IU @ Baylor, Game 2: IU wins 6-1 - goes for sweep tomorrow...

[ptrich]

RHP Connor Foley is on the mound for IU and he has an ERA of 0.00 in 4 IP. The lineup for IU is the same as last night. RHP Collin McKinney is on the mound for Baylor and he has an ERA of 6.23 in 4.1 IP. It's 79 degrees in Waco.

1st inning:

T1st:

Mathison led off and got a single on a hard-hit ball.

Pyne fouled out in front of the IU dugout with Mathison still at 1st and one out. Taylor Kd after having a 3-0 count. Mathison stole 2nd on the strikeout and there were two outs with Tibbitts up. There was a long delay as they looked at Mathison hand after the slide into 2nd, but Mathison stayed in the game.

Tibbitts who has found his stroke, singled to bring Mathison in to score and IU up 1-0.

Cerny was up with Tibbitts at first and two outs. Tibbitts was out at 2nd on a FC to retire the side.

B1st:

Foley got the leadoff hitter on a flyout. Foley then got a K for two outs. A pop out in foul territory ends the inning with Foley putting them down in order on just 10 pitches.

End of 1st: IU 1 Baylor 0

 

[ptrich]

2nd inning:

T2nd:

It's the 6 thru 8 hitters up for IU with Stadler up and he was hit by a pitch to put a runner on and no outs.

Sefcik popped up in the infield for the first out and Stadler still at 1st. Colopy Kd for the 2nd out after seeing nine pitches.

Burckel reached on a bunt single down the 3rd base line to put runners on 1st and 2nd and the top of the order up. Mathison flied out to shallow LF to retire the side.

B2nd:

Foley faced the 4 thru 6 hitters and he Kd the leadoff hitter. Foley then walked a hitter on four pitches to give Baylor their first base runner of the game and one out.

Foley went 2-0 on the next batter. Foley had six straight balls after needing just 10 pitches to retire the side in the 1st. Foley finally got the groove back to go 2-2 on the hitter.

Foley walked another batter on a 3-2 count and Baylor had runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Foley went 2-0 on the next batter, but then went 2-2 on the batter and then got his 2nd K of the inning with two outs and two on with the No. 8 hitter up. A pop out to RF ended the inning as Foley regained his control.

End of 2nd: IU 1 Baylor 0

 

[Bucket Getter]

Not sure about a 2-out sac bunt, but it worked. New age baseball, I guess.

 

[ptrich]

Not sure about a 2-out sac bunt, but it worked. New age baseball, I guess.

Burckel has some speed and I believe he led Houston in steals last season.

 

[ptrich]

3rd inning:

T3rd:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up for IU with Pyne leading off. Pyne grounded out.

Taylor hammered a homer to RF to give IU a 2-0 lead. Taylor is red hot to start the season and is hitting .565 right now.

Tibbitts flied out to CF for the 2nd out.

Cerny doubled down the LF line to put a man in scoring position and two outs.

Stadler popped out to retire the side.

B3rd:

Foley was out there again to face the 9 thru 2 hitters.

Foley got the leadoff hitter on a foul out after getting a 1-2 count on the batter. Easily Baylor's best hitter, Apodaca, who is hitting .435, singled to put a man on and one out, and it was Baylor's first hit of the game.

Foley got the next hitter on a K with the runner stealing 2nd on the K and there is a runner on 2nd with two outs.

Foley then walked a batter on a full count to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs. Foley had 3 walks on the game right now and the cleanup hitter up. Foley got a pop up to 2B to end the inning.

End of 3rd: IU 2 Baylor 0

 

[ptrich]

4th inning:

T4th:

It's the bottom of the order up for IU and Sefcik flied out to lead off.

Colopy homered to RF to make it 3-0 IU. It was Colopy's second homer of the series.

Burckel was up with one out. Burckel grounded out to bring up the top of the order and Mathison up with two outs. Mathison Kd to retire the side.

B4th:

Foley was back out there to face the 5 thru 7 hitters. Six players in Baylor's lineup are hitting under .200 right now.

Foley got the leadoff hitter on a K. Foley got the next batter on a ground out for two outs. A pop up ended the inning with Foley putting them down in order.

End of 4th; IU 3 Baylor 0

 

[ptrich]

5th inning:

T5th:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up for IU with Pyne leading off. Baylor went to the bullpen and brought in LHP Mason Green with an ERA of 4.50 in 2 IP.

