Indiana

After Being on the Bubble, Indiana Baseball Squeaks Into NCAA Tournament

Published

2 years ago

May 27, 2024

After Being on the Bubble, Indiana Baseball Squeaks Into NCAA Tournament

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana baseball’s 10-4 loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals put head coach Jeff Mercer in an unfamiliar position.

He didn’t know if the season was over or not. Just in case, he treated it like the end and hoped he was wrong.

That hope was rewarded Monday, when the Hoosiers learned they made the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. They will play Friday in the four-team regional in Knoxville, Tenn.

Didn’t take long to see our name 😎 pic.twitter.com/OmqpyR5Zt9
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) May 27, 2024
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After being eliminated from the conference tournament, Indiana was squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and projections had the Hoosiers either among the last four teams in or first four out. During his previous coaching stint at Wright State, Mercer knew his teams needed to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. And across his first five seasons at Indiana, Mercer’s teams, including those that made the tournament in 2019 and 2023, had never been on the bubble.

So when it was time to deliver a message to his team following Saturday’s loss, Mercer is still unsure whether he handled it correctly. He called it a peculiar feeling, one he hasn’t felt before.

“Honestly, I treated it like it was the end of our season,” Mercer said Monday. “I don’t know if that’s the right thing or the wrong thing to do, but it was what I felt in the moment.”

He thanked outgoing seniors like Ty Bothwell, Ty Rybarcyzk and Morgan Colopy for their dedication to the program. He thanked players who have decided to pursue professional careers following the season. Mercer knew the Hoosiers’ postseason chances were out of his hands after Saturday’s two losses to Nebraska, and all they could do was wait until Monday’s selection show.

“I think in our society we don’t say thank you enough,” Mercer said. “I don’t think we appreciate people in the moment, look a guy in the face and say thank you for what you’ve done and how much you cared and how much you gave. So if that was going to be our last time together, I wanted to make sure that people got what they had coming, got what they had due, were appreciated and celebrated, and then we talked about I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“I told them the truth. I didn’t know. And I thought it would be close. We had some great wins, and then we had some bad losses, and I told them that. So if those bad losses were going to outweigh it, then so be it. And we kind of made our bed and we had to lie in it. So that’s about how the conversation went, told the guys I loved them because I do, gave them hugs, and if that was going to be it, make sure that nothing was left unsaid.”

Mercer had been feeling this uncertainty for weeks leading up to the Big Ten Tournament. He figured if Indiana won its series at Nebraska, it could secure an at-large bid. But the Hoosiers lost two of three. Mercer felt the same about a potential series sweep over Michigan the following weekend. But they fell one game short.

Indiana won its first two Big Ten Tournament games to reach the semifinals against Nebraska, and Mercer thought one more win and an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament title game would “nail it down.” But again, a 10-4 loss Saturday night put the Hoosiers one step short of really feeling secure in its postseason future.

“We had a feeling we were on the bubble there,” Indiana first baseman Brock Tibbitts said. “And we knew that a win over Nebraska would kind of solidify our spot, and we weren’t able to get the job done. So after the game, it was really just uncertainty about what the future held, not knowing if that would be the last time you got to take the field with those guys or if we’d get a shot this weekend.”

“After the game Saturday where we lost and got eliminated, I didn’t feel great,” Mercer said. “Until I kind of stepped back and looked at more of the metrics and numbers.”

Indiana is No. 55 nationally in the RPI, a ranking system that’s taken into consideration when building the 64-team tournament field. But with 30 automatic qualifiers from conference tournaments, seeding isn’t as simple as inviting the top 64 teams in the RPI.

Indiana benefited from only two teams in the country “bid stealing,” meaning they won their conference tournament and received an automatic bid when they weren’t in contention for an at-large bid. As conference tournaments played out, there easily could have been four or five bid stealers.

And as Mercer further evaluated Indiana’s resume, he felt encouraged by a few key factors. Indiana played six conference tournament champions – Duke, Nebraska, Northern Kentucky, Dallas Baptist, Evansville and Arizona – and it had a 6-10 record against Quad 1 opponents. Only 34 teams nationwide played more Quad 1 games, and some weren’t in contention for a bid. The Big Ten also ranked fourth in conference RPI, and Indiana finished third in the regular season standings and made the conference tournament semifinals.

