Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, April 14
Terre Haute, Ind.
6:30 p.m
Indiana University
at
Indiana State
Baseball Central: Indiana State and Evansville
4/13/2026 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A six-game stretch of non-conference play begins this week as the Indiana Baseball team (14-21, 6-12 B1G) readies for a double midweek against Indiana State (April 14) and Evansville (April 15). The Hoosiers will look to move on from a tough Big Ten series loss to Maryland before hosting Abilene Christian at Bart Kaufman Field on its bye weekend.
Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie continues to provide a big spark in the lineup as his 16-game hitting streak rolls on. He's slashing .452/.526/.710 over the last 10 games with 14 base knocks, two home runs and 13 RBIs. He's struck out just four times in that stretch. Koskie's season average is up to a team-best .360 following the weekend at Maryland.
Pitching depth will be tested with five games over the next six days. Some of IU's young arms will get the chance to lengthen out and prove they're ready for the stretch run. Freshman right-handed pitchers Xavier Carrera and Kellen English are two guys that will get increased action in the coming games. Veterans Pete Haas, Anthony Gubitosi and Conner Linn will need to give the Hoosiers some important innings.
First pitch on Tuesday in Terre Haute is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. That will be followed by a 6 p.m. first pitch at Bart Kaufman Field on Wednesday against Evansville. This weekend's series against Abilene Christian will fulfill the bye weekend from conference action.
Gameday Info
at Indiana State (Tuesday, April 14th – 6:30 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/41ty9NW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Evansville (Wednesday, April 15th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4c5uzzF
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Indiana State
• Tuesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Evansville
• Wednesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
KOSKIE RAKES: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie is riding a team best 16-game hitting streak into this week's action. In that stretch, he has five multi-game hits. It's the longest streak by an IU player in a single season since 2014 (Brad Hartong and Dustin DeMuth).
ON THE LEFT SIDE: Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian has been a lineup regular since his first year on campus. He has 94 career hits and is quickly closing on 100 all-time base knocks. He hit .417 in the weekend series out in College Park.
CAREER RANKS: Head coach Jeff Mercer will go for career win 300 in this week's five-game slate. He's sitting on 298 all-time wins as a head coach, a tenure that began in 2017 at Wright State. This is his 10th season as a collegiate skipper.
BACK IN FORM: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold provided a big performance to get back on schedule over the weekend. He worked 2.1 scoreless innings in the Friday win over Maryland. It's his ninth scoreless, multi-inning outing as a Hoosier.
SOME REVENGE: IU will be looking for payback in games against Indiana State and Evansville. Those losses in March both came by one run - including an 11-inning defeat to the Purple Aces two weeks ago. IU is 5-2 in midweek contests this season.
JUST JAKE: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has started 91-straight games since arriving on campus. Only Dustin DeMuth (102 - 2011-12) has begun their career with more consecutive starts since the 2010 season. Hanley has collected 122 hits in that stretch of play as well.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State
• The Sycamores are coming off a big weekend series victory at Illinois State and are sitting pretty at 8-4 in the Missouri Valley through four weeks of league action. Indiana State is 5-2 against Big Ten opponents this year with wins over Penn State (2), IU, Illinois and Purdue.
• Outfielder Carter Beck continues to swing the bat at a high level. He's hitting .351 with 53 hits, nine home runs and 37 RBIs. He's the only qualified Indiana State hitter over .300. Outfielder Emil Estrella packs some power with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. Pitchers Ryan Karst (3.14 ERA) and Jack Armstrong (4.99) have been great on the mound this year.
Evansville
• The Purple Aces are starting to pick up steam and are 8-3 over their last 11 games. That includes series victories in each of the first three weekends of Missouri Valley action. That stretch features additional midweek wins over IU and Lindenwood.
• The numbers don't jump off the page but Evansville finds a way to win baseball games. Infielder Drew McConnell is hitting .302 this year. Catcher Spike Magill has an outstanding .508 on-base percentage thanks to 28 walks, 17 hit-by-pitches and 20 base knocks.
Inside the Series
Indiana State
• These two teams have been quite familiar with each other. Separated by just an hour, they have played over 100 times all-time. Annually, the two sides meet in the midweek on a home-and-home basis. Each of the last four years (including 2026) the Sycamores and Hoosiers will have played twice.
