Skip to main content

Indiana Hoosiers Baseball Series Preview Against Maryland

The Indiana Hoosiers baseball team takes on Maryland in a three-game series starting on Friday.
As Indiana's Peter Serruto crosses home after hitting a three-run homer in the seventh, teammate Hunter Jessee (4) yells as the Hoosiers defeated Kentucky 5-3 Saturday night in the 2023 NCAA Regional at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington. June 3, 2023.
As Indiana's Peter Serruto crosses home after hitting a three-run homer in the seventh, teammate Hunter Jessee (4) yells as the Hoosiers defeated Kentucky 5-3 Saturday night in the 2023 NCAA Regional at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington. June 3, 2023. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

Both Indiana and Maryland baseball are under .500 and have struggled in Big Ten play. Both teams need this series that starts on Friday.

Indiana (13-19, 5-10) is 13th in the Big Ten and has not won a road game in conference play, while Maryland (15-18, 2-10) is last in the conference.

It's been a rough season for both teams, and with over a month to play, the push has to come now.

Scouting Indiana

Indiana has won two of its last three series after taking two of three from Rutgers last week and has won back-to-back games and three of four after defeating Ball State on Tuesday. IU's pitching and defense have been a problem all season, but it's gotten a little better as of late.

Tony Neubeck is the team's top starting pitcher and will likely start Friday. Neubeck is 3-3 with a 3.79 ERA in eight starts and is coming off one of his best outings last week. The southpaw tossed six shutout innings, struck out eight batters and allowed only three hits and zero walks.

Offensively, the Hoosiers have three guys hitting over .300, and the team's hottest hitter as of late is outfielder Hogan Denny.

Denny recorded at least two hits in all three games against Rutgers and also scored at least one run in each game. Denny leads the team in runs (36), doubles (12), walks (21), and on-base percentage (.455), and is one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten.

Scouting Maryland

Maryland won three of its first four games and won five straight to close out February, but it's gone downhill ever since. MD has yet to win a Big Ten series and has lost four straight Big Ten games and seven of its last eight conference games.

Similar to Indiana, Maryland can hit a little bit, but the pitching and defense have had their fair share of struggles.

The Terps have three guys hitting north of .300, and their most dangerous hitter is Brayden Martin. Martin leads the team in just about every offensive category and is the team's best base stealer. He's 13-for-14 in stolen base attempts and has an on-base percentage of .500.

From a pitching standpoint, Maryland's strength is its bullpen. Logan Hastings leads the team with three saves, has held opposing hitters to a .192 average, and has struck out 36 batters in 28.2 innings.

All four of MD's starters have ERAs over seven, and none of them consistently go deep into games.

Series Schedule

Game 1 (Friday): First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) and available via the Big Ten Network.
Game 2 (Saturday): First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. (CT) and available via the Big Ten Network.
Game 3 (Sunday): First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. (CT) and available via the Big Ten Network.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations