KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - When Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said it would mean "everything" to spend just one more week with this Indiana team following the Hoosiers' Big Ten Tournament exit, guys like left-handed pitcher Ty Bothwell and first baseman Brock Tibbitts were on the top of his mind.
Bothwell's out of eligibility and Tibbitts is primed to take the next step in his baseball career following the conclusion of the Hoosiers' season, whenever that may come.
Before the Indiana duo's Hoosier careers become a thing of the past, the tandem face one final challenge donning the cream and crimson, the Knoxville Regional.
On Friday afternoon in a 10-4 win over Southern Miss, Bothwell and Tibbitts delivered impactful performances to drive Indiana to victory.
After Tibbitts blasted a first inning two-run blast to the second deck of the left field bleachers at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the junior stomped authoritatively on home plate having just given the Hoosiers an early lead.
That lead would stand for the rest of Friday's opener at the Knoxville Regional.
"From the very beginning of the game, (Tibbitts) set the tone early," Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said postgame. "I moved him up to the four-hole today because he had been so good in our workouts all week."
Tibbitts delivered two more hits on the day, as well as two more RBIs. The Indiana first baseman's three-hit, four-RBI performance comes less than a month after Tibbitts returned from a month-long, injury imposed absence.
As is typically the case for the 2024 version of the Indiana Hoosiers, hitting was contagious throughout much of Friday afternoon's victory.
Indiana tallied 17 hits as a team versus Southern Miss, setting a new program record for most hits in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.
All nine starters tallied at least a hit, as five different Hoosiers recorded multi-hit days in the win over the Golden Eagles.
"We're an offense that typically when we score, we score in bunches," Mercer explained. "When we go, we go. That's predominantly built around the ability to execute, have hard contact and then string those things together."
"If you'll stick to the plan, you're going to have a chance," Mercer continued. "If you (stick to the plan) time and time again -- with the ability that we have -- there's a better chance than not of putting up crooked numbers."
Tibbitts and the Indiana offense displayed its offensive firepower on Friday, while Bothwell put together a gutsy performance on the bump.
Bothwell's velocity was down throughout much of his start on Friday afternoon, something that Mercer attributed to arm fatigue.
"Ty Bothwell went out and did what he's done for us all year," Mercer said proudly. "He didn't feel great and he didn't have his best stuff, but he's a tough kid. He gave us a great start."
Not at 100%, Bothwell battled through five scoreless innings to start the game, racking up strikeout after strikeout in what could be his final appearance for Indiana.
On the day, Bothwell sat down nine Golden Eagle hitters via the punch out, limiting a potent Southern Miss lineup to seven hits and two earned runs.
"He's one of those guys that you know is going to go out there and compete no matter what," Tibbitts said, reflecting on Bothwell's outing. "He was just competing for the name across the front of his chest. That's really all you can ask for."
This time of year, Bothwell embodies what his head coach wants his Indiana team to be about.
The toughness and fight Bothwell demonstrated on Friday is one of the many reasons that Mercer has called this team the most prepared squad to win a regional that he's ever coached.
On Friday in Knoxville, Bothwell and Tibbitts -- two of the longest tenured Hoosiers -- delivered big time performances to lift the Hoosiers over the Golden Eagles.
Up next for Indiana, a Saturday evening date with the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 over all seed, the Tennessee Volunteers.
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