Indiana’s offense stalls against elite velocity while early damage buries Neubeck in 12–2 loss
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach April 25th, 2026, photos by Carl James
“You’re just not going to be able to end at-bats when you’re in between timing.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 2, Iowa Hawkeyes 12
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
What had been one of Indiana’s more reliable strengths suddenly looked outmatched.
Against a different level of pitching and a relentless Iowa lineup, the Hoosiers never found their footing Friday night, falling 12–2 in a lopsided series opener at Bart Kaufman Field.
Indiana didn’t lack opportunities, but it lacked answers.
Despite nine hits, the Hoosiers never strung together the kind of at-bats needed to pressure Iowa’s pitching staff, instead falling into a pattern that head coach Jeff Mercer made clear postgame.
“We were not very good offensively,” Mercer said. “You’re just not going to be able to end at-bats when you’re in between timing.”
That “in between” showed up all night. Indiana hitters were especially late on velocity and consistently forced themselves into two-strike counts they couldn’t escape.
With fastballs sitting in the low-to-mid 90s and heavy sink between starter Tyler Guerin and reliever Kyle Alivo, the Hawkeyes dictated the approach early. Indiana’s offense couldn’t respond to it.
While the offense stalled, Indiana couldn’t afford mistakes on the mound. It got them anyway.
Tony Neubeck, dominant for the majority of the season, ran into trouble early and never recovered. The graduate left-hander allowed seven runs in four innings, with his command wavering just enough for Iowa to capitalize.
Mercer pointed to both execution and preparation, as Neubeck has thrown a team-high 48 innings this season.
“Maybe the fastball is down a tick or two… and they had a really good game plan against him,” he said.
Iowa didn’t miss when given chances. Three multi-run home runs turned pressure into separation, and once the lead stretched, the game was effectively out of reach.
Indiana’s best chance came and went quietly.
After pushing across a pair of runs and putting the first three hitters aboard in the middle innings, the Hoosiers had a window to make it a game. They failed to capitalize.
“That was probably your shot… to score three or four and try to get back into it,” Mercer said.
Instead, three straight outs ended the threat, where the lineup never turned over. Even a 22-minute delay in which the lights went out, the Hoosier offense couldn’t be rejuvenated.
On the note of the number 22, Caleb Koskie took over the all-time lead with his consecutive game hit streak. The sophomore has batted around .500 this April with 19 RBIs. He takes the reign over Alex Dickerson during the 2010 season.
The Hoosiers failed to hit high-level pitching in the series opener but two games remain with the Hawkeyes on the other side.
Indiana’s bats will try to respond Saturday afternoon with Brayton Thomas behind them on the mound. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.