BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - As head coach Jeff Mercer's postgame press conference began on Tuesday night, the sounds of baseballs hitting aluminum bats echoed out of Indiana's clubhouse.
"They probably better be swinging right now," Mercer said.
Indiana had just lost its third mid-week game of the season to an opponent ranked outside the top 100 of the RPI. The sour taste left in Indiana's mouths following its 5-4 loss on Tuesday to Evansville isn't unfamiliar.
Back on Feb. 27 it was the Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne that marched into Bloomington and upset the Hoosiers.
15 days later, Illinois State left Bart Kaufman Field victorious over Indiana after pulling off a mid-week upset.
The difference between those two losses and Tuesday night's loss to the Purple Aces, the Hoosiers' offense didn't show up.
"Today we just weren't good enough offensively," Mercer explained. "It stinks to lose these games, but that's the way that it goes if you don't do what you're supposed to do. Today, from an offensive standpoint, (we were) just flat out not good enough."
Indiana out-hit Evansville on Tuesday night, seven hits to four hits. The Hoosiers left six on base in the mid-week loss, as Indiana struggled with runners in scoring position all evening long.
Indiana went 3-13 at the plate with runners in scoring position against Evansville.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, left fielder Devin Taylor stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second and two down. Shortstop Tyler Cerny had just delivered a two-RBI single to cut Indiana's deficit down to two runs.
With a chance to cut the Evansville lead even further, Taylor -- the Big Ten's preseason Player of the Year -- grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Taylor has struggled as of late. The last four games, the sophomore has gone 2-18 at the plate.
"He hasn't been as good as he needs to be," Mercer said regarding Taylor. "Everybody gets held to the same standard. He hasn't been as good as of late. I'm sure that he'll work his way through it and get back to being the great player he is."
While a multitude of other factors contributed to Indiana's loss on Tuesday night, that bottom of the fifth inning exemplified the Hoosiers' game-long struggles.
"I have to find a way to make sure that we show up every single day committed to a plan," Mercer said. "We didn't do that when given the opportunities in the middle of that game. And that was frustrating. When you don't compete to the plan the way that you should, that's frustrating."
The Hoosiers lost 20 games all of last season. They played 63 games.
This year, Indiana has lost 17 of its first 37 games. The Hoosiers are three losses away from matching their loss total from a season ago.
The loss marked the 10th time this season that Indiana has fallen at home in Bart Kaufman Field this year. The Hoosiers lost just four times at home all of last year.
At this point, it's beginning to become a pattern for the 2024 Indiana Hoosiers.
There are many reasons this team is on the outside looking in at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Chief among them, is the Hoosiers' mid-week struggles.
"I said my piece and I didn't really give a whole lot of time for feedback," Mercer responded when asked what the players' reaction to the loss was. "We shouldn't feel very good to be honest with you. We didn't do the things that we typically would do and have done to give ourselves a chance to win and so therefore you don't get to win."
"You have to willfully take yourself through the things that you have to do in order to have success," Mercer continued. "And today we didn't do that offensively. We're on top of every offensive category in the league, I know that. But dammit it wasn't today and that bothers me."
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