Indiana baseball beat No. 18 Coastal Carolina 7-2 in the Baseball at the Beach event on Saturday afternoon. The event is being played at Spring Brooks Stadium, the Chanticleers’ home field in Conway, South Carolina.
It was the first top 20 win for the Hoosiers (1-1) since beating No. 10 Louisville in April last year. Coastal Carolina (1-1) was coming off a 26-0 win over George Mason on Opening Day.
More: Five storylines to watch for Indiana baseball going into the 2024 season
Indiana baseball’s new faces provide the late fireworks
Indiana second baseman Brandon Burckel gave his team a 3-2 lead by hitting a solo home run on the first he saw in the top of the eighth inning. The Houston transfer started in 101 career games in two seasons with a .260 batting average.
Redshirt freshman AJ Shepard helped put the game away in the ninth with a two-run home run, the first of his career. The catcher redshirted in 2023 after missing his senior year at Patriot High School in Virginia. Shortstop Tyler Cerny hit a two-run single in the inning as well.
“We want to be fundamental and tough late,” Indiana coach Jeff Mercer said. “Duke and Coastal Carolina are both good teams. If you’re doing it right, you’re going to be in close games. That was the talk of the dugout.”
More: Indiana athletic department’s 2023 financial report shows surplus of $5.6 million
Indiana baseball looks sharp on the mound
Indiana sophomore Connor Foley pitched four scoreless innings in his first career start. He had overpowering stuff with seven strikeouts through the first three innings (five swinging). As a true freshman, he held opposing hitters to a .163 batting average. He only allowed two hits and two walks on Saturday.
Fifth-year senior Ty Bothwell (1-0) got the win in relief.
He allowed a pair of unearned runs in the sixth inning, but he worked out a bases-loaded jam by streaking out Coastal Carolina’s leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci. He got the team’s hard-hitting first baseman Zach Beach to fly out with runners at second and third to end the game.
“From a perspective of me being an older guy, the overall team dynamic is probably the best it’s ever been in my six years here,” Bothwell said. “This is probably the most talented and well-knit team I’ve ever been a part of.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
