Indiana's 2025 season got off to a rocky start in Arizona this past weekend, as the Hoosiers struggled to find their footing against a tough slate of opponents.
Despite showing flashes of promise, Indiana dropped all four games at the Sanderson Ford Classic in Surprise, Arizona, suffering a mix of late-game heartbreaks, offensive woes and untimely miscues on both sides of things.
From a brutal first inning that set the tone for a season opening loss to UNLV, to a series of missed opportunities in an extra-inning loss to the Rebels on Monday, Indiana found itself battling not just its opponents, but its own consistency.
INDIANA STUMBLES IN SEASON OPENER
Indiana’s 2025 season got off to a rough start Friday night, as a tough first inning proved too much to overcome in a 4-1 loss to UNLV at the Sanderson Ford Classic.
Despite outhitting the Rebels 9-7, the Hoosiers struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Indiana went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Redshirt senior transfer Gavin Seebold made his Indiana debut on the mound but endured a brutal first inning, allowing four runs before recording an out. A trio of softly hit singles and an outfield misplay loaded the bases, setting up UNLV freshman Dean Toigo for a grand slam in his first collegiate at-bat.
Seebold, who took the loss, quickly settled in after the rough start. The right-hander rebounded to toss four scoreless innings, allowing just one more hit while striking out three and walking one.
Graduate student Drew Buhr took over in the fifth and continued the shutdown effort, throwing four scoreless innings of his own. The right-hander gave up two hits and struck out five. Dating back to last season, Buhr has now recorded five consecutive outings of three or more scoreless innings.
Indiana consistently put runners on base but failed to deliver in key moments. Multiple innings began with leadoff runners aboard, but missed opportunities and untimely double plays stifled potential rallies. The Hoosiers’ lone run came in the fifth, set up by a UNLV throwing error, but a baserunning mistake ended the threat.
Junior outfielder Devin Taylor and redshirt sophomore Korbyn Dickerson each recorded two hits, with Dickerson providing Indiana’s only extra-base hit—a ninth-inning double. However, Taylor struck out three times, including in a crucial at-bat in the final inning with a runner in scoring position.
Following the season-opening loss, Indiana returned to action Saturday against Xavier.
INDIANA'S RALLY FALLS SHORT IN EXTRA-INNINGS LOSS TO XAVIER
Indiana nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback Saturday night in game two of the weekend, but a rollercoaster contest ended in heartbreak as the Hoosiers fell 8-6 in 10 innings to Xavier at Surprise Stadium.
Down to their final three outs in the ninth, Indiana stormed back behind sophomore Jasen Oliver's clutch three-run homer to left-center, tying the game at 6-6 and igniting a dugout that had struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities all night.
But the momentum was short-lived.
Senior left-hander Ryan Kraft took the mound in the 10th and quickly recorded back-to-back strikeouts, seemingly setting the stage for a potential walk-off opportunity. However, a throwing error by shortstop Tyler Cerny on an infield grounder opened the door for Xavier, and the Musketeers took full advantage.
A soft single to center, a perfectly placed swinging bunt and a bloop led to two runs for Xavier. Kraft notched his third strikeout to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Despite loading the bases again in the bottom of the 10th, the Hoosiers couldn't deliver. Oliver, the ninth-inning hero, flied out to center, sealing the defeat. It was a frustrating theme throughout the night, as Indiana left the bases loaded three times and stranded 13 total runners.
While Indiana’s pitching staff was solid, racking up an eye-popping 21 strikeouts, defensive miscues loomed large. The Hoosiers committed four errors, including three throwing mistakes that directly led to runs. In the sixth inning, Xavier capitalized when a leadoff error by third baseman Josh Pyne set the stage for a three-run frame.
Making his highly anticipated Hoosier debut after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery, junior right-hander Ben Grable entered with one out in the sixth inning and quickly found himself in a tough spot.
His first attempted pitch resulted in a balk, moving the tying run to third. After walking the bases loaded, Grable nearly escaped, striking out a batter for the second out. But a wild pitch tied the game, and a rushed throw by catcher Jake Stadler allowed another run to score. What could have been an inning-ending strikeout turned into a go-ahead sequence for Xavier.
