Indiana baseball head coach Jeff Mercer has finalized his 2025 coaching staff with the hiring of Division-III DePauw University head coach Blake Allen as an assistant, the program announced Friday in a press release. Allen joins Mercer after eight seasons as DePauw’s head coach, leading the program to a 23-17 record in 2024, its best record under Allen.
The former Tiger heads from Greencastle to Bloomington, where he will coordinate practices, coach infielders and work with hitters. Allen will reside in the third base coaching box wearing No. 4 on gamedays, the occupation previously held by Derek Simmons, who was hired as an assistant by Duke University after five seasons with the Hoosiers.
In a statement released Friday, Allen said, “I want to thank Coach Mercer and Indiana University for this wonderful opportunity. I am grateful to be here at IU and I am extremely excited to work with Mercer, the players and this amazing staff.”
Mercer previously worked with Allen as a volunteer assistant at Western Kentucky University from 2012-13, while Allen was a full-time assistant coach for the Hilltoppers from 2009-15 in between stops at Vanderbilt University from 2004-08 and 2015-16. Allen was part of the Vanderbilt staff that won the 2007 SEC regular season and tournament titles.
Indiana enters its seventh season under Mercer in 2025, and his tenure has seen the Hoosiers play to the tune of three NCAA Tournament appearances and three 30-win seasons, including back-to-back such campaigns in 2023-24.
The Hoosiers went 33-26-1 in 2024, recovering from an injury-laden March to make the Big Ten Tournament semifinal and clinch a berth in the Knoxville Regional. They went 1-2 on Rocky Top, falling to eventual national champion, the University of Tennessee and being eliminated by the University of Southern Mississippi.
