Hoosiers and Trojans split the doubleheader behind nine combined home runs and double-digit hit counts in each contest
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach March 28th, 2025
photos by Carl James
“We knew we would have to duke it out”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 5, Southern California Trojans 10
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana Hoosiers 13, Southern California Trojans 6
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana continued its path through Big Ten play with conference expansion foe in the University of Southern California taking the trek east for a three-game set. USC, home to the most national championships in collegiate baseball history, entered today with a 14-10 overall record, standing 4-5 in conference play. Indiana, similarly, entered the weekend 4-5 in the B1G before Friday’s doubleheader.
Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer spoke pregame with USC head man Andy Stankiewicz who mentioned “I still have to pinch myself seeing the Big Ten logo on our jersey.” Stankiewicz, an Indiana native, admired the matchup, stating “if you had told me when I was a kid that I would see USC walking into Bloomington to play a series, I never would have believed it.”
His excitement certainly came into fruition from the initial pitch of the doubleheader.
It was a tale of two completely different ball games but one overarching concept stayed true: the home run ball played its part.
In game one, the Trojans mashed five long balls, three of those in consecutive batters to lead off the fourth inning. Ryan Kraft and Gavin Seebold split up the game with over four innings apiece, allowing a combined 16 hits. The wheels fell off in the final three frames as USC tacked on seven runs, while Indiana’s offense remained stagnant, continuing to leave runners on base. The visitors took game one by a score of 10-5.
“We knew we would have to duke it out” said Coach Mercer. The 30 mph winds were certainly in effect as what had been thought to have been routine fly balls left the yard. “I assumed it would be a big part of the day. They landed on a few more in the first game than we did, and we landed on a few more in the second game, and were able to run away with it.”
Game two was all Indiana from start to finish. The Hoosiers grabbed a first inning lead for the second time and never looked back, rallying for six runs in the second frame. Jake Hanley’s 2-RBI double parlayed with Tyler Cerny’s 3-run shot gave Cole Gilley some cushion to work with on the bump.
Hanley tallied a 6-10 outing in the two contests with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBIs. Mercer reverted to a part of his success as being such a great listener. As a freshman, Hanley has taken initiative to stand next to Coach Mercer during every inning of every ball game. “We talk hitting, and approach… He’s a great worker and he’s talented at the top. Ability is a huge determining factor, but then there’s intelligence too.”
As a staff, Cole Gilley, Grant Holderfield, and Pete Haas limited the damage as much as possible, stranding 13 Trojans on the basepaths behind an aggressive offensive approach. Indiana took game two by a score of 13-6.
The Hoosiers confidently walk away from Friday’s doubleheader having used just a few arms and keeping Ben Grable at the wait for Saturday’s rubber match. After tossing nearly 100 pitches last week, and still coming off of surgery, Grable needed the rest to be able to be his best in the matinee.
Indiana and USC will meet up at noon on Saturday, Mar. 29th to decide the series.