Indiana Baseball: Focus, Composure Key to Braydon Tucker's Stellar Outing
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sophomore pitcher Braydon Tucker didn’t watch most of the first game of Indiana's doubleheader against No. 11 LSU last Saturday. Instead, he sat in the locker room with his headphones on, reviewing the game plan over and over in his head.
Tucker waited anxiously for the chance to start his first game at Indiana after only appearing in five games out of the bullpen as a freshman. He knew all summer that he would be filling the role of a weekend starter, but the lead-up and preparation were two different things.
During the summer, he completely changed his throwing program, putting a focus on stamina. Tucker went from a short and light pitching regimen that is common for relievers, to one that focused on long-toss and creating a repeatable throwing motion.
As the summer drew on, the right-handed sophomore became very detail-oriented, adjusting his motion and fine-tuning his mechanics to become more consistent with his pitches. Tucker also emphasized honing in on his pitches, executing each one of them perfectly as they nipped the corners of the strike zone.
“I truly believe that you have to do all the small things,” Tucker said. “If you do everything small right, then the bigger things will come easier to you. I just had to get my mindset back and be confident in a starter role.”
In his first start, Tucker was a star.
The Brazil, Ind., native stifled the Tigers’ lineup, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Indiana struggled to keep LSU off the basepaths in the first two games of the series, but Tucker’s methodical approach kept batters guessing. He pitched six innings, allowing only one run and four hits to get the win.
Tucker was masterful changing speeds with fastballs away and getting batters out in front of inside changeups. While the Hoosiers’ pitching staff struggled to hit their spots in the team’s two losses to LSU, Tucker managed to keep the ball from the middle of the plate, forcing Tiger hitters to expand the strike zone.
“I knew he was capable of it, and I expected it,” Indiana coach Jeff Mercer said about Tucker’s performance. “It was impressive to see a guy in his first start in that environment go out and do it as if he’s been doing it since fall ball.”
Mercer wanted to take that early trip to Baton Rouge, La., so this young Hoosier squad could get a feel for what a postseason atmosphere is like. He wanted to see how his team would respond to playing in one of the most challenging atmospheres in college baseball and Tucker was a prime example of the resilience and composure Indiana showed.
After the Hoosiers were shelled for 15 runs in the first two games, Tucker was able to stay within the moment as he set down one Tiger after another. He stood on top of the mound watching purple and gold jerseys as they repeatedly walked back to the dugout, reducing the LSU cheers to silence.
“I saw a guy who really understands who he is,” Mercer said. “His tempo, his pace and his calmness, those things just allow him to be a marksman and not just like Rambo.”
Indiana is back on the road this weekend, playing three games in Mobile, Ala., against Tennessee-Martin (Friday), South Alabama (Saturday) and Siena (Sunday). Tucker likely will start one of the three, but Mercer hasn't said which one yet.
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