Indiana Baseball Review: Hoosiers Ramp Up For Stretch Run With Nonconference Sweep

Indiana baseball swept Abilene Christian in a weekend nonconference road series. Big Ten action resumes on Friday as Purdue visits.

Indiana slugger Korbyn Dickerson is congratulated in the dugout during the Hoosiers' weekend series against Abilene Christian. / Indiana athletics.

Indiana baseball is a lot like spring weather. Wait a little bit and things will change.

One weekend after a Big Ten sweep at the hands of first place Iowa, Indiana was on the right side of a three-game sweep at Abilene Christian.

Indiana’s swept the Wildcats with 8-4, 14-5 and 7-6 victories. On their Big Ten bye week, Indiana won four games in a row.

Sunday’s 7-6 victory was the outcome that was most in doubt, but T.J. Schuyler came through for the Hoosiers.

After Abilene Christian took a 3-0 lead, and after Korbyn Dickerson had double in a run, Schuyler hit a two-run home run to left to tie the game in the sixth inning.

Joey Brenczewski then hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to stake Indiana to a 6-5 lead. The Wildcats tied the game in the eighth, but Schuyler struck again in the top of the ninth. He jammed a single to right field. The ball bounced over Abilene Christian right fielder Benjamin Greer and Tyler Cerny scored on the strange play.

Jackson Yarberry earned the win for the Hoosiers as he finished the game with two innings of shutout relief.

The other two victories in Abilene, Texas were more straightforward for the Hoosiers.

In Saturday’s 14-5 victory, the top four spots in the order – Will Moore, Devin Taylor, Korbyn Dickerson and Jake Hanley – combined to go 11-for-20 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI.

That was plenty of firepower for Indiana pitchers Ben Grable, Grant Holderfield and Gavin Seebold. Grable gave up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, but Holderfield and Seebold combined on 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

Indiana coach Jeff Mercer reached a milestone in Friday’s 8-4 victory as he earned his 200th career victory. Jake Stadler and Hogan Denny each hit two-run home runs in the Indiana victory.

Including Indiana’s 14-5 victory at Evansville last Wednesday, the Hoosiers scored 43 runs in four games against nonconference competition.

Still, Indiana is running out of time to make an NCAA Tournament case. As of Monday, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 71 in the RPI – not close enough to get a NCAA regional at-large bid. Indiana is 1-3 in Quad 1 games and 4-13 in Quad 2 games.

Weekend results in the Big Ten were favorable to the Hoosiers. Indiana is in a three-way tie for seventh place at 12-12. Penn State slipped beneath the Hoosiers. Illinois was swept by Rutgers, which dropped the Fighting lllini into a tie with the Hoosiers, but it also pulls the Scarlet Knights even with both.

Indiana is two games ahead of the cut line for the Big Ten Tournament. The top 12 teams make the field.

Indiana only has seven games left before the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana hosts rival Purdue for a three-game set starting Friday. Besides rivalry purposes, it’s an important series for both. Indiana has the chance to climb the Big Ten ladder. Purdue needs to win the series or sweep the Hoosiers to have a realistic chance of making the Big Ten Tournament.

If Indiana takes care of Purdue, the final four regular season games offer an opportunity. Indiana has a May 13 nonconference game at Cincinnati. The Bearcats are No. 43 in the RPI.

The Hoosiers finish the regular season at Michigan from May 15-17. The Wolverines are No. 52 in the RPI and a road series win would go a long way towards enhancing Indiana’s prospects.