The Indiana baseball team took its season-opening best-of-three series at Memphis 2-1 over the weekend. A quick glance at the final score of each game:
Game 1: Indiana 6, Memphis 1.
Game 2: Memphis 6, Indiana 3.
Game 3: Indiana 6, Memphis 0.
Here are three things we learned:
1. Starting pitching is sharp
Senior Pauly Milto showed exactly why he had the chops to be the Friday night starter, tossing seven strikeouts in a two-hit, seven-inning start in Game 1 of Saturday's double-header. Opening day has treated Milto well in each of the last two seasons - this year included - as he allowed no runs and just three hits, with 12 strikeouts and two walks combined across 13 innings.
JUCO transfer Tanner Gordon delivered in his much-anticipated debut, allowing one hit in the first three innings while striking out four batters in Game 2. Overall, he struck out four with one earned run, one walk and three hits allowed.
Sophomore Tommy Sommer helped Indiana clinch the rubber match allowing just one walk and five hits with four strikeouts in six shutout innings.
2. Offense can score in a variety of ways
Indiana led the Big Ten in home runs last season last season at 68 but lost one-third of that production with the graduation of Logan Sowers (10) and pro departure of Luke Miller (13). Early on, it appears this year's lineup isn't as dependent on the long ball and can produce runs in multiple ways.
Junior Matt Gorski opened the scoring in Game 1 with a one-out, 2-RBI single, which was followed by RBI doubles by sophomore Justin Walker and senior Matt Lloyd. Collectively, IU's 1-5 five hitters - Gorski, Walker, Senior Logan Kaletha, Lloyd, and senior Ryan Fineman - combined for eight hits, six RBI, four runs and four extra-base hits.
In Game Two, sophomore Cole Barr's 3-run home run accounted for all of Indiana's scoring, but getting that kind of power from its six-hitter proved encouraging.
Sunday's Game 3 victory saw the Hoosiers produce their six runs via a solo home run from Gorski, a 2-RBI bases loaded single and sac-fly RBI by Kaletha, a sac-fly RBI by Lloyd and a sac-bunt RBI by Walker.
3. Most of the starting lineup appears set, with two key position battles still playing out
Hoosiers head coach Jeff Mercer has a lot of options and used this past weekend's series to experiment a little bit with his starters.
Five of the nine spots appear to be settled with Gorski starting every game in right field, Kaletha in center, Lloyd at first, Houston at shortstop and Barr at third. Catcher Ryan Fineman will typically get the start there except in situations like Saturday's double-header when Wyatt Cross got the start, likely for giving Fineman some rest. The weekend rotation will likely remain set barring any unforeseen changes, so that would leave position battles at second and left field undecided.
Senior Cade Bunnell started at second in Game 2 while Walker got the nod in games 1 and 3. In left field, Mercer is sorting through a trio of sophomores in Elijah Dunham (Game 1), Sam Crail (Game 2) and Drew Ashley (Game 3).
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