Three Takeaways From IU Baseball's Win Over Ohio State In Second Game Of The Big Ten Tourney

Hoosiers Outlast Buckeyes to start their run in Omaha 2-0

IU’s home field Bart Kaufman After Indiana’s 2019 Big Ten Championship

Hoosiers Take Advantage Of Ohio State Mistakes and Survive Foley’s Rough Start To Begin 2-0 in Conference Tourney For The First Time In A Decade

Friday was a wild game where neither side showered itself in glory. The Hoosiers had a rough day issuing 13 walks and committing an error, while starter and ace Connor Foley was less than his best in multiple facets.

Indiana cruised through two innings with a 5-0 lead before Foley had trouble in the third from many angles. It started on the mound with a wild pitch and a couple of walks. However, it got worse when he became the fielder and botched a throw to home plate for an easy out that instead scored two runs. He also had a balk later in the inning to bring a fourth guy across.

However, the Hoosiers’ trouble was nothing in comparison to the miscues Ohio State made. The Buckeyes handed IU a big second inning with two hit by pitches and a walk with no outs which was taken full advantage of.

Also, what should have been an easy time for OSU in the fifth inning of a tie game and all the momentum, instead turned into very sloppy fielding with three errors and gifting IU two runs. From there, Indiana cruised and stayed clean outside of the walks. This allowed them to be victorious in their first two games of the league tournament for the first time since they won it in 2014.

With Thursday’s 14-7 triumph, the Hoosiers will face the Ohio State versus Nebraska winner who plays on Friday. Indiana meanwhile is off until Saturday and will only need to win one of the two contests to advance to the single-elimination championship while their opponent would have to have both.

With IU being on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, they likely need to get to Sunday to have any shot at an at-large bid (and playing a much higher-ranked Cornhusker side this weekend would help their chances as well). However, for the first time since 2014, they are in the best position possible and would be wise to get the automatic bid given their precarious resume.

Taylor Somehow Beats The Wind For A Home Run

While a lot happened this game, the most impressive thing was IU star hitter Devin Taylor going yard with the wind blowing straight in. When the gusts blow across or come in from centerfield as it often does there, getting one out is nearly impossible for anyone.

However, Taylor defied all odds. It is hard enough to hit a dinger at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha (where the Big Ten Tournament is each season as well as the College World Series) in almost any conditions. Even a neutral or favorable breeze usually requires hitting a line drive into one of the bullpens down the line, or else going into the power alleys on a fly ball to muscle one into the first couple of rows.

To do it into the right-field bullpen with the draft coming inward is beyond anything a normal hitter could ever do. However, Taylor again with today’s blast, proved why he is the best major league-hitting prospect IU has had since current Phillies star Kyle Schwarber.

Taylor’s 18th of the season and 34th of his career was arguably his most impressive yet given the park and the conditions. It should also be noted he is only a sophomore and is not eligible for the pros until 2025. This means he will be wearing Cream and Crimson for one more season in his decorated career. That is if an elite southern team doesn’t make him an NIL offer he can’t refuse and enters the transfer portal.

Do The Hoosiers Have Enough Pitching To Take This Tournament?

Whether in the winners or losers bracket, the question is if IU has enough pitching to win this Big Ten Tourney and guarantee themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Often, these nearly-every day games in the postseason are a survival of who can save the most quality arms.

So far Indiana’s short starts from Foley and Ty Bothwell have made it necessary for them to use a ton of pitchers from their bullpen for extended time. Top reliever Drew Duhr had to throw 64 pitches against Purdue while Julian Tonghini, Jacob Vogel, and Brayden Risedorph all needed just under 20 to dispose of the Boilers.

To make matters worse, another high-leverage guy in Ayden Decker-Petty had to throw 67 pitches to take care of the Buckeyes on Thursday and is likely not available before Sunday’s final game. Also, Risedorph threw an additional 62 pitches today making him potentially unavailable in that time frame.

While Tonghini or Vogel might be able to give the team an inning or two again on Saturday, the Hoosiers will have to piece it together a bit at a time with guys who have been up and down. This includes Brandon Keyster, Ryan Kraft, Jack Moffit, Ethan Phillips, Ty Rybarczyk, and Eli Shaw.

However, getting through as much as 18 innings in a couple of days with what is available could be a challenge despite the days off in between. Indiana will once again need to score a lot of runs to have a chance to advance further.

However, it should be noted the opposition will be in an even rougher spot with arms. As a result, the Cream and Crimson are in the driver’s seat to advance despite being in a less-than-ideal spot on the mound. Also, Bothwell could likely open and throw extended time if the Hoosiers can get to the winner-take-all finale on Sunday.