• Jeff Mercer holds a 5-4 advantage over Indiana State during his time in Bloomington. The teams have split each of the last three seasons. IU is looking to win the road game to make sure that split continues in 2026. Both teams went to a regional in 2023 and 2024. IU has split the last four contests in Terre Haute.
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 but the Purple Aces took the first contest this year.
Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie continues to provide a big spark in the lineup as his 16-game hitting streak rolls on. He's slashing .452/.526/.710 over the last 10 games with 14 base knocks, two home runs and 13 RBIs. He's struck out just four times in that stretch. Koskie's season average is up to a team-best .360 following the weekend at Maryland.
Pitching depth will be tested with five games over the next six days. Some of IU's young arms will get the chance to lengthen out and prove they're ready for the stretch run. Freshman right-handed pitchers Xavier Carrera and Kellen English are two guys that will get increased action in the coming games. Veterans Pete Haas, Anthony Gubitosi and Conner Linn will need to give the Hoosiers some important innings.
First pitch on Tuesday in Terre Haute is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. That will be followed by a 6 p.m. first pitch at Bart Kaufman Field on Wednesday against Evansville. This weekend's series against Abilene Christian will fulfill the bye weekend from conference action.
Gameday Info
at Indiana State (Tuesday, April 14th – 6:30 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/41ty9NW
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
vs. Evansville (Wednesday, April 15th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4c5uzzF
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Indiana State
• Tuesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Indiana vs. Evansville
• Wednesday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
KOSKIE RAKES: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie is riding a team best 16-game hitting streak into this week's action. In that stretch, he has five multi-game hits. It's the longest streak by an IU player in a single season since 2014 (Brad Hartong and Dustin DeMuth).
ON THE LEFT SIDE: Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian has been a lineup regular since his first year on campus. He has 94 career hits and is quickly closing on 100 all-time base knocks. He hit .417 in the weekend series out in College Park.
CAREER RANKS: Head coach Jeff Mercer will go for career win 300 in this week's five-game slate. He's sitting on 298 all-time wins as a head coach, a tenure that began in 2017 at Wright State. This is his 10th season as a collegiate skipper.
BACK IN FORM: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold provided a big performance to get back on schedule over the weekend. He worked 2.1 scoreless innings in the Friday win over Maryland. It's his ninth scoreless, multi-inning outing as a Hoosier.
SOME REVENGE: IU will be looking for payback in games against Indiana State and Evansville. Those losses in March both came by one run - including an 11-inning defeat to the Purple Aces two weeks ago. IU is 5-2 in midweek contests this season.
JUST JAKE: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has started 91-straight games since arriving on campus. Only Dustin DeMuth (102 - 2011-12) has begun their career with more consecutive starts since the 2010 season. Hanley has collected 122 hits in that stretch of play as well.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State
• The Sycamores are coming off a big weekend series victory at Illinois State and are sitting pretty at 8-4 in the Missouri Valley through four weeks of league action. Indiana State is 5-2 against Big Ten opponents this year with wins over Penn State (2), IU, Illinois and Purdue.
• Outfielder Carter Beck continues to swing the bat at a high level. He's hitting .351 with 53 hits, nine home runs and 37 RBIs. He's the only qualified Indiana State hitter over .300. Outfielder Emil Estrella packs some power with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. Pitchers Ryan Karst (3.14 ERA) and Jack Armstrong (4.99) have been great on the mound this year.
Evansville
• The Purple Aces are starting to pick up steam and are 8-3 over their last 11 games. That includes series victories in each of the first three weekends of Missouri Valley action. That stretch features additional midweek wins over IU and Lindenwood.
• The numbers don't jump off the page but Evansville finds a way to win baseball games. Infielder Drew McConnell is hitting .302 this year. Catcher Spike Magill has an outstanding .508 on-base percentage thanks to 28 walks, 17 hit-by-pitches and 20 base knocks.
Inside the Series
Indiana State
• These two teams have been quite familiar with each other. Separated by just an hour, they have played over 100 times all-time. Annually, the two sides meet in the midweek on a home-and-home basis. Each of the last four years (including 2026) the Sycamores and Hoosiers will have played twice.
• Jeff Mercer holds a 5-4 advantage over Indiana State during his time in Bloomington. The teams have split each of the last three seasons. IU is looking to win the road game to make sure that split continues in 2026. Both teams went to a regional in 2023 and 2024. IU has split the last four contests in Terre Haute.
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 but the Purple Aces took the first contest this year.
Players Mentioned
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LHP
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INF
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INF
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RHP
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