Indiana University Athletics
Friday, May 8
West Lafayette, Ind.
6 p.m.
Indiana University
at
Purdue
Baseball Central: Purdue
5/6/2026 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A rivalry will be renewed this weekend as the Indiana Baseball team (21-27, 7-17 B1G) heads north for an annual series with Purdue (32-15, 15-9 B1G). The Hoosiers have played their in-state foe more times than any other team in program history. In his career, head coach Jeff Mercer owns a 13-5 record against the Boilers. He's won three-straight weekends in the all-time series.
To win a fourth-straight series against Purdue, IU will have to win a road weekend for the first time this season. Coming off a tough loss to Northwestern on Sunday, the Hoosiers will be fully rested with no midweek action for the first time since early March. Graduate student Tony Neubeck is coming off one of his best starts of the season and will open the series on the mound this Friday (May 8).
Offensive productivity has come in the form of sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley. Without the services of a pair of starters last weekend (Koskie, Ricketts), Denny and Hanley combined for 16 hits, two home runs, three doubles, four walks and five RBIs. The two players each have hit 13 home runs this season and have collected 131 hits amongst themselves.
As it stands, the two teams will play the series at the scheduled times on the calendar. With rain sweeping through the Midwest, there's a possibility that start times change. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on a natural surface at Alexander Field in West Lafayette. All three games will be available on B1G+.
Gameday Info
at Purdue (Friday, May 8th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4d5kJNw
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
at Purdue (Saturday, May 9th – 2 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/42Lsm6V
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
at Purdue (Sunday, May 10th – 1 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3Rii77y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Purdue
• Friday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (6-4, 4.01 ERA)
• Saturday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-5, 6.15 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
DO IT ALL: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny is on a tear as of late in conference play for the Hoosiers. This season, he's the only player in the Big Ten hitting .360 with at least 10 home runs, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases and more than 25 walks.
MORE FROM DENNY: Additionally, Denny ranks near the top of the Big Ten in a lot of categories. He's top five in the league in batting average (.363), runs scored (52) and OPS (1.169). Denny is top 10 in a handful of other areas including doubles (14).
HITS FROM HANLEY: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has been a model of consistency since coming to Bloomington last year. He's a career .339 hitter over 104 consecutive starts for the cream and crimson. Hanley now has 27 home runs in his collegiate career.
FINE FORM: Graduate student Tony Neubeck returned to his normal self last Friday with six scoreless innings in a win at Northwestern. He has five quality starts in eight Big Ten outings this year and will look to continue that this week against a tough Purdue offense.
SEEING SEBOLD: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold had a career high eight strikeouts in last week's series finale at Northwestern. He's had at least five strikeouts in five of his last eight outings. This past weekend was the third time he's worked at least four innings in relief this year.
PUSHING FORWARD: IU has won three-straight series over Purdue since a weekend loss in the 2022 season. As head coach of the Hoosiers, Jeff Mercer has won 13 of 18 meetings against the in-state foe. IU worked a magical ninth inning comeback against Purdue on Sunday in 2024 at Alexander Field.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue
• Purdue is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory. It will look to continue inching closer to the NCAA Tournament against Indiana this weekend. The Boilers are 32-15 overall and are 15-9 in league play with series sweeps of Ohio State and Northwestern.
• A balanced pitching staff with a collective ERA of 4.94 has sparked a successful campaign on the mound. Junior right-handed pitcher Cole Van Assen has started every weekend and has 53 strikeouts to just 14 walks. He's worked a team best 64.1 innings. Senior left-handed pitcher Zach Erdman and senior right-handed pitcher Austin Klug are the likely other weekend starters.
• Offense has been a big part of what Purdue does this season. They've found ways to score in different ways with 61 home runs, 95 hit-by-pitches and 64 stolen bases. Five primary starters are hitting above .300 on the year. Senior infielder Sam Flores has 10 home runs and 50 RBIs on the year.
Inside the Series
Purdue
• The most commonly played opponent in program history as pitted these two rivals against each other 300 times. Since the Big Ten rearranged its schedule, Purdue and Indiana now play a weekend series every season at alternating host sites.
• Head coach Jeff Mercer has been dominant against the Boilermakers during his time as skipper. He has only lost one series (2022) and has won three-in-a-row against Purdue (2023-25). Over the last 10 meetings, the Hoosiers hold a commanding 8-2 record.