“By the end of [Sunday], I thought we had a real chance to be in, just the way the whole thing had kind of navigated,” Mercer said. “So I felt halfway decent [Monday] morning. I don’t think you ever feel really good until you see your name pop up, but over the course of that 48 hours I went from not feeling very good to feeling, kind of by this morning, much more confident.”

The NCAA announced the 64-team tournament field Monday at noon. And after waiting anxiously from Saturday night through Monday morning, the Hoosiers didn’t have to wait long when the selection show started.

Tennessee was announced first as the No. 1 overall seed, and Indiana quickly followed as the regional’s No. 3 seed, setting up a matchup against No. 2 seed Southern Miss on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Northern Kentucky, which Indiana defeated 11-5 on March 6 in Bloomington, is the regional’s No. 4 seed.

Indiana was ready to close the book on the 2024 season after losing to Nebraska, but Monday’s news has given the Hoosiers new life and a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid as one of the last four teams in.

For Mercer, this year carries some extra meaning. Different from his first few years at Indiana, he has seen full-career development from many of his players, and ending their career with a tournament appearance is special.

His six years coaching Indiana span the entire college careers of guys like sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell, who will likely start on the mound for the Hoosiers this weekend, and Morgan Colopy, who’s been with the program since 2020. Mercer’s impactful 2021 recruiting class, with starters like Tibbitts, Carter Mathison, Josh Pyne and Luke Sinnard, will have professional decisions to make after the season.

With those players and others, Mercer said after the Big Ten Tournament that this team could win a regional and that it’s the most prepared team that he’s ever coached to do it.

Indiana has two starting pitchers, Bothwell and Connor Foley, that can go deep into games, an improvement from last year’s tournament team. Mercer said the bullpen has pitched especially well the last six weeks and has swing-and-miss stuff. And when it follows the game plan, he feels Indiana can be one of the better offenses in the country.

So when the wait was finally over, and the Hoosiers learned Monday they were in, he was happy they’ll get a chance to prove they are ready to meet the challenge.

“You feel relief,” Mercer said. “And you feel a sense of joy for those guys. You feel a sense of accomplishment for them.”

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Indiana

Statewide Silver Alert issued for two missing Indiana children

Published

6 hours ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Statewide Silver Alert issued for two missing Indiana children

RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — A statewide Silver Alert has been issued for two young children in Indiana.

Police in Ripley County, southeast of Indianapolis, are looing for the children who may be siblings.

The first child is 3-year-old Aaliyah Buckingham.

She was last seen wearing a pink cat shirt and tie-dye shorts.

The younger child is 1-year-old Shane Buckingham, last seen in a red shirt and diaper.

Police think both are with 45-year-old Timothy Buckingham, who was last seen driving a brown GMC truck.

Timothy is described as a 6′ 3″ white man weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Photo of Timothy Buckingham provided by Indiana State Police

Police have not confirmed the relationship of the three, or why the children are believed to be in danger.

Anyone who sees the three are asked to contact the nearest police department.

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Indiana

Indianapolis firefighter hospitalized after battling fire at vacant home

Published

18 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis firefighter hospitalized after battling fire at vacant home

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A firefighter for the Indianapolis Fire Department was sent to the hospital Wednesday after battling a fire at a vacant house.

According to a Facebook post made by IFD, the fire happened around 10:15 a.m. at a house on Bluff Rd. IFD says that there were several complications, including limited access to fire hydrants and “interior hoarder conditions” that IFD says was due to squatters.

The injured firefighter received “slight injury,” the Facebook post said.

It took over an hour and a half to get the fire under control, according to IFD, and another hour to put out all the remaining hot spots in the building.

According to IFD, the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Their Fire Investigations Unit is working on figuring out what caused the fire.

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Indiana

IHSAA football: 10 sleeper teams to watch in Central Indiana for the 2026 season

Published

1 day ago

July 15, 2026

Press Room

IHSAA football: 10 sleeper teams to watch in Central Indiana for the 2026 season

The high school football season is a little more than five weeks away. We take a look today at 10 potential sleeper teams for the 2026 season from Central Indiana. To keep things consistent, we considered only teams that finished last season with a .500 record or below.

