Joey Brenczewski’s defensive development key in Indiana baseball’s sweep of Rutgers

In Indiana baseball practices, head coach Jeff Mercer designates time for the infield to intentionally make bad throws to first base. 

Redshirt freshman first baseman Joey Brenczewski — whose glove lagged behind his red-hot bat earlier this season — stands on the receiving end of those errant throws. He’s forced to move off the bag, reach high and do everything in his power to secure an out. 

“He gets frustrated, but the good thing is I played first base,” Mercer said after Indiana’s 8-3 win over Rutgers on Friday night at Bart Kaufman Field. “It’s like, ‘No man, you’re not doing anything that the rest of us didn’t do.’” 

The Hoosiers defeated the Scarlet Knights 12-6 on Saturday to clinch their fourth straight Big Ten series win, and their 18-6 seven-inning Sunday win marked the club’s second sweep of the year. While Brenczewski compiled six hits and four RBIs over the weekend, his glove was a major reason why. 

While the Fishers, Indiana, native has only been charged with three errors this year, he’s failed to corral difficult, but manageable, throws on numerous occasions. After Indiana’s 15-4 series opening loss to Penn State on April 12, Mercer expressed a need for Brenczewski’s defense to improve. 

The two have had candid conversations, much like the kind Mercer held a month ago with the pitching staff.  

In those discussions, Mercer’s been blunt. 

“Joey can be told the truth,” Mercer said. “‘You’re not good enough defensively. You’re killing us.’ We’ve talked about that a ton. I’ve been really candid with him. But he doesn’t get his feelings hurt. He just works and works and works.” 

Brenczewski’s no stranger to being held to a high standard. His father, Brett, played baseball collegiately at St. Joseph’s University, and his older brothers Caleb and Kiel played at Lipscomb University and the Naval Academy, respectively. 

Being pushed and taking the requisite steps to remedy a problem are by no means novel for Brenczewski. 

Still, his defensive blunders at first base presented a dilemma for Mercer. Brenczewski’s switch-hitting bat has simply been too valuable in the middle of the order to warrant taking him out of the lineup completely, but his glove continued to cost outs. 

So, he worked. Extra picks after practices, more reps before games, it didn’t matter — Brenczewski was committed to improving. 

“It’s something we take pride in,” junior outfielder Nick Mitchell said of the team’s defense. “It’s probably the biggest thing we do.” 

Brenczewski’s strides have been considerable. He hasn’t committed an error since April 2 against Indiana State University, and he boasts a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 14 games since. 

In that span, difficult plays have become routine. Friday night, sophomore Tyler Cerny delivered a bouncing throw toward first that may have spelled trouble for Brenczewski earlier in the season. 

But this time, he hunched to the dirt and made a terrific pick to add the second out in the top of the seventh. 

In the series finale Sunday afternoon, Brenczewski made another gem of a grab. In the top of the fifth, with Indiana ahead 9-5, junior Josh Pyne ripped a dart across the infield from third base. 

Brenczewski stretched into a full split to swipe the ball into his mitt and give sophomore reliever Aydan-Decker Petty some defensive support. 

“I told him during the game, ‘not only have you improved to where you’re making a routine play, you’re now starting to make special plays,’” Mercer said Sunday afternoon. “Game-changing plays.” 

One reason he’s been able to ascend so quickly stems from his frustrations as a former middle infielder.  

The No. 3 shortstop in Indiana as a star at Fishers High School, Brenczewski has been on the other side of errors at first base. If there’s anyone who can sympathize with the plight of the position, it’s Brenczewski. 

“I’ve been working really hard over there,” Brenczewski said. “Really I kind of thought about when I used to play middle infield and third base and how I would get mad when the first baseman wouldn’t pick the ball.” 

As Brenczewski’s glove has offered more reliability, his bat continues to make him one of the biggest revelations of Indiana’s season. He has a hit in each of his last nine games and at least two in eight of them. 

Brenczewski has 15 RBIs in that span, and he’s rapidly soared to second on the team in batting average (.361) and third in RBIs (37). Alongside redshirt junior Purdue transfer Jake Stadler in the middle of the order, Mercer said Brenczewski’s consistency at the plate has allowed him to toy with the top and bottom of the lineup. 

“You’re starting to see him really blossom into a complete player,” Mercer said. 

After junior Brock Tibbitts garnered second team All-Big Ten honors as a first baseman last season, the Hoosiers were left searching for answers at the position upon Tibbitts’ near-full-time switch to catcher this year.  

Brenczewski evidently had considerable talent at the plate, with the ability to hit for power and contact and target different areas of the field. And though his glove was once a liability, it’s now a safety net for infielders. 

“You’ve watched Tibbitts save us time after time the last couple years,” Mercer said. “Joey’s starting to do those similar things.” 

After the Hoosiers took down Penn State 12-3 on April 14 to clinch a series win, Mercer stressed the importance of Brenczewski continuing to grow up. He said there’s no one in the program he’s harder on than the first baseman. 

Now, all the frustration in practices is starting to manifest into tangible results. 

Indiana has won four of its last five games and is 10-5 in Big Ten play. Even with the Hoosiers still on the outermost fringe of a shot at the NCAA Tournament, Brenczewski’s evolution couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Nick Rodecap (@nickrodecap) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.