Three Takeaways From IU Baseball's Loss To Nebraska In Big Ten Tourney

Hoosiers Need To Win Tonight And Tomorrow To Continue Season

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

Indiana’s Struggles Against Nebraska’s Pitching All Season On Verge Of Ending 2024 Without NCAA Appearance

Nebraska has by far the deepest and best pitching staff in the Big Ten. In four games against Indiana this spring, the Cornhuskers have completely befuddled the Hoosier bats and taken three of the four contests.

Indiana’s arms have also given the team a chance against the Huskers. However, just nine runs in four games by IU (outside of a huge ninth inning in their only victory) so far, has put them at a major disadvantage.

Whether it be ace Brett Sears, number two starter Mason McConnaughey , Sunday guy Jackson Brockett, or occasional starter Will Walsh, the Hoosiers have not scored more than two runs in lengthy starts against any of them. Walsh especially dazzled the Cream and Crimson with a complete game start Saturday morning of 100+ pitches.

To have a chance tonight in a winner-take-all semi-final, Indiana has to get the offense going and finally solve arms they have seen almost no success against so far. While the Hoosiers will not see McConnaughey who went yesterday, and are unlikely to see Sears who threw deep on Wednesday, the Cornhuskers could go back to Brockett who is on three days’ rest.

Nebraska is in a situation like IU last year, where their regional spot is locked in and may go to a bullpen game. Either way, the Hoosiers will need to get going at the plate tonight (6 pm BTN) for a chance to keep their season alive and move to tomorrow’s championship. Can they do against a consistent Brockett or multiple arms, what they did not against a dazzling but up-and-down Walsh who was very much elite on Saturday?

Did Mercer Make The Right Decision Throwing Bothwell This Morning?

With Indiana being in the winner’s bracket in the semi-finals and having a lifeline to play tonight, IU coach Jeff Mercer decided to throw his two best arms available in Ty Bothwell and Drew Buhr this morning. The obvious question is whether to go all-out and not worry about future contests, or save those guys for tonight or tomorrow being in the driver’s seat?

Last year the Hoosiers were in the same position in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington. In that case, Mercer had no choice but to throw up-and-down guys. This was after ace Luke Sinnard hurt his elbow (which he is still out with) and had to use his top arms to win on Friday and Saturday to get to that point. As a result, Indiana was dominated Sunday in their first chance, before going back to the Friday guys for Monday’s winner-take-all game which was lost in a low-scoring thriller.

While Indiana has more depth this time, shorter starts by Bothwell twice and Conor Foley have taxed the bullpen. Buhr, who is their best reliever, is likely done for the tournament after two long outings relieving Bothwell.

This leaves the Hoosiers’ choices for tonight as being mostly inconsistent arms. The guys who can give the most length in Ayden Decker-Petty and Brayden Risedorph, threw 60+ pitches on Thursday, which puts their availability in question. The other options who have seen action are Julian Tonghini and Jacob Vogel who threw less than 20 pitches on Tuesday and could give several frames if effective. Also available are Brandon Keyster, Ryan Kraft, Ethan Phillips, Ty Rybarczyk, and Jack Moffitt, who like Nebraska’s Walsh have been Jekyll and Hyde. The remaining arms have seen limited action and likely will not go unless all the mentioned guys are used up. Also, if the Hoosiers can get to the championship tomorrow, Mercer told the BTN broadcast he would go back to Foley on two days’ rest.

The bottom line though is Mercer’s decision to use his best arms this morning, puts Indiana behind the eight ball and leaves them in a troubling spot of needing the offense to get going to advance. The argument of whether to hold Bothwell and Buhr back until they faced elimination remains. The decision either way though was going to open the coaching staff up to second-guessing.

Nebraska Fans Not Showing Out Like Normal In Omaha But That Is Likely To Change Tonight

Generally, Cornhusker fans pack nearly the entire place at Charles Schwab Field when their team plays. However, with starting times that have been during a workday and now early morning, the turnout has been less than normal with supporters mostly between first and third base only.

With tonight’s start time finally being convenient for most people, it will be interesting to see if the place is once again full from foul pole to foul pole with some in the outfield. If so, the Hoosiers have their work cut out for them in a virtual road environment where they are also slated to bat first in the top half of innings.