Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, March 17
Nashville, Tenn.
3 p.m.
Indiana University
at
Vanderbilt
Baseball Central: Vanderbilt
3/16/2026 5:30:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The final game of a four-game road trip will take the Indiana Baseball team (7-12, 1-5 B1G) to Nashville for a midweek contest against national-powerhouse Vanderbilt. After being swept in a tight three-game Big Ten series at Oregon, the Hoosiers will be looking to take a win back home to Bloomington. IU resumes conference play against Minnesota at Bart Kaufman Field this weekend (March 20-22).
Even in a trio of losses, IU's pitching staff threw the ball well against a potent Oregon offense. The Hoosiers allowed just 15 runs over three games, keeping the Ducks to seven-or-fewer runs in each contest. IU's three starters combined to throw 12 innings while allowing only six runs. Sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas recorded a career-high five strikeouts in four solid frames on Sunday.
IU will look to get its offense going this week, beginning in the midweek contest against Vanderbilt. The Hoosiers managed just nine runs on the weekend, six of those coming in the series finale. IU didn't score after the fourth inning in any of the three games. Only sophomore outfielder Cole Decker (.333) and freshman second baseman (.300) hit .300 or better on the weekend.
Tuesday's game at Vanderbilt is the second of six true road games in the midweek. On the year, IU has already played 11 (3-8) true road contests. A win over the Commodores would be the first victory against an SEC foe since beating Kentucky in the 2023 Lexington Regional. First pitch is currently set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.
Gameday Info
at Vanderbilt (Tuesday, March 17th – 3 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4bJTB78
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Vanderbilt
• Tuesday: LHP Conner Linn, Gr. (1-0, 9.28 ERA)
Leading Off
HANLEY HISTORY: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has 98 career hits after a pair of base knocks on Sunday at Oregon. He is closing in on his 100th all-time college hit in under 80 games at this level. Hanley has started all 75 possible games of his time in Bloomington entering Tuesday.
MORE FROM MASTALSKI: Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen in 2026. He's gone 2.0 innings in four-straight outings. In that stretch, he's allowed just one earned run. The Indiana native has eight strikeouts to two walks in that run of form.
UNDERCLASSMEN GALORE: On IU's Sunday lineup card in Oregon, eight of the nine position players were freshmen or sophomores. The only upperclassmen was junior catcher T.J. Schuyler. All nine of those players were recruited out of high school to Bloomington by head coach Jeff Mercer.
BREAKOUT YEAR: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie is enjoying a breakout campaign in his second year of college baseball. He has nearly doubled his hit total (15) from last season (nine). The Minnesota native is second on the team with a .326 batting average.
TAKING BASES: Between walks (12) and hit-by-pitches (six), sophomore third baseman Will Moore has taken more free passes than he has strikeouts (16) this season. He leads the team in on-base percentage and has also recorded 17 base knocks in the early part of the year.
HOLDING STEADY: IU's pitching staff - albeit bitten by the injury bug - has held up nicely through the first month of the year. The Hoosiers have allowed fewer than six runs in 11 different contests. However, IU is trying to improve its 7-4 record in that category.
Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt
• The Commodores have gotten off to a slow start by their standards but are still 13-8 after opening up SEC play with a series victory over LSU. Vanderbilt has gone 12-3 on the year at Hawkins Field and has lost just one midweek contest on the season.
• Infielder Brodie Johnston and outfielder Braden Holcomb provide the punch for a potent Vanderbilt offense. The two have combined for 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in the first 21 games. After moving the fences in at its home field, Vanderbilt has seen the long ball numbers (52) rise.
• Vanderbilt always has a strong pitching staff but will have to go deep into the bullpen following a lengthy weekend against LSU. Luke Guth (3.27 ERA) and Brennan Seiber (4.11 ERA) have been go to options in relief. The Commodores have 213 strikeouts and just 94 walks on the year.
Inside the Series
Vanderbilt
• Despite being two of the better programs in the area, these two sides have only played 15 times. That includes matchups in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2015.
