Hoosiers strand 13 and fail to adjust in Saturday loss to Abilene Christian
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach April 18th, 2026, photos by Carl James
“You’ve got to play the game the way the game is required, and we didn’t do that.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 4, Abilene Christian Wildcats 8
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Emotional lapses, baserunning mistakes, and untimely hitting told the story for Indiana on Saturday.
The Hoosiers put 17 runners on base but managed just four runs, falling 8-4 to Abilene Christian in the middle game of the series. After a complete performance the night before, Indiana couldn’t match that same execution, particularly when it mattered most.
“We hit the ball hard several times… but we didn’t string at-bats together,” head coach Jeff Mercer said. “You’ve got to play the game the way the game is required, and we didn’t do that.”
Indiana’s struggles were most evident with runners in scoring position, finishing just 2-for-11 and stranding 13 men on base. Opportunities came early and often, including a bases-loaded chance in the first inning and another with two on and no outs in the fifth, but both went to waste.
Brayton Thomas gave Indiana a strong start before things unraveled.
The sophomore left-hander was dominant through three innings, racking up seven strikeouts and cruising on just 44 pitches. But the fourth inning flipped the game. A string of free passes opened the door, and Abilene Christian capitalized, plating five runs to take control.
“He had really good stuff… but he wasn’t competitive enough in that inning,” Mercer said. “His emotions got the best of him, and we couldn’t afford that on a day we weren’t good offensively.”
Jacob Vogel was first out of the bullpen and limited further damage in the fourth, but couldn’t fully settle in. With a heavy wind impacting flight paths, the matchup seemed to favor the fly-ball heavy right-hander, yet execution wasn’t there.
“I think he loses his posture a little bit on righties… and that’s why he cuts the fastball,” Mercer said. “We’ve talked about it, but it showed up today.”
Offensively, there were flashes but not enough consistency.
Cole Decker drove in two runs, his fourth and fifth RBIs of the weekend, while Hogan Denny and Brayden Ricketts each left the yard with solo home runs. Still, the Hoosiers never found a rhythm.
“It wasn’t going to be one of those games where you hit a bunch of homers,” Mercer said. “You’ve got to adapt, and we just didn’t do a good enough job of that.”
One constant, however, remains Caleb Koskie.
Koskie extended his hitting streak to 20 games, becoming the first Hoosier since Alex Dickerson in 2010 to reach that mark. He’ll have a chance to tie Dickerson’s 21-game program benchmark in Sunday’s rubber match.
“He plays the game like a pro,” Mercer said. “He’s always in the right place, always in the right count… he just understands how to hit.”
Indiana will now turn to its bullpen depth in the series finale, with arms like Jackson Yarberry and Gavin Seebold likely factoring in heavily.
First pitch is set for noon at Bart Kaufman Field.