Pyne reached on an infield single with no outs. The red hot Taylor walked on four pitches to put runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs.

Pyne stole 3rd to put runners on the corners with no outs. Tibbitts Kd for the first out with the runners still on the corners.

An infield single by Cerny loaded the bases with one out and Stadler up.

Stadler singled to score Pyne to make it 4-0 and the bases still loaded with one out.

Sefcik singled to LF to drive in another run to make it 5-0 with the bases still loaded and one out with Colopy up.

Colopy hit into a DP to retire the side with IU up 5-0.

B5th:

Foley was back out there to face the 8 thru 1 hitters. Foley had a PC of 65 to start the inning.

Foley walked the leadoff hitter on a 3-1 count. Foley got a pop up for the 1st out with a runner still at 1st.

Foley got Baylor's best hitter on a pop up in the infield for the 2nd out and the runner still at 1st.

A flyout ended the inning and Foley has qualified for the win and he has given up just one hit thru five innings.

End of 5th: IU 5 Baylor 0

 

[hookyIU1990]

I've been critical of all these streaming platforms, but since cutting cable and going with hulu, it's been nice having ESPN+. Have been able to watch a bunch of IU baseball already.

 

[ptrich]

6th inning:

T6th:

It's the 9 thru 2 hitters up for IU with Burckel leading off. Burckel flied out and we are at the top of the order with Mathison up. Mathison Kd for the 2nd out.

With Pyne up, Baylor went to the bullpen to bring in RHP Andrew Petrowski and he had an ERA of 4.50 in 2 IP.

Pyne flied out to the warning track to retire the side.

B6th:

Foley was back out there to face the 3 thru 5 hitters. Foley got a K to get the leadoff hitter. A pop out to SS resulted in the 2nd out.

Foley then got his 2nd K of the inning to end the inning and Foley has made a case for B1G Pitcher of the Week.

End of 6th: IU 5 Baylor 0

 

[ptrich]

7th inning;

T7th:

It's the 3 thru 5 hitters up with Taylor leading off. Taylor walked for the 2nd time in a row to put a runner on 1st and no outs with Tibbitts up.

An error on a grounder by 3b put Tibbitts on and runners at 1st and 2nd and no outs.

Cerny flied out with the runners still on 1st and 2nd with one out and Stadler up.

Stadler singled to put the score at 6-0 IU, and runners at 1st and 2nd with one out and Sefcik up.

Sefcik grounded out and Colopy Kd to retire the side.

B7th:

Ty Bothwell came in for Foley after Foley pitched a fantastic game.

Bothwell put them down in order with one K to end the inning.

End of inning: IU 6 Baylor 0

 

[Bucket Getter]

I've been critical of all these streaming platforms, but since cutting cable and going with hulu, it's been nice having ESPN+. Have been able to watch a bunch of IU baseball already.

Yes. I switched from Hulu to Fubo for about a year solely because they carry BallySports Indiana to watch Pacers and Reds games. It sucked overall with nearly constant lagging issues. Recently switched back and am paying for the BallySports app at around $20/month.

Anyone who thinks they’re gonna cut the cable and save money is crazy though.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Anyone who thinks they’re gonna cut the cable and save money is crazy though.

Any sports fan anyway

 

[Bucket Getter]

I’m not sure how any hitter is even touching the ball right now. Pitch is coming from bright sunshine to a pitch dark shadow about half way to the plate. 😳

 

[Bucket Getter]

Any sports fan anyway

True. My GF is perfectly happy with Hulu basic for about $5/month and Netflix.

 

[ptrich]

8th inning:

T8th:

It was the 9 thru 2 hitters up for IU and Baylor went to the bullpen again and brought in a pitcher just to pitch to Burckel and then they brought in LHP Kobe Andrade with an ERA of 16.20 in 1.2 IP.

Mathison lined out to 2B for the 2nd out.

Pyne doubled down the RF line to put a runner in scoring position and two outs and the red hot Taylor up.

Taylor Kd to retire the side.

B8th:

Bothwell is back out there to face the 9 thru 2 hitters. The leadoff hitter singled to put a man on.

Bothwell then got a flyout for the first out and the runner holding at 1st.

A WP moved the runner to 2nd with one out. Bothwell then gave up a single to score the runner from 2nd to make it 6-1 IU, and a runner at 1st and one out.

Bothwell then got a flyout for the 2nd out and a man at 1st. Bothwell got a K to end the inning and limit the damage.

