2024 Big Ten Baseball Season Preview

Baseball season is officially back with games getting underway a week from today. The Big Ten is coming off a season where they sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament, while Indiana and Iowa advanced to their respective regional finals. This season, the conference has five, maybe even six teams that could find themselves in the hunt for a tournament bid. HawkeyeReport takes a brief look at all 13 teams, looking at key non-conference matchups, returners, transfers and finally giving a quick outlook on their season. All players mentioned in the article have a direct link to their respective roster page.

My Projected Big Ten Tournament Field (no order)

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers

Illinois Fighting Illini (25-27) (12-12)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The Illini have a really strong non-conference slate, with games against #1 Wake Forest, #18 Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Indiana State, Ball State and a series at #9 Tennessee. They play an impressive ten games against teams that finished in the top 75 of the RPI last season.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Illinois lineup with be headlined by 1B Drake Westcott, LF Ryan Moerman and C/DH Jacob Schroeder who combined for 44 home runs last season. They also return veterans infielders Cal Hejza and Brody Harding in the middle portion of the infield. Their pitching staff ranked 9^th in the Big Ten in ERA and will need to see improvement from the returners, plus immediate help from some transfers. Senior Jack Crowder is expected to be the Friday night starter, while transfer Cooper Omans (DII), Decker Mac Neil (JUCO) and Sam Reed (EMU) will be in the battle for the other spots.

Outlook

The Illini will have quite a bit of pop in the middle of that lineup, which will make them a threat to score runs against any pitching staff. The real question about this team comes on the mound. Their projected Friday starter, Jack Crowder had a 7.87 ERA last year, while they brought in transfers to fill other spots. If the pitching is middle of the pack in the conference, they will make it back to the Big Ten Tournament.

Indiana Hoosiers (43-20) (16-8)

Notable Non-Conference Games

Right out of the gates, the Hoosiers head to Myrtle Beach for the Baseball at the Beach tournament to face #12 Duke, #18 Coastal Carolina and George Mason. All three made the NCAA Tournament last year. They will also compete in the Frisco Classic against #19 Alabama, Dallas Baptist and Arizona. An underrated Troy team will come to Bloomington for a series, which is followed by a midweek game at #6 Vanderbilt. A really tough slate.

Top Returners/Transfers

There is a ton to like in the Hoosiers lineup, as they return Big Ten FrPOY OF Devin Taylor, C Brock Tibbitts, OF Carter Mathison and 3B Josh Pyne. They also brought in Western Illinois OF Nick Mitchell and Houston INF Brandon Burckel from the portal to fill some holes. The pitching staff took a big hit when ace Luke Sinnard was announced as out for the season, so the starting staff will be brand new. Sophomore Brayden Risedorph had the most starts last season amongst all returners with just five. The bullpen returns shutdown arm Ryan Kraft, as well as Connor Foley, while they added Northwestern pitcher Ben Grable.

Outlook

D1Baseball listed Indiana as one of 15 teams that they considered for their preseason top 25, so they think highly of the group that HC Jeff Mercer has. The offense ranked near the top of the conference in most categories and should be potent once again. The big question is how will the starting rotation look, and perform without their best arm?

Iowa Hawkeyes (44-16) (15-8)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The gem on the Hawkeyes non-conference slate is the Jacksonville Baseball Classic, where they will face #14 Virginia, Auburn and Wichita State. They will also travel to Ole Miss for a weekend series and face Georgia in a midweek game. Seton Hall and Ball State during the opening weekend in Charleston aren’t bad either. Iowa will have some chances early in the year to build a resume.

Top Returners/Transfers

Iowa returns six of their nine starters from the regional opener last year, including OF Sam Petersen, 3B Raider Tello, SS Michael Seegers and OF Kyle Huckstorf. They brought in Utah transfer C/DH Davis Cop to step in as an immediate contributor, while College of San Mateo transfer Connor Hennings might start in RF. The starting rotation will be headlined by Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan, but Sunday is still up for grabs. Rick Heller brought a host of transfers to join the pitching staff, while Jack Whitlock returns on the back end.

