Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, March 31
Evansville, Ind.
7 p.m.
Indiana University
at
Evansville
Baseball Central: Evansville
3/30/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (10-17, 3-9 B1G) will be out for redemption this week after getting swept at No. 24 Nebraska over the weekend. Head coach Jeff Mercer and his squad will be looking to break a five-game losing streak ahead of a visit from Rutgers over the weekend. The Hoosiers are 9-4 against the Purple Aces during his tenure as the skipper.
Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker will return to his hometown of Evansville on Tuesday in the best form of his life. He has a team-best 12-game reached base streak and has hit .333 (10-30) over the last 10 games. During that stretch, he is reaching base at a .487 clip – the best of any IU players.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher has produced five-straight scoreless outings (9.1 innings pitched) as his stellar campaign continues. He tossed 2.2 innings of shutout baseball on Friday at Nebraska, keeping IU in the game down the stretch. Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski (3.06 ERA) have been two of the best options out of the bullpen on the year.
First pitch at Charles H. Braun Field is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT in Evansville. It is the final game in the month of March as the calendar flips to April this week. ESPN+ will stream the game and the radio broadcast can be heard at iuhoosiers.com/watch.
Gameday Info
at Evansville (Tuesday, March 31st – 7 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4uXKxDi
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Evansville
• Tuesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Leading Off
HOMETOWN KIDS: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker and freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English both hail from Evansville and will return to play in their hometown on Tuesday. Both players were teammates at Evansville North High School and played prep ball for the Huskies.
ON BASE MACHINE: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker is riding a team-best 12-game reached-base streak into Tuesday. He moved into the leadoff spot on Sunday and has provided a spark for the Hoosiers. In that 12-game stretch, he has hits in nine of those ballgames.
BIG TIME VOGEL: Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel has enjoyed a nice stretch of run over the past few weeks. He's worked five consecutive scoreless outings. In that frame, he's tossed 9.1 innings and collected five strikeouts.
DO IT ALL: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny has played at a high level in 2026. He leads the Hoosiers with a .430 on-base percentage. He's second on the team with a .324 batting average and has collected 34 hits, 10 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs on the year.
TO TAKEOVER: Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever had a week to remember despite not making a start. He had three pinch-hit base knocks including a memorable 3-run home run on Saturday against Nebraska. He's hitting .333 this year with three base hits in seven appearances.
BIG DUO: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley have combined for 70 hits, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and 47 runs scored this year. Each player is slugging over .530 on the season and have both been in the lineup for all 27 games.
Scouting the Opponent
Evansville
• The Purple Aces have a 7-18 record, due in part to a schedule that included series against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Cal Baptist. Evansville is off to a 2-1 start in the Missouri Valley after winning a home weekend against Illinois State. Evansville has a pair of wins over Xavier on the docket this year.
• Evansville is led by a young offensive core, much like the Hoosiers. Freshman catcher Spike Magill is tops on the team with a .288 batting average. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Charlie Longmeier has racked up 29 base knocks on the year. The Purple Aces have just 52 extra-base hits this year.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Owen Byberg will get the start. He boasts a sub-4.00 ERA. Seven of his nine appearances have been multi-inning efforts. He went five innings against Kentucky back in February. Evansville's team ERA has gone back up over 7.00 after the weekend.
Inside the Series
Evansville
• This series dates back to the 1940's between two teams separated by just two hours. Evansville has been a place recruited well by the Hoosiers. This year's team includes a pair of natives from the city (Cole Decker, Kellen English).
• With head coach Jeff Mercer at the helm, the series has picked up considerably. The two teams even played weekend series in 2019 and 2022. This is the second-straight year where IU will play Evansville in a home-and-home midweek series. IU won both games last year.
Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker will return to his hometown of Evansville on Tuesday in the best form of his life. He has a team-best 12-game reached base streak and has hit .333 (10-30) over the last 10 games. During that stretch, he is reaching base at a .487 clip – the best of any IU players.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher has produced five-straight scoreless outings (9.1 innings pitched) as his stellar campaign continues. He tossed 2.2 innings of shutout baseball on Friday at Nebraska, keeping IU in the game down the stretch. Freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski (3.06 ERA) have been two of the best options out of the bullpen on the year.
First pitch at Charles H. Braun Field is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT in Evansville. It is the final game in the month of March as the calendar flips to April this week. ESPN+ will stream the game and the radio broadcast can be heard at iuhoosiers.com/watch.
Gameday Info
at Evansville (Tuesday, March 31st – 7 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4uXKxDi
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Evansville
• Tuesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Leading Off
HOMETOWN KIDS: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker and freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English both hail from Evansville and will return to play in their hometown on Tuesday. Both players were teammates at Evansville North High School and played prep ball for the Huskies.
ON BASE MACHINE: Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker is riding a team-best 12-game reached-base streak into Tuesday. He moved into the leadoff spot on Sunday and has provided a spark for the Hoosiers. In that 12-game stretch, he has hits in nine of those ballgames.
BIG TIME VOGEL: Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel has enjoyed a nice stretch of run over the past few weeks. He's worked five consecutive scoreless outings. In that frame, he's tossed 9.1 innings and collected five strikeouts.
DO IT ALL: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny has played at a high level in 2026. He leads the Hoosiers with a .430 on-base percentage. He's second on the team with a .324 batting average and has collected 34 hits, 10 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs on the year.
TO TAKEOVER: Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever had a week to remember despite not making a start. He had three pinch-hit base knocks including a memorable 3-run home run on Saturday against Nebraska. He's hitting .333 this year with three base hits in seven appearances.
BIG DUO: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley have combined for 70 hits, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and 47 runs scored this year. Each player is slugging over .530 on the season and have both been in the lineup for all 27 games.
Scouting the Opponent
Evansville
• The Purple Aces have a 7-18 record, due in part to a schedule that included series against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Cal Baptist. Evansville is off to a 2-1 start in the Missouri Valley after winning a home weekend against Illinois State. Evansville has a pair of wins over Xavier on the docket this year.
• Evansville is led by a young offensive core, much like the Hoosiers. Freshman catcher Spike Magill is tops on the team with a .288 batting average. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Charlie Longmeier has racked up 29 base knocks on the year. The Purple Aces have just 52 extra-base hits this year.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Owen Byberg will get the start. He boasts a sub-4.00 ERA. Seven of his nine appearances have been multi-inning efforts. He went five innings against Kentucky back in February. Evansville's team ERA has gone back up over 7.00 after the weekend.
Inside the Series
Evansville
• This series dates back to the 1940's between two teams separated by just two hours. Evansville has been a place recruited well by the Hoosiers. This year's team includes a pair of natives from the city (Cole Decker, Kellen English).
• With head coach Jeff Mercer at the helm, the series has picked up considerably. The two teams even played weekend series in 2019 and 2022. This is the second-straight year where IU will play Evansville in a home-and-home midweek series. IU won both games last year.
Players Mentioned
OF
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C/OF
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RHP
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INF
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RHP
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RHP
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