Rutgers Upsets Indiana in 1st Round of Big Ten Baseball Tournament, 5-2

No. 10 seed Rutgers takes down Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, 5-2, riding a gem from starting pitcher Landon Mack. The Scarlet Nights face No. 3 seed Iowa Wednesday night under the lights, at 7p.m. ET.

Rutgers right fielder Trevor Cohen pulls in a fly in the fifth inning of Rutgers' 15-10 win against Delaware at Hannah Stadium to start a three-game weekend series in Newark, Delaware, Friday, March 15, 2024. | William Bretzger/Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Scarlet Knights entered the unwieldy Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab field on a cool night with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s, feeling confident after winning three of their final four Big Ten series this season and having standout starter Landon Mack, named to the Big Ten All-Freshmen Team earlier this week, on the mound against the Indiana Hoosiers for the first round matchup.

The freshman took the ball and was ready for his moment, pitching six scoreless innings on four days' rest, allowing five hits, striking out six, and most importantly, walking none. Jack Sweeney started the scoring with a homer to left in the fourth inning, subbing in for Peyton Bonds (the nephew of Barry Bonds). A homer by Ty Doucette in the sixth increased the Scarlet Knights' lead to 2-0.

An RJ Johnson single in the 7th scored Yomar Carreras to knock Hoosiers starter Ryan Kraft out of the game. Outfielder Brennan Hyde greeted Hoosiers reliever Gavin Seebold with a two-run bomb into the centerfield bleachers to put Rutgers in control, 5-0.

BRENNAN HYDE LIFTOFF!!!

A TWO-RUN BOMB TO MAKE IT 5-0!! pic.twitter.com/xVusHG74NS
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 20, 2025

True freshman Nolan Peel pitched the seventh and eighth innings unscathed before running into trouble in the ninth, surrendering a two-run homer to Indiana's Devin Taylor. Quinn Berglin came in to shut the door with a strikeout and a grounder to preserve a 5-2 Rutgers victory.

"I've got all these guys behind my back, and it means something different to them, and that's what motivates me to go out there and do what I do to my fullest potential. I love being part of this team and the culture that we have. To be able to go and represent my home state. I'm just blessed to have this opportunity and have fun with it," Mack told the media post-game.

Rutgers improves to 29-27 on the season while Indiana falls to 31-24. The Knights are now 7-14 all-time against Indiana. It's do or die again tonight for Rutgers. With a win against No. 3 seed Iowa, Rutgers advances to the semifinals. A loss eliminates them from the tournament.

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