• That stretch includes a fantastic comeback in 2024 on Sunday (W, 5-4) to secure the series and help punch a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
To win a fourth-straight series against Purdue, IU will have to win a road weekend for the first time this season. Coming off a tough loss to Northwestern on Sunday, the Hoosiers will be fully rested with no midweek action for the first time since early March. Graduate student Tony Neubeck is coming off one of his best starts of the season and will open the series on the mound this Friday (May 8).
Offensive productivity has come in the form of sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley. Without the services of a pair of starters last weekend (Koskie, Ricketts), Denny and Hanley combined for 16 hits, two home runs, three doubles, four walks and five RBIs. The two players each have hit 13 home runs this season and have collected 131 hits amongst themselves.
As it stands, the two teams will play the series at the scheduled times on the calendar. With rain sweeping through the Midwest, there's a possibility that start times change. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on a natural surface at Alexander Field in West Lafayette. All three games will be available on B1G+.
Gameday Info
at Purdue (Friday, May 8th – 6 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/4d5kJNw
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
at Purdue (Saturday, May 9th – 2 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/42Lsm6V
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
at Purdue (Sunday, May 10th – 1 p.m. ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3Rii77y
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j
Probable Starters
Indiana at Purdue
• Friday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (6-4, 4.01 ERA)
• Saturday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-5, 6.15 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
(subject to change with any weather changes)
Leading Off
DO IT ALL: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny is on a tear as of late in conference play for the Hoosiers. This season, he's the only player in the Big Ten hitting .360 with at least 10 home runs, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases and more than 25 walks.
MORE FROM DENNY: Additionally, Denny ranks near the top of the Big Ten in a lot of categories. He's top five in the league in batting average (.363), runs scored (52) and OPS (1.169). Denny is top 10 in a handful of other areas including doubles (14).
HITS FROM HANLEY: Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley has been a model of consistency since coming to Bloomington last year. He's a career .339 hitter over 104 consecutive starts for the cream and crimson. Hanley now has 27 home runs in his collegiate career.
FINE FORM: Graduate student Tony Neubeck returned to his normal self last Friday with six scoreless innings in a win at Northwestern. He has five quality starts in eight Big Ten outings this year and will look to continue that this week against a tough Purdue offense.
SEEING SEBOLD: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold had a career high eight strikeouts in last week's series finale at Northwestern. He's had at least five strikeouts in five of his last eight outings. This past weekend was the third time he's worked at least four innings in relief this year.
PUSHING FORWARD: IU has won three-straight series over Purdue since a weekend loss in the 2022 season. As head coach of the Hoosiers, Jeff Mercer has won 13 of 18 meetings against the in-state foe. IU worked a magical ninth inning comeback against Purdue on Sunday in 2024 at Alexander Field.
Scouting the Opponent
Purdue
• Purdue is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory. It will look to continue inching closer to the NCAA Tournament against Indiana this weekend. The Boilers are 32-15 overall and are 15-9 in league play with series sweeps of Ohio State and Northwestern.
• A balanced pitching staff with a collective ERA of 4.94 has sparked a successful campaign on the mound. Junior right-handed pitcher Cole Van Assen has started every weekend and has 53 strikeouts to just 14 walks. He's worked a team best 64.1 innings. Senior left-handed pitcher Zach Erdman and senior right-handed pitcher Austin Klug are the likely other weekend starters.
• Offense has been a big part of what Purdue does this season. They've found ways to score in different ways with 61 home runs, 95 hit-by-pitches and 64 stolen bases. Five primary starters are hitting above .300 on the year. Senior infielder Sam Flores has 10 home runs and 50 RBIs on the year.
Inside the Series
Purdue
• The most commonly played opponent in program history as pitted these two rivals against each other 300 times. Since the Big Ten rearranged its schedule, Purdue and Indiana now play a weekend series every season at alternating host sites.
• Head coach Jeff Mercer has been dominant against the Boilermakers during his time as skipper. He has only lost one series (2022) and has won three-in-a-row against Purdue (2023-25). Over the last 10 meetings, the Hoosiers hold a commanding 8-2 record.
• That stretch includes a fantastic comeback in 2024 on Sunday (W, 5-4) to secure the series and help punch a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Players Mentioned
C/OF
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INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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LHP
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