I had a few hits in this category last year, including Avon (3-7 to 6-5), Carmel (3-7 to 9-2) and Indian Creek (5-6 to 8-4). Here are teams poised for an uptick this season:

Brebeuf Jesuit

A drop off last year was not unexpected for the Braves, who lost a lot of talent from a team that finished 8-3 in 2024. Brebeuf started 0-6 on its way to a 3-8 season, which was its first losing record since going 4-6 in 2016.

There were some mitigating circumstances around last season’s record, extending beyond inexperience. The Braves lost starting quarterback Keegan Bouwkamp to an injury in the first game of the season, though he was able to return to pass for 1,004 yards and 15 touchdowns in just four games. His return as a senior will allow to senior Carter Cosgrove to return to receiver full time. They are part of a group of nine starters returning to an offense that did produce 26 points per game last season and will be anchored by UConn commit Krystian Oakley on the line.

Coach Matt Geske’s team also returns six starters on defense, including junior Joshua Rogers (42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks). There are some new games on the schedule, including Mt. Vernon, Scecina, Columbus North and Cardinal Ritter.

North Central

It might seem like a small thing but North Central finishing 2-8 last season did represent a significant jump after three consecutive 0-10 seasons. In fact, a two-win season is the best for the Panthers since going 6-4 in 2020.

Now, can North Central take another step forward in Collin Coffer’s second season as coach? The Panthers ended a 32-game losing streak in the season opener last year with a 35-13 victory over Brebeuf, then defeated Harrison (West Lafayette) 41-28 in Week 5. If North Central is going to take the next step, it will need to make headway against Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference opponents (North Central’s most-recent MIC win was in 2021).

There is plenty of hope coming into the season with an offense led by junior quarterback Chase Grove (1,901 passing yards, 19 TDs) and an experienced group of receivers. Most of the defense also returns, including seniors Kolton Ablitar-Conner and Jameson Hittle.

Zionsville

The Eagles were 3-7 last year, but four of those losses came by 10 points or less. Zionsville has been stuck on either three or four wins every year since going 9-6 and reaching the Class 5A state finals in 2021.

There are reasons to believe coach Scott Turnquist’s team can make a move in 2026. The offensive line brings back Ball State commit Eli Wildoner and Ben Maxey and has a rising star in junior tight end Theo Schott, who caught 26 passes for 305 yards and three TDs last season. Junior quarterback Finn Giles transferred from Carmel and will battle for the starting spot with junior Mac Wright.

The defense has talent, too, led by senior Ball State preferred walk-on Roman Barth on the line, along with junior Peter Monohan. The secondary returns one of the team’s top tacklers in junior Gabe Vinatieri. Zionsville starts with Pike and Lawrence Central before getting into Hoosier Crossroads Conference play.

Martinsville

The Artesians did drop off from a 12-2 regional championship season in 2024 but still managed to win a sectional title and finish 6-7 last year with a relatively inexperienced team.

Coach Brian Dugger’s group will still be a little bit on the young side in some areas, but there is quite a bit coming back. Leading the way on offense will be senior quarterback Chase Davis (2,510 passing yards, 24 TDs), senior receiver Landon Cazee (95 catches, 1,280 yards, 13 TDs) and senior lineman Kyson Bunton.

The defense loses some key pieces to graduation, though senior linebackers Joel Sumner (67 tackles, five TFLs) and Nate LaFary (47 tackles in eight games) are among those returning. The path to a sectional title became a lot more difficult with Roncalli now in the mix. The Artesians open the season with Bedford North Lawrence and Bloomington South before getting into Mid-State Conference play with new league member Bloomington North in Week 3.

Hamilton Heights

Caleb Small comes over to coach his alma mater after coaching at Northwestern two years ago and Kokomo last season. The Huskies were 4-6 last year with a first-round sectional exit to Guerin Catholic, but there is a lot of experience returning on both sides of the ball.

The Huskies should be strong at the skill positions with senior running back A.J. Flanagan (813 rushing yards, seven TDs; 20 catches, 181 yards) returning, along with senior quarterback Drew Woodruff (1,742 passing yards, 13 TDs).

