Indiana Still in D1Baseball's Projected Field of 64 Despite 5-Game Losing Streak

Indiana has played well enough for long stretches of this season to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament field, but they need to play well in these final four games.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's baseball team has hit the skids in the past week, losing five games in a row and six of seven, but in D1Baseball.com's projected field of 64 on Monday, the site still has Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hoosiers (24-16) have four games remaining, their final home game of the season on Monday night (6 p.m. ET; TV: Big Ten Network).  There is still work to be done, but these projections are at least encouraging that Indiana still has a chance.

A couple more wins would help, starting on Monday. Indiana is 0-5 against Ohio State this year, and it would be good to get a win at home.

Next weekend, they conclude the season at Maryland in a three-game set. The Terrapins are the hottest team in the Big Ten in the past month, going 16-3 since April 16.

The guess is that Indiana needs at least two wins out of four at the very least, and three or four wins would certainly secure a bid. D1Baseball's projections currently have four Big Ten teams in the field, regular-season champ Nebraska, Michigan and Maryland.

Their projections have Indiana in the Eugene regional as the No. 3 seed, along with Oregon, Georgia Tech and Northeastern. The also have Indiana on their "Last 5 In '' list, along with Indiana State, Pittsburgh, California and Baylor. 

Indiana coach Jeff Mercer wants the Hoosiers to focus on one game at a time now, and finish the season strong. He's trying to keep his guys positive, despite the  recent losing streak.

"I think when you realize you're not going to be able to compete for a Big Ten championship, I'll talk to the guys about how each time you want to go out on the field and still give all you got,'' Mercer said. "It's been a long year for everyone in our country, and it's been a long year for these guys. too. 

"Difficult times, they reveal who you are, and your character and integrity.  It's easy to be really happy when things are going right. It's hard when you don't succeed. We have to have high character, we have to show up every day and do the work and keep those guys moving forward.

Mercer talked about the 2019 season, when Indiana won the Big Ten and got an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, They got knocked out the first weekend, but Michigan, who was on the bubble then like Indiana is now, got into the tournament and then made a postseason run all the way to the College World Series championship game.

There's no reason why Indiana couldn't find that same magic.

"Once you lose the ability to compete for the Big Ten title, we do say that there's still a lot to work for and compete for. There's still a lot we can potentially achieve,'' Mercer said.

"Just like Michigan, they were potentially on the bubble a little bit and then they went on a run in the postseason. I feel like we're on the bubble now and we're going to need to win a game or two to get in. I try not top press about the postseason, but it's still there because they have earned it. We've played well enough during the course of the year, and played well for a long time. We just need to continue to give ourselves an opportunity.''

D1Baseball's Projected Field of 64

Here are the projections by D1Baseball.com for the NCAA Tournament, which starts June 4. There are 64 teams in the field, played at 16 regional sites in a double-elimination format. (Big Ten teams in bold)

• EUGENE  REGIONAL: 1. Oregon; 2. Georgia Tech; 3. Indiana; 4. Northeastern.
• FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL: 1. Arkansas; 2. Oklahoma State; 3. Indiana State; 4. Oral Roberts.
• CHARLOTTE REGIONAL: 1. Charlotte ; 2. Georgia ; 3. NC State; 4. Campbell. 
• NASHVILLE REGIONAL: 1. Vanderbilt; 2. Connecticut; 3. Maryland; 4. Southeast Missouri State. 
• SPOKANE REGIONAL: 1. Gonzaga ; 2. Oregon State; 3. Pittsburgh; 4. VCU.
• AUSTIN REGIONAL: 1. Texas; 2. UCLA; 3. Liberty; 4. Stony Brook
• GAINESVILLE REGIONAL: 1. Florida ; 2. Miami; 3. Fairfield; 4. South Alabama
• TUCSON REGIONAL: 1. Arizona; 2. Florida State; 3. UC-Santa Barbara; 4. Grand Canyon.
• OXFORD REGIONAL: 1. Ole Miss; 2. Louisiana Tech; 3. Virginia; 4. Wright State.
• KNOXVILLE REGIONAL: 1. Tennessee; 2. Old Dominion; 3. North Carolina; 4. Norfolk State.
• SOUTH BEND REGIONAL: 1. Notre Dame; 2. Michigan; 3. LSU; 4. Central Michigan.
• FORT WORTH REGIONAL: 1. TCU ; 2. Arizona State; 3. Dallas Baptist; 4. Bryant.
• STARKVILLE REGIONAL: 1. Mississippi State; 2. Southern Miss; 3. Baylor; 4. Southern.
• GREENVILLE REGIONAL: 1. East Carolina; 2. South Carolina; 3. Duke; 4. Wofford.
• LUBBOCK REGIONAL: 1. Texas Tech; 2. Nebraska; 3. California; 4. Abiline Christian.
• STANFORD REGIONAL: 1. Stanford; 2. UC-Irvine; 3. Nevada; 4. Lehigh.