
The nationally ranked University of Indianapolis baseball team is getting ready to start the 2025 season after the abrupt end to their 2024 postseason run.
Though the team lost a majority of starting players from last season, Head Coach Al Ready is confident they will perform well. Ready said the team brought in a lot of transfers who are experienced players.
“We lost six of our nine starting position players, but we’ve been able to replace them with seasoned veteran players that have experience from other institutions,” Ready said. “… I don’t see it being much different than last year. I’m really excited, we have another good run for us, there’s no question about it.”
The team has made two consecutive appearances at the NCAA Division II Championship in Cary, North Carolina, and finished ranked ninth in the 2024 NCBWA Division II Top 25 poll, according to UIndy Athletics. To make it further into the series this year, Ready said his strategy focuses on the type of players coming in and seeing how they fit within the batting lineup to maximize the team’s ability to score runs.
“We do have a few new guys that I think are going to make a tremendous impact for us,” Ready said. “Probably one or two, maybe in the starting pitching role, but a lot of guys towards the back-end of the bullpen, which is a very important piece if you want to make it far in Cary. We do have several new pitchers, but on the position player side … I think we’re going to have to a very similar type of offense of what we had last year, which averaged close to 10 runs per game.”
Senior shortstop Easton Good said he is excited about his final season with the team. According to Good, this is his third season at UIndy, and he feels very optimistic about the team’s new players.
“I think we have probably a more talented team than we’ve ever had,” Good said. “That doesn’t always equal success, but it definitely gives you some more optimism to winning the national championship. That’s our goal ultimately… so I think this is the group that can do that.”
Ready said Good was an immediate impact player when he joined the team as a sophomore. Good was moved up to the lead-off spot as he continued to improve
“He’s really the complete package,” Ready said. “He plays great defense. He gets on base. He can drive in runs. He can hit for average. He can hit for power… He can really do it all. I mean, he’s just a fantastic player and an even better person.”
Good was recently selected to D2baseball’s Preseason All-American second team, according to UIndy Athletics. Good said it feels good to be recognized on a national level, but personal accolades are not what he plays for.
“There’s a lot of moments in my baseball career that have been really hard,” Good said. “A lot of people telling me that I wasn’t good enough to play here or do this or do that. So when you see a little bit of recognition like that, it does feel good, even though it’s not really what you play for.”
Good said his favorite thing about being part of the team is the people and memories he has made at UIndy, but something he will remember is completing his final season with senior outfielder Joey Humphrey, his best friend from high school. According to Good, they were not able to have their final high school season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I graduated high school with him and now I’m going to graduate college with him, and that’s one of the most special things I think that’s ever happened in my baseball career,” Good said. “This is our chance to have our senior season, and that’s a huge blessing. I’ll remember that forever.”
The goal is to win the NCAA DII Championship, Ready said, especially since they have been close in the last couple of seasons. He said having experienced players takes a big weight off his shoulders since they know what to expect in big games.
“The more experience you have with players going to Cary the better it is, the closer you get,” Ready said. “Our goal is to win the national title, and I really believe we have a team that can do it this year.”According to the National College Baseball Writers Association preseason rankings the Hounds will go into the season ranked sixth nationally. The team is gearing up for its first game series of the season against Lake Erie on Feb. 15 and 16 at Greyhound Park, according to UIndy Athletics.