While the Indiana baseball season ended abruptly in a year that expectations were high, the Hoosiers return almost the entirety of the roster from last year and bring in a very talented recruiting class as well.
Nearly the entire roster is playing summer ball in some capacity and multiple players are yet to show any rust from a shortened season, especially those playing at Grand Park Summer League.
One of those players is Ethan Vecrumba. The rising sophomore would've been the least likely name to be atop the list of Hoosiers performing well after a freshman season in which he hit just .097 (3-of-31) in 13 appearances.
So far this summer, however, Vecrumba is hitting .643 (9-of-14) in seven appearances. With the departure of Elijah Dunham, Vecrumba could be someone expected to step into that role this upcoming season. And to this point, he is relishing that opportunity.
For one of the star returning players for IU, Cole Barr has started right where he left off when IU's season was shut down. The rising senior is hitting .583 (7-of-12) at Grand Park.
Indiana has also had some notable pitchers leave the past few years, leaving way for some of the young stars to take over. One of those is Zach Behrmann. He did not see any action as a freshman after graduating high school early, but his skillset has been on full display this summer. In eight innings pitched, Behrmann hasn't given up a run and only allowed six hits to eight strikeouts.
As Barr and Behrmann headline 'The A-Team' squad, IU rising senior Cooper Trinkle is also teammates with the aforementioned duo. After having a solid junior year in 2020, Trinkle is having an efficient summer in limited opportunities. Hitting 2-of-5 (.400) with two RBI's and two walks, as well, Trinkle is looking to cement his position in the lineup come next year.
On top of the great play from multiple Hoosiers, Jeff Mercer added to his future roster this weekend when 2020 shortstop Tank Espalin announced his commitment to Indiana. The former USC commit switched his pledge and will join IU this fall.
According to Perfect Game, baseball's top recruiting profile site, Espalin was graded a 10 out of 10. The 6-foot-1 infielder has been highly regarded as a terrific defensive shortstop with great glove work. With an improved bat, he has transformed into one of the best prospects in the class. He will join Alex Logusch and Joe Reid, both rated 9 out of 10, as the headliners in Indiana's class of 2020.
So despite Jeff Mercer describing this past season and offseason as 'chaotic', he continues to build a Big Ten power on the diamond.
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