OMAHA, Neb. – When the opportunity presented itself, the Indiana Baseball team (31-24) couldn’t find the clutch hit it needed. The Hoosiers stranded runners in scoring position in five-straight frames (second through sixth) and didn’t score until the ninth inning. IU’s pitching staff allowed just five runs but it wasn’t enough in a 5-2 defeat to No. 10-seeded Rutgers in the opening game of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.
IU put together 10 hits and reached three additional times via the hit-by-pitch but stranded 11 runners on base and finished the game hitting .091 (1-11) with runners in scoring position. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor’s two-run home run was the lone scoring for the Hoosiers on Tuesday (May 20) afternoon.
The defeat put an early dagger in IU’s Big Ten Tournament stay. Under the new format, the Hoosiers are unable to advance out of Pool C going forward. IU will play one more game – against No. 3 Iowa on Friday (May 23) afternoon – with the chance to end on a high note at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Kraft (L, 3-2) gave IU everything it could ask for in what his likely his last collegiate appearance. The southpaw went 6.2 innings and allowed just four earned runs. He didn’t walk a batter and added three strikeouts to his season tally. Redshirt senior Gavin Seebold recorded the final seven outs.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year – first baseman Jake Hanley – was one of four players with multi-hit games for IU. Rutgers’ sophomore first baseman Ty Doucette had the only three-hit effort by either team and also provided a solo home run in the sixth inning. A three-run seventh inning made all the difference for the Scarlet Knights.
IU’s stay in Omaha will wrap up with a contest against No. 3-seeded Iowa on Friday at 2:00 p.m. CT. Every pitcher besides Seebold and Kraft will be up and ready to throw. The Hoosiers have won at least one game in three-straight Big Ten Tournaments entering this year.
Scoring Recap
Top Fourth
On the first pitch he saw all day, Jack Sweeney launched a solo home run to left field to give the Scarlet Knights an early lead.
Rutgers 1, Indiana 0
Top Sixth
Ty Doucette doubled the advantage with a no-doubt solo home run to open the sixth inning.
Rutgers 2, Indiana 0
Top Seventh
With two outs, RJ Johnson got a bloop single to fall in the outfield to score one more run. After a pitching change, Brennan Hyde launched a two-run home run.
Rutgers 5, Indiana 0
Bottom Ninth
Devin Taylor ensured IU didn’t get shutout. He hit a two-run home run to right-center field – his 17th of the season.
Rutgers 5, Indiana 2
Top Hoosier Performers
#29 Kraft, Ryan
6.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 K
#5 Taylor, Devin
2-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
#15 Malamazian, Cooper
2-4, 3B
Inside the Box Score
• IU’s two pitchers didn’t walk or hit any batters in the entire game.
• The Hoosiers left 11 runners on base – they stranded runners in scoring position in five-straight frames.
• IU’s offense had 10 hits but also had 10 strikeouts.
Notes to Know
• IU’s pitching staff – which featured veterans Ryan Kraft and Gavin Seebold – recorded all 27 outs without conceding a walk. It’s the first time since April 7, 2025 (vs. Michigan State, F/7) that IU has gone a game without walking a batter. Before today, the last time IU didn’t walk a batter in a nine-inning game was against Butler (March 29, 2024).
• Kraft, in what was likely his final start for IU, provided everything that his team could ask for. He wraps up his collegiate career with 82 appearances, 192.2 innings pitched and 195 strikeouts. Kraft also had 12 career victories in his four seasons with the Hoosiers.
• As a team, the Hoosiers set a new single-season record with 89 hit-by-pitches. IU had tied the record entering the Big Ten Tournament and got hit by three more pitches on Tuesday afternoon. Junior second baseman Tyler Cerny leads the team this year with 19 hit-by-pitches.
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor – now a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection – hit the 53rd home run in his career on Tuesday. He scored his 190th career run, moving into seventh in program history. The long ball also helped improve his career slugging percentage (.667) – which is third all-time in IU history.
• IU’s freshman class provided three multi-hit days in Tuesday’s contest. First baseman Jake Hanley, shortstop Cooper Malamazian and third baseman Will Moore each had two hits in the defeat. On the year, IU’s true freshmen have provided 218 base hits.
Up Next
The Hoosiers close out pool play against No. 3-seeded Iowa on Friday (May 23) afternoon. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network and will be carried on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