This will be just the second meeting in the Jeff Mercer era. He took his team down to Nashville in 2024 after a nine-year hiatus between games. The Commodores have never made a trip to Bloomington for a baseball game in this century.
Even in a trio of losses, IU's pitching staff threw the ball well against a potent Oregon offense. The Hoosiers allowed just 15 runs over three games, keeping the Ducks to seven-or-fewer runs in each contest. IU's three starters combined to throw 12 innings while allowing only six runs. Sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas recorded a career-high five strikeouts in four solid frames on Sunday.
IU will look to get its offense going this week, beginning in the midweek contest against Vanderbilt. The Hoosiers managed just nine runs on the weekend, six of those coming in the series finale. IU didn't score after the fourth inning in any of the three games. Only sophomore outfielder Cole Decker (.333) and freshman second baseman (.300) hit .300 or better on the weekend.
Tuesday's game at Vanderbilt is the second of six true road games in the midweek. On the year, IU has already played 11 (3-8) true road contests. A win over the Commodores would be the first victory against an SEC foe since beating Kentucky in the 2023 Lexington Regional. First pitch is currently set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.
Gameday Info
at Vanderbilt (Tuesday, March 17th – 3 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4bJTB78
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Vanderbilt
• Tuesday: LHP Conner Linn, Gr. (1-0, 9.28 ERA)
Leading Off
HANLEY HISTORY: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has 98 career hits after a pair of base knocks on Sunday at Oregon. He is closing in on his 100th all-time college hit in under 80 games at this level. Hanley has started all 75 possible games of his time in Bloomington entering Tuesday.
MORE FROM MASTALSKI: Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen in 2026. He's gone 2.0 innings in four-straight outings. In that stretch, he's allowed just one earned run. The Indiana native has eight strikeouts to two walks in that run of form.
UNDERCLASSMEN GALORE: On IU's Sunday lineup card in Oregon, eight of the nine position players were freshmen or sophomores. The only upperclassmen was junior catcher T.J. Schuyler. All nine of those players were recruited out of high school to Bloomington by head coach Jeff Mercer.
BREAKOUT YEAR: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie is enjoying a breakout campaign in his second year of college baseball. He has nearly doubled his hit total (15) from last season (nine). The Minnesota native is second on the team with a .326 batting average.
TAKING BASES: Between walks (12) and hit-by-pitches (six), sophomore third baseman Will Moore has taken more free passes than he has strikeouts (16) this season. He leads the team in on-base percentage and has also recorded 17 base knocks in the early part of the year.
HOLDING STEADY: IU's pitching staff - albeit bitten by the injury bug - has held up nicely through the first month of the year. The Hoosiers have allowed fewer than six runs in 11 different contests. However, IU is trying to improve its 7-4 record in that category.
Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt
• The Commodores have gotten off to a slow start by their standards but are still 13-8 after opening up SEC play with a series victory over LSU. Vanderbilt has gone 12-3 on the year at Hawkins Field and has lost just one midweek contest on the season.
• Infielder Brodie Johnston and outfielder Braden Holcomb provide the punch for a potent Vanderbilt offense. The two have combined for 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in the first 21 games. After moving the fences in at its home field, Vanderbilt has seen the long ball numbers (52) rise.
• Vanderbilt always has a strong pitching staff but will have to go deep into the bullpen following a lengthy weekend against LSU. Luke Guth (3.27 ERA) and Brennan Seiber (4.11 ERA) have been go to options in relief. The Commodores have 213 strikeouts and just 94 walks on the year.
Inside the Series
Vanderbilt
• Despite being two of the better programs in the area, these two sides have only played 15 times. That includes matchups in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2015.
This will be just the second meeting in the Jeff Mercer era. He took his team down to Nashville in 2024 after a nine-year hiatus between games. The Commodores have never made a trip to Bloomington for a baseball game in this century.
Players Mentioned
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LHP
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