Outlook

Could this be the best team Rick Heller has had in his time at Iowa? The pitching staff could be one of the very best in the country if Brecht and Morgan take steps forward again, while the offense has a good mix of speed and power. It might come down to how does the team handles high preseason expectations that the program has never had.

Maryland Terrapins (42-21) (17-7)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The top games on the Terps non-conference schedule come late in the year on the road against Boston College and West Virginia. Outside of that they travel to Georgia Southern and Charlotte for weekend series, which are decent, but nothing really jumps out at you.

Top Returners/Transfers

Maryland is going to look very different compared to last year’s Big Ten Championship team. Offensively, some of the big names are gone, but guys like 1B Eddie Hacopian, INF Kevin Keister and OF Elijah Lambros are back. They also brought in 2B Sam Hojnar and C Alex Calarco from the transfer portal. The pitching staff is led by fifth-year senior Kenny Lippman who led the team in appearances with 31 last year. After him is a bunch of transfers, including Logan Koester (George Wash), Trystan Sarcone (Dartmouth), Omar Melendez (Alabama St), James Gladden (VCU) and Garrett French (Rutgers).

Outlook

The reigning regular season and tournament champions will have to do defend their crown with a lot of pieces weren’t along for winning the crown in the first place. First year head coach Matt Swope had a clear plan in place for rebuilding the team and used to portal to do it. They will be in the mix to repeat, but they aren’t the preseason favorite.

Michigan Wolverines (28-28) (13-11)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The Wolverines always manage to put some really good games on the schedule. They will compete in the College Baseball Classic in Arlington against Oklahoma State, #7 Oregon State and #3 Arkansas, as well as the Dodgertown Classic in Los Angeles against #22 UCLA, UC Irvine and San Diego. Also on the slate is a series at #18 Coastal Carolina, as well as home series against San Diego and Long Beach State. Whew.

Top Returners/Transfers

Another team that really used the transfer portal to their advantage is Michigan. Freshman All-American 1B/P Mitch Voit, OF Jonathan Kim and OF/P Gregory Pace Jr return, but the majority of the offense will be transfers. HC Tracy Smith brought in C Will Rogers (ASU), OF Stephen Hrustich (NW), SS Kyle Dernedde (Oregon St), INF Mack Timbrook (Kent St) and INF Cole Caruso (USC Upstate). The starting rotation will have fifth-year senior Jacob Denner and Mitch Voit, while true freshman Dylan Vigue is pegged as the Perfect Game preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The bullpen needs some work, but does return Kurt Barr and Chase Allen.

Outlook

The Wolverines could really surprise some people with the way they rebuilt the lineup with transfers. If they all gel quickly they could have a really solid offense. The pitching staff has some exciting pieces, especially in the starting rotation, but will need more out of the bullpen, which was the downfall last year.

Michigan State Spartans (33-22) (12-12)

Notable Non-Conference Games

MSU will be in Charleston to open the season and like Iowa, will face Seton Hall and Ball State during the weekend. Single games against Georgia, Florida State and a midweek home-and-home with Notre Dame also stand out. A midweek home game against VCU will be fun.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Spartans will be relying on a lot of new names in their starting lineup this season, as five of their nine starters are gone. OF Jack Frank, 3B Dillon Kark and INF Sam Busch all return, but the rest of the bats are pretty inexperienced. Wabash Valley OF transfer Nick Williams could be an instant impact guy in the outfield. On the mound, MSU has a good group back. Joseph Dzierwa, Nick Powers and Nolan Higgins all return after combining for 31 starts a year ago. Some of the mainstays in the bullpen are gone, but Harrison Cook is back and 2022 MLB draft pick Tommy Szczepanski comes over after a year at Virginia Tech.

Outlook

It will be interesting to see how this year plays out for Michigan State. There are some good bats returning, but replacing almost 60% of the teams total bases from last year is quite the task without any big splash transfers. That being said, returning the entire starting rotation is a plus for this group.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-34) (10-14)

Notable Non-Conference Games

For the second straight season, the Gophers will begin the year in Surprise, Arizona. They will face CSU Bakersfield, #7 Oregon State (twice) and New Mexico. A two-game series against #23 Northeastern in Fort Myers and an away series at Gonzaga also stand out. Minnesota is not able to host their annual Cambria Classic at US Bank Stadium due to renovations.