End of 8th: IU 6 Baylor 1

 

[ptrich]

9th inning:

T9th:

Baylor goes to the bullpen again and brought in RHP Grant Golomb with an ERA of 13.50 in 0.2 IP, and he faced the 4 thru 6 hitters with Tibbitts leading off.

Tibbitts flied out for the first out. Cerny reached on a HBP. Cerny stole 2nd.

Stadler walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd and one out with Sefcik up.

Wiggins came in to pinch hit for Sefcik. Wiggins reached on a FC and two outs with runners on the corners.

Colopy grounded out to retire the side.

B9th:

Bothwell was out there to close it out and faced the 5 thru 7 hitters. He got the leadoff hitter on a flyout.

A lineout to Cerny resulted in the 2nd out.

A flyout ended the game. Something happened on that play and the batter went back to the plate and singled to put a runner on with two outs. A K finally ended it.

Final: IU 6 Baylor 1

 

[hookyIU1990]

9th inning:

T9th:

Baylor goes to the bullpen again and brought in RHP Grant Golomb with an ERA of 13.50 in 0.2 IP, and he faced the 4 thru 6 hitters with Tibbitts leading off.

Tibbitts flied out for the first out. Cerny reached on a HBP. Cerny stole 2nd.

Stadler walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd and one out with Sefcik up.

Wiggins came in to pinch hit for Sefcik. Wiggins reached on a FC and two outs with runners on the corners.

Colopy grounded out to retire the side.

B9th:

Bothwell was out there to close it out and faced the 5 thru 7 hitters. He got the leadoff hitter on a flyout.

A lineout to Cerny resulted in the 2nd out.

A flyout ended the game. Something happened on that play and the batter went back to the plate and singled to put a runner on with two outs. A K finally ended it.

Final: IU 6 Baylor 1

Illegal pitch was what the announcers were calling. They were confused by it too.

 

[TomEric4756]

Clinched the weekend series … getting a sweep tomorrow will be sweet.

Two good starting pitching performances so far this weekend.

Hope IUs pitching holds up. Not needing to score double digit runs to win … is big time.

 

[ptrich]

Clinched the weekend series … getting a sweep tomorrow will be sweet.

Two good starting pitching performances so far this weekend.

Hope IUs pitching holds up. Not needing to score double digit runs to win … is big time.

IU has used just five pitchers over the first two games and that is huge. Needless to say, having good starts by our starting pitchers have played a major part in that.

 

[ptrich]

Unless someone has thrown a no-hitter in the B1G or has pretty much matched Foley this weekend, Foley has probably wrapped up the B1G Pitcher of the Week. Also, Taylor has to be in the running for Player of the Week. Right now, Taylor is 4 for 6 at the plate over the first two games, 1 RBI, 5 runs scored, a homer, and 4 BBs. He is batting .542 going into tomorrow's game. Another good game tomorrow and he will certainly be up there in the running for that.

 

[ptrich]

While the big question mark going into the new season was the pitching after Sinnard was out for season, the early results look really good right now. Mercer and college baseball analysts were saying that IU had a deep pitching staff, but we needed to see them in actual games and we can't complain so far. With Mitchell almost certainly strengthening the everyday lineup with his leadoff speed and hitting, we could be in for a huge season.

 

[ptrich]

We had outstanding pitching and very good hitting in dominating the game with Baylor never really threatening to mount a rally. We had no errors today which is the first game of the season to not having any errors, and Baylor had one error.

We outhit Baylor 12 to 4 and we were 12 of 39 at the plate for a team batting average of .308. Baylor was 4 of 31 for .129. IU had 7 Ks on the game. We had three players with multiple hits:

Stadler - 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs.

Pyne - 2 for 5 with a double and he scored a run.

Cerny - 2 for 4 with a double.

Taylor - 1 for 3 with a homer and 1 RBI and he scored 3 runs and had two BBs.

Colopy - 1 for 5 with a homer and 1 RBI and a run scored.

Sefcik also had an RBI.

IU's pitching kept Baylor back on their heels and they never could come close to challenging IU at the plate. Foley was great and Bothwell continued to show that he is the same pitcher we saw at the end of last season with 3 IP in relief. IU used just three pitchers out of the bullpen in the first two games and we have a well-rested bullpen for tomorrow's game.

Foley - 6.0 IP, 1 hit and no earned runs, 7 Ks, and 4 BBs.

