While some say video games will rot your brain, Indiana baseball has chosen to play video games as an opportunity to build team chemistry.
Mario Kart on the Nintendo has been the key to creating strong relationships between some of the Indiana baseball players.
Not only did Tyler Cerny and Devin Taylor introduce Tyler DeMartino as their new roommate, but they also introduced DeMartino to their obsession with Mario Kart.
When Cerny was asked who was the best at Mario Kart out of the group, he had no hesitation to his response.
“It’s me, on the Wii though,” Cerny said. “The Wii version is the best version. I don’t really like the (Nintendo) Switch, so I’m pretty good at the Wii.”
DeMartino transferred to Indiana in the offseason as a graduate student, after spending his freshman season at West Virginia and the following four seasons at Xavier.
Cerny, who’s now in his third season with Indiana, explained how he began to look out for several of the newest players in the program.
“Obviously (Jake) Hanley, one of the freshmen that I’ve taken, kind of showed the way of some things and how to do things,” Cerny said. “Cooper Malamazian, Will Moore, all those guys, I’ve done my best to get them ready for the season and help them be prepared for what’s to come when the season starts.”
While Cerny is only a junior, it’s now his third season with the program, serving as a veteran leader on and off the field.
In addition to video games, pitcher Drew Buhr identified watching football as a great way to get a large group of players together.
“We definitely spend time together just watching all the NFL games, we’re watching the playoff games,” Buhr said. “Just messing around with each other, just root for certain teams, it’s just a lot of the team bonding has definitely been a big part of this year.”
The bonding outside of practice has paid off, as Buhr proclaimed the translation of team bonding being tied directly to friendships in the clubhouse.
“I’ve really enjoyed the group and we’ve definitely grown,” Buhr said. “You can see it in the locker room, of how much we are like a true brotherhood.”
Spending time together in groups off the field was essential for Indiana, as the team is showing off some changes in the roster for the upcoming season.
Indiana lost six of its players from the 2024 season to the MLB Draft, including Connor Foley, Carter Mathison, Nick Mitchell, Brayden Risedorph, Luke Sinnard and Brock Tibbitts.
With the season right around the corner, the video games will have to be brought on the road, as Indiana opens up its season playing in Surprise, Arizona, playing four games in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic. Indiana is set to face UNLV, Xavier, Oregon State and UNLV again.
First pitch of the season against UNLV is set for Friday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. EST.
