For Indiana Baseball, Trouble Starts at the Top with Leadoff Hitter Drew Ashley
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana is in first place in the Big Ten, and they've done that in the past month by adding a ton of key hits to back up its dominant pitching. From top to bottom, the order has been on fire, and there are different heroes every weekend.
But it all starts with leadoff hitter Drew Ashley, a junior from Chandler, Ind., who played his high school ball at Evansville Memorial. He's adapted well to this role, and he's often the catalyst that gets things going for the Hoosiers
Basically, to opposing hitters, he's a pest. He's one tough out.
Ashley is hitting .292 with four home runs and 14 RBIs from the one-spot in the order, and he has a team-leading 30 runs scored. His 38 hits trail only center fielder Grant Richardson (42) and second baseman Paul Toetz (40), and he's second on the team in walks behind only Cole Barr. His .406 on-base percentage is second as well, behind only Barr's .445.
Ashley had a hit in Indiana's first 13 games this season, and he's hit safely in 25 of the Hoosiers' 33 games. He's been on base at least once in 29 of the 33 games.
He's out there, always stirring the pot.
Which was the plan all along between Ashley and Indiana coach Jeff Mercer.
"Coach Mercer came to me a couple of years ago and said we needed a leadoff hitter and he thought I'd be perfect for that spot,'' Ashley said. "It was new to me, because I usually hit second or third or down the order in high school or summer ball.
"It's different, for sure, but I really like it. You try to see more pitches, and try to get on base any way you can to get a rally started. I always feel like if I get on to start an inning, that we're probably going to score at least once with the guys behind me. That's why I take it so seriously, finding a way to get on.''
Mercer said that Ashley is the perfect leadoff hitter because "he never takes a pitch off'' and "he knows the strike zone better than most umpires.'' There are almost never wasted at-bats.
"He's really a professional hitter,'' Mercer said. "He puts in a ton of work, and he's always well prepared. He's smart too, and he always has a good approach to every at-bat. He's also really, really good at taking what pitchers give him. He never tries to do too much, and that's something he's just gotten better and better with over time. He never stops working.''
The Hoosiers are 12-3 in their past 15 games. The pitching has remained excellent, but what has changed is the bats are all getting hot, from top to bottom in the order. That was an issue early in the season, where guys at the top of the order, like Ashley, Toetz, Richardson and Barr were all hitting, but no one else was.
That's changed, and everyone is benefiting. They've scored 119 runs in those 15 games, a 7.93 average. The bottom of the order guys are raking, and now when the order gets flipped, Ashley and the others are hitting with guys on base and/or in scoring position.
It's changed the entire dynamic of this team.
"It's been huge. Huge,'' Mercer said. "That was a crippling deal for us early in the season, where we would have those four of five guys going well offensively and we couldn't bring them back up with guys on base. It was a very short lineup.
"When you turn the lineup over with guys on base, you give those guys (at the top) a chance to drive in runs. It's been a season-changing thing for us to have the bottom of the lineup just continue to grow and add to the lineup as we go, and we have to do that again this weekend.''
Ashley played a big role in Indiana's 2019 Big Ten championship, and he's driven to win another one. He loves how this team has responded from that four-game sweep at Ohio State in early April. He also reads the standings and knows what at stake in these final three weeks, starting this weekend at Michigan.
"I think you've really seen us come together as a group these last three or four weeks. We're really clicking now,'' Ashley said. "Everyone is contributing, and we're such a close-knit group that we all kind of revel in each other's success.''
Ashley said that one of the few things about the COVID-19 pandemic is that it's brought everyone closer.
"It really stunk that we lost last season to COVID and this year has been so crazy, but what it did was put all of us together all the time, and we got really close,'' Ashley said. "This isn't a team, it's a family. We couldn't see other students, couldn't be out around other people. It was just us, and those bonds got really close.
"You'd be amazed how tight this team is. It's really special to be a part of.''
Ashley graduated this semester, but because last year doesn't count, he does have another year of eligibility left. He has a lot of options, both on the field and off. He could come back to Indiana for another year, or he could turn pro and take a shot at a professional career.
But he's also been accepted to Indiana's dental school, which starts in the fall.
That's a lot to decide on.
"I've been playing baseball since I was a little boy, and that dream of playing professional baseball has always been there,'' Ashley said. "One of my coaches back home, he always says that the perfect scenario is that you finish playing baseball on your own terms, when you decide it's over instead of someone else deciding it for you.
"I'm not really there yet, to be honest, about being ready to say it's over. There's a lot to decide, but I really don't even think about it unless I'm asked about it. I am 100 percent focused on this season and all the things we want to accomplish it. I'll figure the rest out this summer. It is possible to defer dental school, but I haven't talked about it yet. It's too soon.''
Indeed it is. There's a lot left to accomplish this season, and that starts with Michigan this weekend.
And it starts with Drew Ashley, the leadoff hitter.
Related stories on Indiana baseball
- PITCHERS GOOD TO GO: Despite some high pitch counts last weekend, Indiana coach Jeff Mercer says his three starters – Tommy Sommer, McCade Brow and Gabe Bierman — are all fresh and ready to go this weekend against Michigan. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN STANDINGS, SCHEDULE: Indiana took a half-game lead in the Big Ten, barely ahead of Nebraska and Michigan. Here's the latest, plus this weekend's critical schedule. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here is Indiana's complete schedule for the season, including links to game stories from Tom Brew for every game this season. CLICK HERE