Pyne, Mathison Only Freshman Duo With 50-Plus RBI in Division I

Indiana sluggers Josh Pyne and Carter Mathison were the only freshman duo in Division I baseball to drive in 50 or more runs during the 2022 season. Mathison also set the Indiana freshman home run record, and Pyne led the Hoosiers with 74 hits.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

With two of the best freshman hitters in the country, the future could be bright for Indiana baseball. 

Freshman third baseman Josh Pyne and outfielder Carter Mathison were the only freshman duo in Division I baseball to post 50-plus RBI during the 2022 season. Mathison narrowly edged out Pyne for the team lead with 58 RBI compared to Pyne's 57.

After Pyne missed a large chunk of the offseason with an injury, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said that he didn't know what he'd get from Pyne as a freshman. But when Pyne saw an opportunity to win the starting third baseman job, he ran with it. And as the season went on, Mercer only continued to become more and more impressed with Pyne. 

“[Pyne] is a great southern Indiana kid,” Mercer said. “There’s tough kids down here and they love to represent their home state, and he’s doing a great job. I’m so happy he’s a Hoosier, and I’m daggone proud to wear the same jersey as him every day.”

A highlight of Pyne's season came against Illinois on April 29 when he delivered Indiana's first walk-off win of the season. He roped the ball down the third baseline on a 3-1 count to drive in the game-winning run that also gave Indiana the series win over Illinois.

“It was a little bit nerve wracking,” Pyne said. “I’m not going to lie. It was in my head that I may be put in a position here that I’ve gotta come through for the team ... It worked out pretty well.”

WALK 👏 OFF 👏 pic.twitter.com/Qdqr1AeRPU

— Josh Pyne (@_joshpyne_) April 29, 2022

Pyne delivered in the clutch just a few weeks later with a two-out, two-run single to give Indiana a two run lead over Minnesota on May 14. He was down 0-2 in the count, but after stepping out of the box to take a deep breath and refocus, Pyne worked the count to 2-2 and delivered the game-winning hit.

After the game, Pyne said it was the biggest hit of his college career. Pyne’s game-winner over Minnesota came with two outs, and he said he was looking to drive the ball the other way or up the middle. And most of all, he doesn’t like making the last out of an inning.

“That cat’s got a slow heart beat,” Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said. “[Pyne] is as good as I’ve ever seen as a freshman at being able to let go of whatever has happened and just be on that pitch.”

Pyne became a mainstay in the three-hole, finishing his freshman season with a .327 batting average and leading Indiana with 74 hits. Pyne's 20 doubles slot him 6th in the Big Ten, and he reached safely in 49 of 53 games.

Mathison set the Indiana freshman home run record this season with 19 long balls, which leads Big Ten freshmen and ranks third among freshmen nationally. Mathison also led all Hoosiers with 55 runs scored and a .608 slugging percentage. He's the only Hoosier hitter to reach the 1.000-OPS mark at 1.001.

Mathison finished 11th in the Big Ten with 58 RBI, and his 19 home runs ranked third in the conference behind Maryland sluggers Chris Alleyne, who won Big Ten Player of the Year with 24 home runs and Matt Shaw, who hit 22. 

Good weekend series dub! 📞 pic.twitter.com/5ZCToQUgbs

— Carter Mathison (@carter_mathison) May 1, 2022

Mathison took home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after leading Indiana to a series victory at Michigan, who eventually won the Big Ten Tournament. Mathison went 5-for-12 at the plate across three games against Michigan, good for a .417 batting average. He scored six runs, drove in five, walked twice and belted two home runs against the Wolverines to earn conference-wide recognition.

The young slugger's most notable at-bat against Michigan was a three-run home run to right center field, which gave Indiana a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning. His 15th home run of the season set an Indiana freshman record, passing Alex Dickerson, who hit 14 in 2009. Dickerson has since enjoyed a six-year MLB career where he has hit 40 home runs across 339 games.

"[Mathison] is obviously a really physical kid, but he’s also a kid that can have an at-bat," Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said of Mathison on April 30. "He gets deep in the counts, he’s going to get himself into a leverage count. He fouled two 2-1 fastballs straight back, and those are pitches he normally thumps. He doesn’t expand, he doesn’t chase, he gets in good counts and he’s very gifted and very talented. When you’re a talented player who hits the ball hard and you have a good eye and you get into a good count consistently, it gives you confidence to put him in the middle of the order." 

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