Bothwell - 3.0 IP, 3 hits with 1 earned run, 3 Ks, no BBs, and a WP which set up the lone earned run.

 

[ptrich]

Zack Horwitz posted this after the game today:

"Take a bow, Connor Foley.

Through two starts (Coastal Carolina and Baylor): 10 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 14 K

Indiana may have found themselves a gem to throw on Saturdays… a guy who didn’t start a single game last season. "

Here's the article from the IU site with comments from Foley:

https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2024/2/24/baseball-baylor-recap-2

 

[ulrey]

I've been critical of all these streaming platforms, but since cutting cable and going with hulu, it's been nice having ESPN+. Have been able to watch a bunch of IU baseball already.

Hulu has ESPN+?

 

[ulrey]

Zack Horwitz posted this after the game today:

"Take a bow, Connor Foley.

Through two starts (Coastal Carolina and Baylor): 10 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 14 K

Indiana may have found themselves a gem to throw on Saturdays… a guy who didn’t start a single game last season. "

Here's the article from the IU site with comments from Foley:

https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2024/2/24/baseball-baylor-recap-2

Is this the kid from Jasper?

 

[hookyIU1990]

Hulu has ESPN+?

Yeah. Been watching a bunch ISU hoops and Valley games in general. Ball State and Valpo too.

 

[hoosier roadtrips]

I have been very happy with the performance this year, but the only concern this weekend is the quality of our opponent. Baylor was very bad last season and isn't starting out well so far in 2024. I was expecting to at least win the series against the Bears. But so far it does look like a complete team on both sides.
Conversely, the softball team is good, but has questions on infield defense that cost them tonight's game against Arizona.

 

[ptrich]

Is this the kid from Jasper?

Foley? - Yes. I believe he is a draft eligible soph.

 

[ptrich]

I have been very happy with the performance this year, but the only concern this weekend is the quality of our opponent. Baylor was very bad last season and isn't starting out well so far in 2024. I was expecting to at least win the series against the Bears. But so far it does look like a complete team on both sides.
Conversely, the softball team is good, but has questions on infield defense that cost them tonight's game against Arizona.

Yeah, Baylor was down last season and it has carried over to this season, but I don't share your concern. As I'm sure you know, non-conference schedules are always a mixed bag of teams with various levels of team quality. Our schedule is pretty strong compared to quite a few B1G teams, and we will be facing a strong field at the Frisco tournament next weekend again in Texas. We dominated a very good Coastal Carolina team earlier and Duke who is about to crack the top ten, didn't exactly roll over us. We are doing well while waiting for Mitchell to get over his injury which should be soon, and he had one of the best off-seasons of anyone, and he should be a terror in the leadoff position once he's ready.

 

[hoosier roadtrips]

I agree, but I do want to wait until we play a few more games against better competition. Maybe this hesitation is because of too many years seeing basketball teams beat up on softer non-conference competition and then falling way down in league play.

 

[ptrich]

I agree, but I do want to wait until we play a few more games against better competition. Maybe this hesitation is because of too many years seeing basketball teams beat up on softer non-conference competition and then falling way down in league play.

Well again, we played solid competition right out the gate in Conway S.C., but I will leave it that.

 

[Bucket Getter]

I agree, but I do want to wait until we play a few more games against better competition. Maybe this hesitation is because of too many years seeing basketball teams beat up on softer non-conference competition and then falling way down in league play.

Sit tight. This team has serious talent up and down the roster. Great hitters with lots of tools and solid defenders. Pitchers off to an unbelievable start, but if you’ve actually watched every pitch, you’d know they’re capable. I love what I’ve seen. Every pitch of every game with my own old eyes. 😳

 

[hoosier roadtrips]

Yes, so far things have been very good. The only question mark, in my opinion, is the starting pitching. Only Foley has gone very long, so I am hoping more for the 2-4 starters. I have been pleasantly surprised by Morgan Colopy's offensive production. I am wondering how the setup will be with Mitchell coming back and Wiggins waiting in the wings.

 

[Bucket Getter]

Yes, so far things have been very good. The only question mark, in my opinion, is the starting pitching. Only Foley has gone very long, so I am hoping more for the 2-4 starters. I have been pleasantly surprised by Morgan Colopy's offensive production. I am wondering how the setup will be with Mitchell coming back and Wiggins waiting in the wings.

Mercer has a real good problem on his hands trying to figure out his outfield rotation. We’re all gonna have fun watching it unfold this year.