Young Hitters Power Indiana to Series Victory Over Nebraska

Indiana's offense scored 23 runs and won two of three games against Nebraska this weekend at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers are 16-23 overall – good for 10th place in the Big Ten – but a group of young hitters are beginning to emerge.

Freshman Josh Pyne set the tone with a double down the left field line in the first inning on Friday against Nebraska. Fellow freshman Brock Tibbitts later drove Pyne in, hinting that this series would be led by freshmen sluggers.

In the third inning, freshman Carter Mathison roped a double down the right field line to score a run. And in the fourth, Pyne's three-run home run gave Indiana a lead it would never surrender. Altogether, this freshman trio drove in six runs in Indiana's 8-7 win over Nebraska on Friday.

Right-handed starter Jack Perkins picked up his third win of the season by keeping the Nebraska offense scoreless through six innings. Perkins allowed a three-run home run in the seventh inning and in total allowed six hits, four runs, four walks and eight strikeouts before being replaced by Grant Holderfield. Nebraska rallied for three additional runs in the ninth, but Braydon Tucker painted the corner to strike out Leighton Banjoff, securing the Indiana victory. 

In game two on Saturday, redshirt sophomore center fielder Bobby Whalen got things started with a two-RBI double in the second inning. Then the freshman-centric theme continued – Pyne cleared the bases with a double to right center field in the second inning, and Mathison blasted a solo home run and inning later. Pyne and Mathison combined to go 5-for-9 with four RBI on Saturday.

Meanwhile, senior righty Bradley Brehmer was silencing Nebraska hitters all afternoon. Brehmer fanned 11 batters across six innings while allowing three hits, one run, three walks and one batter hit by pitch. The Indianapolis native picked up his fourth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 5.40.

Indiana was unable to complete the series sweep on Sunday, but the freshmen sluggers' bats stayed hot. Freshman shortstop Max Johnson cut Indiana's deficit to two runs in the fourth inning with a double down the left field line.

Tibbitts added a pair of singles and a stolen base while Pyne's power surge continued with a double and a triple on Sunday. But by the time Pyne's double gave Indiana its seventh run of the game, things had gotten out of hand for the Hoosier pitching staff.

Indiana lost 19-7 in the series finale, and each pitcher that took the mound allowed at least one run. Starter Grant Holderfield allowed two runs in two innings before being replaced by Luke Hayden, who gave up four runs in two innings. Ryan Kraft and Jack Walker would then combine to surrender 12 runs over the next 3.2 innings. David Platt finished the game on the mound, tossing 1.1 innings with one hit, three walks and one earned run.

With this series victory, Indiana moved to 16-23 on the season with a 4-8 record in Big Ten play. Pitching has been a major issue for the Hoosiers – Perkins owns the lowest ERA on the team at 4.39 – but this weekend gave a glimpse into who the Hoosiers can be at the plate moving forward.

The freshmen trio of Josh Pyne, Brock Tibbitts and Carter Mathison combined to go 15-for-39 this weekend, which is good for a .385 batting average. They scored a combined eight runs, drove in 11 runs and hit two home runs, four doubles and a triple. 

Indiana currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in runs scored, but it holds the highest team ERA in the conference at 7.28. With 16 games before the Big Ten, Indiana would have to go 13-6 to finish with a .500 record. 

The Hoosiers aren't ready to contend in the Big Ten this year, but the freshman trio of Pyne, Tibbitts and Mathison provides a core group of young hitters to build around for the future.