Trojans sweep Hoosiers: Baseball’s biggest regular season series win

Troy football is known for being giant-killers, taking down unsuspecting Power 5 programs and making it look easy.

Many of the famous wins have proved to be pivotal milestones in Troy history, from beating up an SEC team in the first year at the FBS level, to establishing the new Troy brand with the Mizzou win, to being Mike Gundy’s super villain origin story, and even taking down a Nebraska team in the middle of a rebuild.

This weekend’s series against Indiana may prove to be a similar moment for Troy baseball. The Trojans put together a strong performance against a program with recent success, and the series sweep itself broke several droughts.

Let’s start there. Here’s what the weekend sweep accomplished… all at once:

• First time beating a Power-5 level team at home since 2018 (Auburn)
• First time beating a Power-5 level team twice in one season since 2013 (Alabama, postseason)
• First time hosting a Power-5 level team since 2007 (Arkansas)
• First time winning a series against a Power-5 level team at home since 2001 (Michigan State, Illinois)
• First time winning three straight games at home against Power-5 level teams since 2001 (Michigan State, Purdue)
• First time sweeping a Power 5 team at home (ever)

With the exception of the 2001 season, those other milestones share a correlation: a postseason appearance.

It reminds me of the Mizzou game, which also took over several places in the Troy record books: first ranked win, first Power 5 home win, first win on national television. That same night, Troy introduced the new shield logo as the final touch to dropping “State” from its name.

The Mizzou win literally established Troy as a football brand: a small, scrappy football school that can take down solid Power 5 programs.

This Indiana baseball team is also no slouch. The Hoosiers were picked to finish 6th in the Big Ten this season, and they at least made the Big Ten tournament in 11 of the 12 seasons before COVID-19 ended the 2020 season. Indiana’s previous head coach left for Mississippi State and led the Bulldogs to last year’s national championship.

Indiana’s 2021 season was a slight disappointment (finishing 4th after being picked to finish 2nd—again, slight) but as we mentioned in last week’s Around the Wall, the Hoosiers beat Louisiana earlier this year—a team picked to finish third in the Sun Belt.

Similarly, when LSU hosted Troy, the Tigers expected to win. Instead, the close Trojan victory set off some warning bells in the far reaches of the teams’ message boards.

Fortunately, the Hoosiers were by and large more concerned with Selection Sunday than the Wiregrass series. Only the truly faithful Hoosier baseball fans will see this as a concern (and some already do.)

Troy won the weekend by playing solid, consistent ball and taking advantage of Indiana’s mistakes (which probably happened more often than they’d like.)

Garrett Gainous put together a brilliant performance in game one. Brady Fuller and Bay Witcher let a few runs through, but the Hoosier staff lost their cool too. Troy’s bats (specifically Jesse Hall and Kyle Mock) used that as an opportunity to rally in games two and three.

The performance is not unlike the 2018 Nebraska game. Troy made some mistakes in the game (a fumble, an interception and 10 penalties for nearly 100 yards), and the Huskers had some serious talent on their roster. Instead, Troy used solid playcalling to stay ahead of Nebraska when it mattered.

This weekend was more of a surprise than the Nebraska win, but it was just as early in the season. No matter how the Trojans finish, I’m more than proud of how dominant this team was, just as I was in 2018.

Sweeping an unsuspecting Power 5 team at home may end up being a series we talk about for years. Much like how the Indiana series tied several milestones together, it feels like a mixture of Troy’s Power 5 football wins.

If history is any indication, it’s bound to become more common.