Top Returners/Transfers

The good news is that the Gophers return a good portion of their offense from last year. The bad news is that they ranked bottom three in the Big Ten in most offensive categories and lost their top hitter. Senior OF Boston Merila is the top returning hitter, but guys like C Weber Neels, 2B Brady Counsell, SS Ike Mezzenga and OF Kris Hokenson have to become bigger threats. The pitching staff returns Friday starter Tucker Novotny, as well as top bullpen arms Noah Rooney and Connor Wietgrefe. They ranked 11^th in the conference in ERA last year.

Outlook

Coach John Anderson is entering his 43^rd and final year as head man of the Gophers. It’s unfortunate that the program has taken a downturn in his last few seasons, but it appears they will miss the Big Ten Tournament again, unless there are some surprises.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (33-23) (15-9)

Notable Non-Conference Games

February is a strong month on the Huskers schedule. They open the year facing Baylor, #21 Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the Shriners Children’s Showdown. Then they go on the road for series at Grand Canyon and College of Charleston. Their midweek slate is good with a combined nine games against #24 Kansas State, Kansas and Creighton.

Top Returners/Transfers

12 different players started at least 15 games for the Huskers last season and although their top two hitters are gone, six of those 12 are back. OF Gabe Swansen, OF Cole Evans, SS Dylan Carey and C Josh Caron all started 40+ games, while a couple of transfers, including INF Cayden Brumbaugh (Okla St) will fill other holes. The pitching staff lost some of their top arms, but Will Walsh and Drew Christo are back to potentially start. Meanwhile, transfers Kyle Froehlich (NW State) and Casey Daiss (Pasco Hernandez JC) join returners Jackson Brockett and Brett Sears in the bullpen.

Outlook

Nebraska had an NCAA Tournament level squad last season, but just didn’t quite do enough to get there. The program is going the right direction under Will Bolt and there’s certainly enough talent to once again be a tough team in Big Ten play, but will there be enough to make the NCAA Tournament?

Northwestern Wildcats (10-40) (4-20)

Notable Non-Conference Games

Northwestern plays road series against Tulane, #12 Duke, Louisville and UTSA, which is a lot of road trips for the rebuilding ‘Cats. They will be on the road for the first seven weeks of the season. Their best midweek game is a home game against NCAA participant Eastern Illinois.

Top Returners/Transfers

After a tough offseason and a bunch of transfers, the Wildcats will be led offensively by returners C Bennett Markinson, OF Griffin Arnone, INF Tony Livermore and INF Owen McElfatrick who all decided to stick around. Transfers OF Tyler Ganus (Oregon) and 1B Sonny Rao (USF) should provide some help as well. The pitching staff returns some veterans in Matt McClure, Luke Benneche and Jack Dyke, but the staff ranked last in the conference in ERA last season.

Outlook

After going 10-40 last season, HC Jim Foster was fired late in the summer due to bullying and abusive behavior in his first year with the program. Ben Greenspan takes over and has his work cut out for him. There are some returning players to work with, but overall, Northwestern isn’t going to be rebuilt overnight. They will likely struggle in 2024.

Ohio State Buckeyes (31-25) (9-15)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The Buckeyes open the season in Phoenix for the Desert Invitational, with games against Boston College, BYU and USC. They have road series against Arizona State, West Virginia and Cal Poly, plus midweek games against Grand Canyon, Cal St Fullerton and Wright State. OSU also faces California, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma in the Las Vegas Baseball Classic. No ranked teams, but a lot of solid games.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Buckeyes have a good mix of returners and transfers filling out their projected lineup. They return three of their top five hitters in 3B Tyler Pettorini, SS Henry Kaczmar and C Matthew Graveline. Meanwhile, added into the fold is 1B Ryan Miller (Tennessee), 2B Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston) and OF Josh Stevenson (LSU) from the transfer portal. The starting rotation returns Gavin Bruni, while experienced starter Colin Purcell transfers in from TAMU-Corpus Christi. In the bullpen, closer Landon Beidelschies is back, as well as Jaylen Jones and Justin Eckhardt who both had big roles last season.

