Josh Pyne smacked both hands on his helmet and ripped it off in frustration. Indiana baseball’s senior third baseman has been slumping. It’s early in the season, but the Hoosiers could use his production.
In the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field, Indiana trailed Xavier University 4-1. Five at bats that frame offered a glimpse of what the Hoosiers can be.
Redshirt sophomore Joey Brenczewski worked a full count walk to lead off. On the very next pitch, junior outfielder Devin Taylor crushed a home run off the scoreboard in left field. Korbyn Dickerson, Indiana’s redshirt sophomore transfer from the University of Louisville, followed with a solo shot deep over the center field wall.
This is what was expected from the Hoosiers coming into the season. One glance at the lineup shows plenty of power, contact ability and mature approaches. Shortly after Dickerson’s homer, freshman first baseman Jake Hanley laced a double down the left field line.
After sophomore second baseman Jasen Oliver singled to put runners on the corners, Pyne stepped to the plate with a chance to end his hitting drought in emphatic fashion. Pyne hit the second pitch of the at bat hard, but it was futile. Xavier freshman Eddie Peters corralled the grounder and set up a double play.
Pyne was narrowly beaten out at first. He looked exasperated. That at bat in part showed why Indiana — now 3-5 after Wednesday’s 8-4 defeat — isn’t yet where it needs to be.
“We do a really good job with like 80% of the game,” head coach Jeff Mercer said postgame.
But that other 20% is a considerable impediment. The Hoosiers batted 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. There were a few instances of tough luck, of hard-hit balls failing to find a gap, and Mercer’s confident the karma will flip.
“They’ll take off,” Mercer said. “It’s a good offense. They’re talented players and put a lot of good swings on balls.”
Indiana boasts a lineup capable of devastating opposing pitchers in a variety of ways. Finding consistency isn’t at the top of Mercer’s concerns. However, defense is.
The Hoosiers committed three errors and surrendered four unearned runs against Xavier. In the eighth inning, with runners on second and third, there was a chance to limit the damage. Xavier sophomore Jake Lambdin chopped a grounder to Oliver, who had a relatively routine throw to second base for a double play opportunity.
His throw went wayward, and the Musketeers added a pair of insurance runs in the frame. Through eight games this year, Indiana has committed 16 errors. It’s a somewhat surprising tally for Mercer, who said defensive miscues weren’t causing any “consternation” leading into the season.
They were perhaps even less expected Wednesday afternoon. Mercer was particularly impressed with the team’s fielding during warmups. He said the defense was clean with the ball and the batting practice was strong.
“I even mentioned it to our coaches,” Mercer said. “I was like ‘man, we are really sharp today.’”
Regardless, the self-inflicted wounds arrived, ultimately leading to Indiana’s demise. Though the season is still in its infancy, the Hoosiers are in a precarious position. They’re hitting well collectively — with players like Taylor, Dickerson, Hanley and sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins being particular bright spots — but not quite well enough in clutch situations.
The pitching staff held Xavier to seven total hits and has showed signs of improvement already, but they’ve at times struggled to limit damage in innings. Indiana’s played well, but more is expected.
“You played well, but you didn’t do enough to win the game,” Mercer said. “And that’s the expectation. The expectation is you’re able to go on the field and execute routine plays routinely.”
Until Indiana’s offense can generate more consistency, it will have to battle through close games. Mercer knows that to do so, the Hoosiers can ill afford to beat themselves through costly errors.
It’s difficult to question the team’s potential. Indiana was picked to finish third in the Big Ten by the preseason poll, with Taylor slated as the conference player of the year favorite. There’s talent from top to bottom in the order, and the bullpen has proven capable of managing games.
For that, Mercer remains optimistic.
“My concern is not that we’re a good team,” he said. “We’re a talented team. We have a deeper pitching staff than we’ve had in several years. We have really good position players. We’ll break through. If you just do it long enough, it eventually goes your way.”
