In typical spring practice settings, differentiating who is who on the Bart Kaufman Field turf can be a bit of a struggle.
Players are often free to practice in a wide range of acceptable crimson-colored team gear. Some participate in numbered practice jerseys that are stripped down of the detail from game day uniforms, discernable from one another only by the numbers on their backs. Others wear plain ‘Indiana Baseball’ t-shirts. Some, like AJ Sheppard, opt for no sleeves at all despite the seasonably cold temperatures.
That trend finds its various forms amongst the position players who flood the open space behind the mound. But those who initiate every play from the top of it are a different story.
Each scrimmage, instead of their usual identifying jersey numbers, Indiana pitchers don shirts with numbers on the front, not on the back — a ‘1’ on the right chest, ‘2’ on the left, ‘3’ on the lower right abdominal and ‘4’ on the right.
That’s by design, aimed to develop reason for every single throw of the baseball.
“It may look a little odd, but that’s mainly for us in our catch play,” redshirt sophomore left-hander Grant Holderfield said. “That’s a big thing for us to be able to command all of our pitches. So those are different quadrants on our chest when we get in catcher stance, when we’re catching each other’s flat grounds or just in regular catch play. That really helps us hone in our sights on targets, and really has helped us develop command and attacking hitters.”
It’s a pitcher-to-pitcher concept, introducing competition while helping each individual’s development of their own arm accuracy and control. Finding purpose for every aspect of the time on the field in the spring not only helps the time pass, but keeps the Hoosier arms sharp.
“The idea behind it is you say ‘one’ and you try and throw it there,” sophomore righty Connor Foley said. “It’s just having an intent and a reason behind each throw, not just going out there to throw–”
“Because we can only throw so much a day,” Holderfield continued.
Foley is building up to be used in numerous different roles this season, including a potential consistent starting role, as head coach Jeff Mercer figures to fill innings by committee once again this year. It’s a testament to his trust in the pitching depth the Hoosiers tote, but to build that, there needs to be equal equity vested into the work done in the meantime.
The system, as often is the case when concerning the IU pitching staff, was implemented by pitching coach Dustin Glant and director of baseball operations and pitching development Denton Sagerman. Introduced in the fall, the strides forward over the past few months have been noticeable. They hope it translates to on-field success against other opponents.
“It definitely helps,” senior transfer right-hander Jack Moffitt said. “The numbers have shown in the fall, (Glant) really hammers it home of just being intentional, calling out where we’re throwing the baseball and the numbers on the shirt… it helps us throw more strikes, which is huge.”
“You’re just trying to find creative ways to keep guys locked in,” Mercer said. “I think anytime you can be intentional about keeping guys focused and keeping it fresh and interesting, it’s always a good thing.”
Indiana is using the shirts, different-colored home plates and other competitive ways to prepare for a crucial season that starts with a grueling gauntlet of talented lineups over the first four weekends.
In 2023, Indiana’s bats complemented a much improved pitching staff on the way to the program’s first Regional appearance since 2019 and just the ninth-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. It’s a safe assumption that Indiana will at least retain most of its offensive prowess, if not improve upon it in 2024 in follow-up efforts. This year’s team mixes a number of high-touted returners and acclaimed newcomers by way of incoming freshmen and transfers.
Pitching against that lineup has been important for not only furthering forward the IU lineup, but themselves as well. But the lineup can only buoy so much of the weight of those expectations.
“It’s just super competitive,” junior transfer right-hander Julian Tonghini said of throwing to IU’s lineup every day. “You get to learn a lot about them, and you get to learn a lot about yourself and how you want to compete and how you can excel. It’s just great feedback.”
IU’s defensive and pitching production will be called upon to once again provide the legs an extended run into June baseball needs.
Mercer said that necessity is the mother of invention. Indiana’s got creative in its search for consistent production.
They’ll soon find out how far the floor, and ceiling, can be raised.