On the mound, graduate student Cole Gilley was stellar in his first start, striking out a career-high 11 batters over 5 1/3 innings while allowing just three hits and one earned run. His performance, combined with six strikeouts from sophomore Jackson Yarberry in relief and Kraft’s three in the 10th, helped Indiana match a program single-game record for strikeouts (21) dating back to 2001.
With two losses in the books, Indiana quickly turned its attention to a tough matchup against No. 7 Oregon State on Sunday.
HOOSIERS STYMIED BY NO. 7 OREGON STATE
Indiana’s early offensive struggles continued Sunday afternoon in a 6-0 loss to No. 7 Oregon State. A dominant pitching performance from the Beavers limited the Hoosiers to just one hit, leaving Indiana searching for answers at the plate.
After back-to-back frustrating games against mid-major opponents, Indiana faced an even tougher challenge in Oregon State’s pitching staff, which proved too much to handle.
The Beavers recorded 22 outs before freshman first baseman Jake Hanley broke up the no-hitter with a single to center field in the eighth inning. It was the lone bright spot in an otherwise silent day for Indiana’s offense.
Oregon State sophomore left-hander Ethan Kleinschmidt was masterful, tossing six no-hit innings. His mid-90s fastball kept the Hoosiers’ hitters off balance, and even as his velocity dipped into the upper 80s by the end of his outing, Indiana’s lineup failed to adjust.
Through the first three games in Surprise, Indiana’s offense was anemic, managing just eight total runs and 18 hits in 28 innings. Sunday’s loss marked the first time the Hoosiers were shut out since a 12-0 loss to Alabama in last season’s Frisco Classic. Through Sunday’s loss to Oregon State, Indiana was just 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position, repeatedly stranding runners in key moments.
While the bats remained cold, Indiana’s pitching staff provided some silver linings. Starter Pete Haas allowed four runs, but the bullpen kept the Beavers in check over the final five innings, allowing just two more runs. Redshirt senior Matthew Bohnert made his Indiana debut with a scoreless inning of relief.
Hanley’s eighth-inning single extended his hitting streak to three games to begin his collegiate career, making him the first Indiana true freshman to record a hit in his first three starts since Tyler Cerny in 2023.
After dropping to 0-3, Indiana had one more opportunity to salvage a win in Arizona, facing UNLV on Monday afternoon.
INDIANA UNABLE TO SALVAGE A WIN IN MONDAY'S FINALE
Indiana's trip out west ended in familiar fashion—another defeat. In a back-and-forth contest Monday afternoon, the Hoosiers fell 13-12 to UNLV, dropping to 0-4 on the season.
Right-hander Aydan Decker-Petty, Indiana's starter, took the mound hoping to secure the team's first win of the weekend. Decker-Petty was sharp, retiring the side in order in the first two innings on just 15 pitches each.
In the second, Indiana broke through against UNLV righty Sam Simon. With runners on second and third, Joey Brenczewski launched a three-run homer to right field, giving the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead after two innings.
However, the Hoosiers' pitching staff began to unravel in the third. After Decker-Petty allowed a double and a walk to start the inning, Ryan Kraft entered in relief. Kraft, making his second appearance of the weekend, struggled to contain the Rebels' offense. He gave up a two-RBI triple to Cooper Sheff, who later scored on a groundout, as UNLV grabbed a 4-3 lead.
As the game progressed, Indiana and UNLV traded runs until the Rebels added two in the top of the ninth to take a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the frame.
In the ninth, after a string of walks and timely hits—including an infield single from Jake Stadler—Indiana tied the game on a dramatic RBI triple by Devin Taylor, sending the game to extra innings.
But in the 10th, a series of misfortunes dashed the Hoosiers' hopes for a dramatic win. Freshman Henry Brummel relieved Matt Bohnert, and after a walk and an infield single, Brummel surrendered a crushing grand slam.
Indiana fought back in the bottom of the 10th, with Korbyn Dickerson hitting a three-run homer, but it wasn’t enough. Jake Hanley grounded out to end the game, sealing the Hoosiers' fourth consecutive loss in Arizona.
Indiana returns to action next weekend, starting Friday, Feb. 21, when the Hoosiers travel to Cary, North Carolina, to face Northwestern (Friday), Fordham (Saturday), and Harvard (Sunday).
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