3/5/2021 baseball Edit

Indiana baseball set for season opening matchups

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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It's been a long time since the Indiana baseball team took to the diamond, but that all ends on Friday night.

The Hoosiers' season gets underway as Jeff Mercer's team opens up with a double-header against Rutgers at 4 pm ET and then Minnesota at 8 pm ET. Both games will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

It will be a four-game weekend series, with two against Rutgers (Fri/Sat) and two against Minnesota (Fri/Sun). IU will then face Rutgers at 9 pm ET on Saturday and the finale will be another game against Minnesota on Sunday at 7 pm ET.

Both Rutgers and Minnesota have three players each on the 2021 Preseason Honors List. Both teams come in at the bottom half of the preseason Big Ten rankings.

Indiana baseball opens the season against Rutgers and Minnesota this weekend. (IU Athletics)

Grant Bierman is expected to get the start for the Hoosiers in the opener. The preseason All-Big Ten selection was 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA last season before COVID caused the season to end early. As a freshman, he went 4-0 with a 3.56 ERA, both as a starter and out of the bullpen.

Overall, IU should have one of the better starting rotations in the Big Ten with Connor Manous and Tommy Sommer in addition to Bierman. Sommer should get the start in game two against Minnesota tonight.

Indiana is led by outfielder Grant Richardson at the plate and on defense. He was named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the Hoosiers with a .424 batting average, five home runs and 17 RBI last season.

Richardson comes in as a First-Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. He was also named Third-Team Preseason All-American by D1 Baseball.

Indiana was picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in the preseason Big Ten standings. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 14 in the nation by Perfect Game and is receiving votes in the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll.

Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the conference in wins (430) and Big Ten wins (178). The Hoosiers have also made seven NCAA Regional appearances over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.

Indiana has its home-opener, a four game series against Penn State, beginning on March 12th.