The defense should be strong in front seven with junior linebackers Grayden Dahlstrom and Landon Hickman among the returnees. The Huskies are coming off back-to-back 4-win seasons after going 11-1 in 2023 and making a run to the sectional title game. Small has a lot of experience on his staff, including eight coaches who have coached at the Class 6A level.

The sectional no longer includes Guerin Catholic or Bishop Chatard – the two programs that have knocked the Huskies out the past six seasons.

Mt. Vernon

This might seem like a lot to ask after Mt. Vernon finished 0-10 last season. Coach Mike Kirschner returns after getting the Marauders’ program a jolt from 2018 to 2020, helping to set the stage for a run to the Class 4A state title in 2021.

Can Kirschner help to make it happen again? Mt. Vernon allowed 46.2 points per game last season, so a major overhaul will be needed on that side of the ball. There is some experienced there, including senior James Battee on the line and Zach Spalding and B.J. Johnson at linebacker.

The offense returns four starters on the line, along with Arizona State baseball recruit Mason Meyer (1,517 passing yards, 11 TDs; 420 rushing yards, six TDs) at quarterback and Johnson at receiver. Instead of Noblesville and Franklin, Mt. Vernon will open with Kokomo and Brebeuf Jesuit before getting into Hoosier Heritage Conference play.

Monrovia

The Bulldogs struggled to a 4-7 record last year after back-to-back 9-3 seasons. Coach Andy Olson’s team could be in line for a bounce back season with three top rushers returning in junior Ryder Bain (978 yards, 12 TDs), senior Coewen Stinson (957 yards, 10 TDs) and junior Gavin Wolsiffer (746 yards, six TDs). Monrovia averaged 261 rushing yards per game last season.

The defense struggled last season, especially late. The Bulldogs lost 57-56 to Heritage Christian in the second round of the sectional. The good news is that Monrovia returns plenty of experience on that side of the ball, including senior Gauge Tolan (123 tackles).

Monrovia has not had back-to-back losing seasons since 2019 and 2020.

Cardinal Ritter

Ritter has been competitive the past three seasons under coach Levar Johnson but have not been able to break through with a winning season since 2020. The Raiders were 3-7 last year with wins over Tech, Greenwood Christian and Covenant Christian.

Can Ritter get over the top with a winning season in 2026? Junior linebacker Bam McCullough (99 tackles, eight TFLs, 3 ½ sacks) is a Division I talent and will be joined at the linebacker spot by junior Ve’Sean Miles (81 tackles, 6 ½ TFLs). Ritter has three other returning starters on defense.

The offense has three returning starters on the offensive line (eight overall) and several talented skill position players, including junior running back Tavien Fox (659 rushing yards, nine TDs), who is moving back from quarterback. Senior Renaldo Thomas (534 rushing yards, three TDs) also has experience. Junior Jordyn Graham, a transfer from Crispus Attucks, is the likely starter at quarterback.

Greenwood

It is a new era for the Woodmen in the Hoosier Legends Conference, where 4A Greenwood will be one of the larger schools in the eight-team league. The Woodmen were 2-8 last year, a drop after going 6-6 two years ago and 4-8 last season.

Greenwood will have experience at the skill positions on offense, led by Lindenwood commit Benjamin Hommell at wide receiver (26 catches, 625 yards, eight TDs) and junior running back Leland Morton (596 rushing yards, three TDs). There is some experience up front on defense with Aidyn Wiley on the line and linebackers James Hurley, Damyan Hernandez and Gage Hall.

Areas of concern for Greenwood will be a young offensive line and secondary.

Scecina

The Crusaders were on this list last year and did make a two-win jump, improving from 3-7 to 5-5. Scecina lost in the first round of the sectional, 47-29, to Monrovia in Dan Harris’ second season as coach.

Scecina returns plenty talent and experience at the skill positions, including senior quarterback Bryce McDonald (1,990 passing yards, 21 TDs), senior receiver Tristan Brown (65 catches, 708 yards, six TDs) and senior running back Gavin Connel (578 yards, four TDs). The Crusaders have good size up front but not a lot of experience.

The defense will include some of the same names from the offense, along with Mannie Stevens and C.J. Heard on the line and Kaiden Dugan at inside linebacker.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.

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