Linn Leads the Way in Midweek Sweep

Wednesday, April 15

Bloomington, Ind.

6 p.m.

Indiana University

16-21

Evansville

13-21

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Evansville	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	6	6	2
Indiana	2	0	1	0	2	0	3	0	X	8	9	1

4/15/2026 10:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With a thin bullpen leading into the fifth game in six days, the Indiana Baseball team (16-21, 6-12 B1G) knew it would need a great start from graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn. He delivered that and more, providing five scoreless innings enroute to an 8-6 win over Evansville on Wednesday (April 15) evening at Bart Kaufman Field.

Linn (W, 3-0) struck out a season-high seven batters with an impressive four-pitch mix. He gave up just one hit and kept Evansville off the board to earn his third midweek victory of the year. Graduate student right-handed pitchers Reagan Rivera and Michael Sarhatt got the game to the ninth before fellow veteran arm Gavin Seebold (SV, 2) slammed the door.

IU's offense continues to slug the ball at a high level. Three home runs, including an early two-run blast from sophomore Caleb Koskie, helped put a big enough gap between the two sides. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley and redshirt freshman catcher Brayden Ricketts each went yard in the win. A pair of RBIs from sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian proved crucial down the stretch.

Head coach Jeff Mercer earned his 300th career victory with the Wednesday win in Bloomington. It is just his 10th season as collegiate skipper. 223 of those wins have come with the Hoosiers after 77 in his first two years leading Wright State.

IU will get a weekend off from Big Ten play as it welcomes Abilene Christian to town for a return series. The Hoosiers went to Texas last year in May and swept the Wildcats in a weekend set. First pitch on Friday (April 17) is set for 6 p.m. on B1G+.

Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Caleb Koskie opened the scoring with a two-run home run to left field.
Indiana 2, Evansville 0

Bottom Third
Jake Hanley roped a ball over the fence in right field for his 11th home run of the year.
Indiana 3, Evansville 0

Bottom Fifth
Brayden Ricketts cleared the wall in left field for a solo home run. Cooper Malamazian extended the lead with an RBI single through the left side.
Indiana 5, Evansville 0

Top Sixth
Evansville opened its account with a two-run home run from Reid Haire.
Indiana 5, Evansville 2

Bottom Seventh
On a sacrifice bunt attempt from Ayden Crouse, Evansville's pitcher Drue Young threw the ball into right field. Cal Gates came around to score on the play. A sacrifice fly from Hanley and a sacrifice bunt from Malamazian pushed the lead back to six runs.
Indiana 8, Evansville 2

Top Eighth
Drew McConnell doubled over the wall to score Reagan Reeder.
Indiana 8, Evansville 3

Top Ninth
A three-run blast from Spike Magill closed the gap but wouldn't be enough in the end.
Indiana 8, Evansville 6

Top Hoosier Performers
#17 Koskie, Caleb
2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

#15 Malamazian, Cooper
2-3, 2 RBI

#28 Linn, Conner
5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Inside the Box Score
• Eight of IU's nine starters reached safely at least once.
• IU's pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts – seven of those came from Conner Linn.
• This was the sixth time this season that the Hoosiers have hit at least three home runs in a game.

Notes to Know
• Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie got to work early on Wednesday night. His first inning, two-run home run gave IU the lead and extended his hitting streak to 18-consecutive games. Since 2010, only Alex Dickerson (21 – 2010) has a longer single-season hitting streak than the young outfielder. Koskie can try and match that mark if he can hit safely in all three games against Abilene Christian.

• Head coach Jeff Mercer picked up his 300th career win in the midweek victory over Evansville. He accomplished the feat in under 10 complete seasons as a collegiate manager. This was the 223rd win during his tenure in Bloomington with the other 77 coming as the Wright State boss (2017-18).

• Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has his hitting streak out to 11 games, trailing only the red-hot Koskie for the team lead. In the victory over Evansville, Hanley hit his 25th career home run. Hanley has done damage in a variety of ways with 51 hits, 11 home runs, 10 doubles and 20 walks this season. He's also scored 34 runs for the Hoosiers this year.

• Graduate student Conner Linn went five scoreless innings to pick up his third midweek win of the year. It was the longest outing by a starter in a midweek game for the Hoosiers since David Platt in 2020 (5.0 IP – vs. Cincinnati). It's also his fourth appearance of the year of at least three innings of work.

Up Next
IU will get the weekend off from conference play as Abilene Christian comes to town for a three-game slate. First pitch on Friday comes at 6 p.m. on B1G+ and will be carried on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.