Indiana Baseball Ends Losing Skid, Takes Two From Rutgers

It's been a rough stretch for Indiana baseball lately, but things got a little better this weekend after taking two of three from Rutgers. The Hoosiers snapped a season-high six-game losing streak on Friday and claimed their second Big Ten series of the season after winning the rubber game.

The Results

Game 1: Indiana 11, Rutgers 0 (7)
Game 2: Rutgers 9, Indiana 6
Game 3: Indiana 8, Rutgers 2

All things considered, this was a must-win series for the Hoosiers. Similar to Indiana, it's been a rough year for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have dropped three straight Big Ten Series and are below .500 in conference play, so this was a series IU desperately needed. And they got it done.

Following Sunday's victory, IU is 12-19 overall and 5-10 in conference play. Here are three things that stood out in the series.

Indiana's rotation was on point

It's been a rough year for the Indiana pitching staff, but not this weekend. All three starters gave IU a chance to win, and Friday starter Tony Neubeck, who's had his ups and downs this year, set the tone. Neubeck tossed six scoreless frames on Friday, limited the Scarlet Knights to just three hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out eight.

T6 | Tony with six scoreless innings. 😤@B1Gbaseball | #IUBase pic.twitter.com/uXYEMVzOpy
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) April 3, 2026

Saturday starter Reagan Rivera was nearly just as good as Neucbeck despite recording a no-decision. Rivera allowed just three runs over six innings and departed with the lead. The Hoosiers' bullpen couldn't hold down the lead but bounced back on Sunday behind starter Brayton Thomas.

Thomas didn't allow any runs and was one out away from recording the win. Thomas did walk five batters but he worked around them to keep Rutgers off the scoreboard.

Hogan Denny has big series

Hogan Denny has been Indiana's best hitter for most of the year, and he played like it this weekend. The outfielder recorded at least two hits in all three games, scored at least one run, and continues to rake.

B6 | Denny sends this ball into orbit! 🚀@therealhogand | #IUBase pic.twitter.com/AvybiQ3FLn
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) April 3, 2026

Denny leads Indiana in a handful of offensive categories and has been as consistent as any Hoosiers hitter this year.

Hoosiers' defense shows signs of improvement

It's been a rough year defensively for Indiana, but the Hoosiers played a much cleaner brand of baseball this weekend. IU didn't commit a single error in the first two games of the series and have come a long way from the beginning of the year.

Indiana still has as many errors as games played, but hey, progress is progress. And if Indiana is going to stay competitive in Big Ten play, it needs to continue.

Next Up

Indiana's next game is on Tuesday against Ball State. First pitch is at 6 p.m. (ET) and available via BIG+.