Indiana baseball, after starting 0-4, is 6-2 in its last eight games after winning three of four in DeLand, Florida, from Feb. 28 to March 2.
Game 1 v. Mount St. Mary’s
It started Friday as the Hoosiers played a double header against the two teams they saw throughout the weekend, Stetson University and Mount St. Mary’s University. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor put up career highs in hits and RBIs, going a perfect 5 for 5 at the plate while knocking in six runs.
Taylor, who hit two of the Hoosiers’ six home runs in game one, was joined by redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson, as he also hit two home runs. It was two of three home runs he hit against The Mount on the weekend, as he later went on to collect six RBIs Sunday. Dickerson is now up to seven home runs and 22 RBIs on the season, with a team leading 23 hits.
The story Friday was not about either of these star players who are experiencing red- hot seasons. Instead, redshirt sophomore outfielder Ryan Gilbert was the star. After missing the last two years of baseball due to an illness he battled during his freshman season, Gilbert, in his first career collegiate at bat, crushed a pinch hit, two-run home run.
The firepower from the Indiana offense was too much for the Mountaineers to handle, as the Hoosiers kicked off their weekend with an 18-5 win in 8 innings.
Game 2 v. Stetson
The offense wasn’t the only side that experienced career days over the weekend, as graduate student Ben Grable pitched one of his best games with a career-high six strikeouts across five innings of work. It was the first time this season Grable has pitched more than one inning, allowing just three hits and one walk without a single Hatter coming across to score.
The heart of the order, hitters three through five, were crucial for the Hoosiers as freshman first baseman Jake Hanley continued his fast start. He went 3 for 5 while also collecting an RBI for the fifth straight game. Dickerson picked up his seventh straight multi-hit game, while sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins picked up two hits including a double while also driving in a run. The three combined for seven of Indiana’s 11 hits.
The Hoosiers picked up two wins on Feb. 28 after knocking off the Hatters 8-1 in the first of two matchups they would play. Indiana outscored its opponents 26-6 in those games.
Game 3 v. Stetson
The Hoosiers had now gotten back to .500 on the year with their ace, graduate student Cole Gilley, on the mound for a second matchup with the Hatters. However, Gilley had a hard time finding the zone, walking a season-high three batters and giving up three earned runs. It was Gilley’s shortest start of the season as he threw just three innings for the Hoosiers. After collecting 18 strikeouts in his first two starts, Gilley finished with zero against Stetson.
Indiana was never outpowered by Stetson. Three of the first four runs the Hatters scored in the game were on fielder’s choices, while the fifth was scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the sixth, junior outfielder Landon Russell poked a blooper to left field that scored two more runs and put Stetson up 8-2.
While Indiana’s offense didn’t have much to cheer about, freshman outfielder Hogan Denny picked up his first home run and multi-hit game of his college career, going 2 for 3 on the day. Taylor hit a two-run home run over the left field wall in the eighth inning, surpassing former Hoosier Kyle Schwarber on the Indiana all-time home run list with 41. Taylor now ranks seventh all-time in program history.
Indiana’s eight walks allowed by the pitching staff propelled Stetson to take the second matchup with the Hoosiers 8-2.
Game 4 v. Mount St. Mary’s
Indiana now needed to close out the final non-conference weekend of the season on a high note. Getting back to 6-6 was crucial for the Hoosiers, but the Mountaineers’ four-run second inning made it 5-2 early.
Down three runs, redshirt senior catcher Jake Stadler led off the inning but was hit by a pitch that forced him to leave the game with an injury. His replacement in the game, sophomore catcher TJ Schuyler, made a sizeable impact across the next two innings as he eventually came around to score before hitting a two-run double that gave the Hoosiers the lead in the bottom of the third.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Seth Benes gave up a monstrous two-run home run to senior outfielder Mateo Zeppieri in the top of the fourth, which put the Mount back on top 7-6.
A spark was then lit as the Hoosiers batted around in the order, scoring seven runs including RBI singles from Wiggins, Taylor and Dickerson, giving Indiana a commanding 13-7 lead. However, it didn’t stop there. Wiggins came back to the plate in the fifth and drove in two more runs on a double down the left field line. He finished 2 for 4 in the game with three RBIs and two runs scored, while also reaching on a walk in the first inning.
The Hoosiers scored five more runs in the bottom of the sixth, which was ultimately enough as they won 20-7 in seven innings. It was the most runs scored by Indiana in a single game since March 30, 2024, when it scored 22 against Butler University, and the eighth time the Hoosiers have scored at least 20 runs under head coach Jeff Mercer.
Indiana will have one more tune up game at 3 p.m. Tuesday against Northern Kentucky University at Bart Kaufman Field.
