The Hoosiers showcased an offensive surge behind a stellar outing out of southpaw Tony Neubeck
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach April 3rd, 2026, photos by Carl James
“You look up at the scoreboard and it looks like an avalanche, but it was really three or four or five small structural changes.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 11, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 0 (7 innings)
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
After six consecutive losses, it felt that everything finally clicked for Indiana.
According to head coach Jeff Mercer, the tough stretch wasn’t about one major fix, but a steady buildup.
“It’s not going to be one magic pill… it’s just a little bit each day,” Mercer said.
The Hoosiers’ head coach went back to the drawing board to craft his most explosive offensive lineup yet. The addition of Owen ten Oever’s bat and the increased defensive flexibility of Brayden Ricketts behind the dish allowed Indiana to lean more offensive with its ace on the mound.
“I just wanted to play offense… that was definitely our best offensive lineup,” Mercer said. “You lengthen the lineup out, and that’s additional pressure for that pitcher…that’s more pitches, it’s a couple of hits… and it makes a big difference.”
Tony Neubeck, who had spent the last three weekends as the Saturday starter, moved up to the Friday night role as the schedule eases up a bit. The lefty twirled an impressive six-inning outing, allowing just three hits. The veteran did not walk a single batter, struck out eight, and shut out the Scarlet Knights on just 80 pitches.
“Tony was tremendous… he was electric tonight,” Mercer said. “He really pressured them at the top of the zone and executed all night.”
The offense was spearheaded by two-out success and power bats at the top of the order, something that had been missing during the losing streak.
Indiana scored its first six runs in the first four innings with two outs, finishing the night 7-for-13 in those situations. The breakthrough wasn’t random, just the result of adjustments in their approach and confidence at the plate.
“When you feel better, you’re more confident… you stay in the fight,” Mercer said.
Jake Hanley opened the scoring in the third with a two-run homer to right before the Hoosiers broke things open in the fourth.
Will Moore crushed a three-run homer to left, and Hanley followed later in the inning with an RBI single through the right side to extend the lead.
Hogan Denny added the finishing touches in the sixth with a two-run homer to left as part of a 3-for-4 day, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle.
Moore tallied three RBIs, while Hanley added a multi-hit performance with three RBIs of his own as Indiana’s revamped approach translated into consistent, situational production.
“You look up at the scoreboard and it looks like an avalanche,” Mercer said. “But it was really three or four or five small structural changes.”
Jacob Vogel came on to record the final three outs, sealing a clean mercy-rule victory in what was Indiana’s most complete performance of the 2026 season.
Jeff Mercer’s crew will now have a fully available bullpen for the final two games of the weekend series. Saturday’s contest will likely be pushed back due to inclement weather in the area, but for the first time in nearly two weeks, Indiana has momentum, and a blueprint to build on.