Gates’ Grand Slam Secures Season Finale

Saturday, May 16

Bloomington, Ind.

2 p.m.

Indiana University

23-31, 0

Illinois

28-25, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Illinois	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	7	1
Indiana	0	0	0	6	0	2	3	0	X	11	10	1

5/16/2026 6:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With his freshman campaign coming to a close, outfielder Cal Gates provided the biggest hit of his debut season. He hit a back side grand slam into the IU bullpen in left field for his first career home run. That shot put the Indiana Baseball team (23-31, 9-21 B1G) up 5-0 and helped the home team to a commanding 11-2 win over Illinois (28-25, 14-16 B1G) on Saturday (May 16) afternoon.

It's the second-straight season that IU has ended the year on a winning note. Three multi-run innings were the catalyst for an impressive offensive day for head coach Jeff Mercer's team. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley hit his 14th home run of the year, a two-run blast in the sixth inning. Sophomore third baseman Hogan Denny recorded his third multi-hit game in as many days, capped off by a two-run single in the eighth inning.

Sophomore southpaw Brayton Thomas battled his way into the fifth inning while allowing just two runs to score. Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Pete Haas (W, 1-0) made his final collegiate appearance and grabbed his first win of the year. He stranded both inherited runners in the fifth inning and went on to deal four shutout innings in relief. Freshman right-handed pitcher Kellen English got the final two outs of the contest.

The win over Illinois was the third series victory against a Big Ten team at Bart Kaufman Field this year. In Mercer's tenure in Bloomington, the Hoosiers are 25-6 in conference weekends on their home field. He also improves to 15-11 in Big Ten rubber matches as the IU skipper.

Scoring Recap
Bottom Fourth
Landen Fry opened the scoring with an RBI single that bounced off the third baseman. The big hit came from Cal Gates who smashed a grand slam to left field for his first career home run. Owen ten Oever walked later in the inning with the bases loaded.
Indiana 6, Illinois 0

Top Fifth
Back-to-back home runs from Cole Warehime and J.R. Nelson earned back a pair of runs for the visitors.
Indiana 6, Illinois 2

Bottom Sixth
Jake Hanley slugged a two-run home run to the bullpen in left field.
Indiana 8, Illinois 2

Bottom Seventh
Will Moore scored on a sacrifice bunt from T.J. Schuyler. A two-run single from Hogan Denny extended the advantage.
Indiana 11, Illinois 2

Top Hoosier Performers
#51 Haas, Pete
4.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

#2 Denny, Hogan
2-5, 2 H, 2 RBI, 2B

#3 Gates, Cal
2-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Notes to Know
• Head coach Jeff Mercer improved to 25-6 during his tenure in Big Ten weekends at Bart Kaufman Field. He is also 15-11 in conference rubber matches as the IU skipper. The Hoosiers have won three of the last five series against the Fighting Illini and six of the last 10. IU finishes the year with a 23-31 record and a 9-21 clip in conference action.

• Sophomore third baseman Hogan Denny had a multi-hit effort in all three games of the weekend series. He finishes the season with 23 multi-hit contests, the most by any IU player. Denny ended the year by finishing with at least eight hits in series against Northwestern (9) and Illinois (8). He led the team in 2026 in hits (74), runs scored (63) and doubles (18).

• Freshman outfielder Cal Gates became the 57th IU player to hit a home run during the Mercer era. His fourth inning grand slam became the difference in Saturday's win. The last four grand slams hit by an IU player have all come from true freshman. Cooper Malamazian (March 25, 2025 vs. Bellarmine), Caleb Koskie (April 7, 2025 vs. Michigan State) and Owen ten Oever (April 21, 2026 at Ball State) were the three that proceeded Gates.

• Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley ended the season by starting in all 54 contests for the Hoosiers. He's the only IU player to start every game of the year for Mercer's team. He's the first IU player since at least 2025 to start every game of his freshman and sophomore season. He has started 110-straight games since arriving on campus last year.