler launched their first homers in an Indiana uniform, and Mercer said if Wiggins’ defense in the outfield progresses, he could see more regular at-bats.
This weekend, Risedorph, Foley and the rest of Indiana’s arms will have their hands full with Troy’s lineup. Still, Mercer welcomes the challenge.
“It’s comparable to a conference weekend,” Mercer said. “That’s a good thing for us. It prepares you for the length of the season.”
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