Outlook

Ohio State was 22-10 in non-conference play last year, so it was a shock that they went 9-15 in Big Ten play. They return some important bats and brought in some talent from the portal. The pitching staff has a solid core, but they will need some others to step up. I could see the Buckeyes bouncing back and making the Big Ten Tournament.

Penn State Nittany Lions (25-25) (7-16)

Notable Non-Conference Games

The Nittany Lions four-game opening weekend in Cary, NC includes two games against NCAA participant Army, while they travel to Stanford for a three-game series in week two. PSU will face #14 Virginia on the road for a midweek game, while they also have home-and-home midweek series against rivals West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Nittany Lions return DH Bobby Marsh and 2B Kyle Hannon, but that’s just two of their top five hitters from 2023. Outfielders Tayven Kelley and Billy Gerlott are returning starters that need to improve their offensive numbers. After that, it’s a whole host of transfers, including OF Adam Cecere (Wake Forest), INF Joe Jaconski (UNC), INF Bryce Molinaro (St John’s), C Matt Maloney (Dayton) and C JT Marr (College of Charleston). The pitching staff returns part-time starters Travis Luensmann and Jaden Henline, as well as bullpen arm Anthony Steele. DII transfer Frankie Sanchez and Chic DeGaetano (Villanova) will look to fill holes in the bullpen.

Outlook

First year head coach Mike Gambino comes over to PSU after leading Boston College to the NCAA Tournament last year. Offensively, the transfers need to be big contributors after PSU ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in several categories. Any improvement on the pitching numbers would make them better, as they ranked 12^th in the conference in ERA last season.

Purdue Boilermakers (24-29) (11-13)

Notable Non-Conference Games

A four-game series against NCAA participant George Mason awaits in week two, while they will head to the Keith LeClair Classic a week later to face #11 East Carolina, SE Louisiana and Cal St Fullerton. In mid-March they welcome NCAA participant Samford for a four-game series. The Boilermakers have a home-and-home midweek series against Indiana State and a single game against Notre Dame as well.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Boilermakers have a lot to replace offensively, as Couper Cornblum, Mike Bolton Jr and Connor Caskenette are the only players (of 10 total) that started 25+ games last season. 1B Breck Nowik (UIC) and SS Thomas Green (Oakland) arrive from the portal, but it feels like the offense will be a work in progress. The starting rotation returns Kyle Iwinski and Jonathan Blackwell, while Georgia transfer Luke Wagner has some experience as a starter. In the bullpen, the top two, CJ Backer and Aaron Suval are back, as is Jackson Dannelley, plus transfer Jordan Morales (PSU).

Outlook

With what Purdue returns on the pitching staff, plus a couple of additions from the portal, there is reason to be optimistic. Ultimately, it will come down to what happens offensively for the Boilers. If things break the right way for them, they have a chance to make the Big Ten Tournament for the second time in three seasons.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (33-23) (14-10)

Notable Non-Conference Games

Rutgers struggles to put together solid non-conference slates and this year appears to be similar. They do face #15 North Carolina for a pair of midweek games, but everything else on the midweek slate is very underwhelming. The Scarlet Knights do have promising series at Old Dominion and in Piscataway against Connecticut.

Top Returners/Transfers

The Scarlet Knights lose their top three bats in the lineup, but return the other five players that started 40+ games, including SS Josh Kuroda-Grauer, INF Jordan Sweeney and OF Trevor Cohen, while 3B Tony Santa Maria is back healthy. They did add Manhattan starting OF Pete Durocher from the transfer portal. The starting rotation could be occupied by Freshman All-American Christian Coppola, Justin Sinibaldi and Jake Marshall who combined for 31 starts last season. In the bullpen, Ben Gorski, Sam Portnoy and Joe Mazza all return, while they added grad transfer Joey DeChiaro from Old Dominion.

Outlook

There’s quite a bit to like when looking at this Rutgers team. The mainstays on the pitching staff all return, while Coppola appears to be an ace level arm. The offense loses their top three hitters, but brings back most everyone else. If a couple of players can level up their offensive production, the Scarlet Knights could find themselves in the top three or four of the Big Ten standings.