Thursday. Feb. 28, 2019

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Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

BASEBALL

IDS IU baseball shakes off slow start

Jeff Mercer returns home to fulfill dream

9-3 By Jared Rigdon jmrigdon@iu.edu | @RigdonJared

quickly rose to the top of an impressive field. I have no doubt that he is the right person to build on the success of Indiana baseball, including taking us back to Omaha.” Now back in his home state, Mercer already has high expectations to meet. IU has been at the top of the Big Ten since 2008, leading the conference in total wins and NCAA Tournament appearances. “You have to respect the success that the team has had, and the individuals have had,” Mercer said. “You have to be able to build a relationship first. Relationships are the key piece to being able to work with guys.” Eight games into his tenure, Mercer has begun to develop more of a routine on and off the field. While he continues to

IU baseball started Wednesday afternoon’s game like it had almost all season. Butler University starting pitcher John MacCauley struck out five of the first six batters, as the IU lineup went down in order through the first two innings. IU’s offense look destined for a poor performance from the plate. Then came the bottom of the third. Sophomore outfielder Drew Ashley reached base on an error and senior catcher Wyatt Cross singled in the next at-bat. Junior infielder Jeremy Houston moved Ashley to third on a fielder’s choice before junior outfielder Matt Gorski came to the plate and cleared them all with a three-run bomb to the IU bullpen in left field. “It felt great to get back and get to big wins against two solid wins,” senior outfielder Logan Kaletha said. “I felt the offense produced really well in the last six innings. We’ll be really solid if the offense can keep producing the whole nine innings.” After a handful of wild pitches by freshman pitcher Gabe Bierman and passed balls allowed by Cross gave Butler an early lead, Gorski’s three-run home run put IU ahead, giving IU the momentum. Bierman settled down after the shaky second inning and turned in a four inning, four strikeout performance with just one earned run allowed in his first career start.

SEE MERCER, PAGE 8

SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 8

ALEX DERYN | IDS

By Stefan Krajisnik stefkraj@iu.edu | @skrajisnik3

A wristband reading “Proverbs 27:17” sits on the left wrist of IU baseball Coach Jeff Mercer as he leans on the dugout fence Tuesday during his team's home opener against the University of Cincinnati. The proverb reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” and it’s the motto Mercer has instilled onto his team in his first season with the Hoosiers. The phrase refers to the depth the team has and how the battle for playing time will only motivate players to produce more. “Iron sharpens iron, so having a good unit through and through, it’s going to be fantastic,” junior Scotty Bradley said. “It can only make the whole entire team better.” Mercer comes to IU after two seasons head coaching Wright State University. But as a native of Bargersville, Indiana, taking the head coaching job at IU is a

homecoming for Mercer. While coaching the Raiders, Mercer was named the 2018 Horizon League Coach of the Year and developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation. In two seasons at the helm of Wright State’s baseball team, he led the Raiders to their first ever national ranking in 2017 and the best recruiting class in program history. His ability to develop talent and recruit as a young coach — just 33 years old — led IU Athletic Director Fred Glass to call Mercer the Brad Stevens of baseball. Stevens, who was the head coach of Butler University's men's basketball team from 2007-2013, is praised for his knowledge of the game at just the age of 42. His success with the Bulldogs led to his hire as head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2013. “Predictably, we had very strong interest in this position,” Glass said in an IU Athletics release after the hire. “Jeff Mercer

Above Junior outfielder Matt Gorksi swings Feb. 27 at Bart Kaufman Field. Gorski struck out swinging at the bottom of the eighth inning.

Four reports of counterfeit money in less than a week By Alex Hardgrave ahardgra@iu.edu | @a_hardgrave

There have been at least four reported cases of counterfeit money used in Bloomington in the last week. Three reports were on Sunday.

A man tried to use a fake $5 bill at CVS Pharmacy, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Dana Cole said. After the clerk refused to accept the bill, the man asked a cashier to examine the rest of his money to see if it was fake, and other bills were found. A customer was given $5 bill in

change at the Five Guys on College Mall Road. When this man got home, he realized writing on the bill indicated it was a replica, police said. The serial number on this bill matches others found, Cole said. An employee at Wendy’s in Seminary Square called police to report

two counterfeit bills that had been used in the drive-thru. The general manager of Culver's called police Tuesday to report a fake $10. He told police an elderly couple had used the cash, and the store didn’t notice till a few days later.

The manager used security footage to determine who used the bill, Lt. Ryan Pedigo said. The manager told police he assumed the couple was unaware the bill was fake. When police get a fake bill, they report it to the U.S. Secret Service.

Canadian dream pop Goodfellas Pizzeria set to open group Living Hour to Thursday on Kirkwood Avenue play in Bloomington By Clark Gudas ckgudas@iu.edu | @this_isnt_clark

Winnipeg, Canada-based dreampop band Living Hour will perform 8 p.m. March 3 at the Bishop bar. Living Hour formed in 2015 and has rose from basement shows to planning an upcoming U.S. tour, which starts in March. On Feb. 8, the band released a new single, “Hallboy.” Its 2016 self-titled album is its most prominent release, with the song “Seagull” reaching over 114,000 plays as of Feb. 27. Living Hour is expected to release its new album, “Softer Faces,” on March 1. The nine-song track list has already been released online and includes the single “Hallboy.” The band is composed of five musicians, some playing more unconventional instruments for a dream pop group, such as trombone and organelle. “Three voices, guitar, trombone, brushed percussion and boundless effects sees Living Hour pulling from many genres to create their own sonically diverse and

unique vibe,” is how Living Hour’s website describes the group. Living Hour will play with two Bloomington-based bands Sunday, Heaven Honey and Plateau Below. Heaven Honey is an alternative pop and folk rock band that features frontwoman Jordan GomesKuehner. The group been a regular performer in the Bloomington music scene, performing at Culture Shock 2018 and various local house shows. Plateau Below, a primordial shriek-folk band, according to its Bandcamp page, has released two albums, “Still Paradise” in 2014 and “Sun Don’t Shine So Bright” in 2017. The band’s songwriter, Logan Carithers, was raised in Boonville, Indiana, located 87 miles southwest of Bloomington near Evansville. “Carithers’ lyrics showcase his conflicted, Joycean relationship with the bible-belt values pervasive throughout the rural Midwest,” the band’s Bandcamp page says. The show is ages 18 and up, and tickets are $7.

ALEX DERYN | IDS

Goodfellas Pizzeria is set to open 11 a.m. Feb 28. It is located at 427 E. Kirkwood Ave., next to the newly-opened Five Guys. By Alex Hardgrave ahardgra@iu.edu | @a_hardgrave

The sign is up. The Italian flag is hanging outside. Goodfellas Pizzeria is ready to open its doors 11 a.m. Feb 28. This store will be the Kentuckybased chain’s seventh location and offers New York-style pizza for both

day and late-night crowds. It is at 427 E. Kirkwood Ave. Along with grab-and-go slices, they have 22-inch pies and a $6 lunch special, according to a press release. “My family is from Long Island, New York, and we wanted to bring true authentic New York-style pizza by the slice to Lexington, and we

started it and it kind of took off,” owner Alex Coats said in an earlier interview. Along with Lexington, there are locations in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Goodfella’s closes at 10 p.m. weekdays and on Friday and Saturday, it's open until 2:30 a.m. to accommodate the late-night crowds.


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Thursday. Feb. 28, 2019 by Indiana Daily Student - idsnews - Issuu