COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the age-old adages of wisdom versus youth was on display at Bill Davis Stadium last weekend, with the former entering the series on the heels of a tough 9-3 home loss to Maryland and the latter atop the Big Ten Conference.

Ohio State head coach Greg Beals led his Buckeyes into what was their biggest test of the season against Jeff Mercer and the Indiana Hoosiers. It was just their second meeting and first on Big Ten terms since the two previously met in the NCAA Louisville Regional in 2016 when No. 2-seed Ohio State defeated No. 3-seed Wright State 7-6 in their regional opener, but Mercer and the Raiders eliminated the Buckeyes two games later in the elimination game.

This time, Beals got the best of Mercer as the Buckeyes swept the Hoosiers in four games last weekend.

“He’s done a good job, there’s no doubt about it. He’s got a talented ballclub,” Beals said of Mercer Friday. “He’s coached at Wright State, and Wright State’s a strong program that’s really built for success, especially within their conference. They’ve enjoyed that success a lot, so he’s coached in some championship games and knows how to win.”

The 35-year-old Mercer said he’s known Beals, 51, for a long time, and has crossed paths with him on the recruiting trail.

“He’s always been an absolute gentleman and a professional to me and was very welcoming when I got to the Big Ten,” Mercer said Sunday. “He was always supportive of us at Wright State. We played against him in the regional there several years ago when Ohio State had just a terrific team with [then-junior outfielder] Ronnie Dawson and those guys. They do a great job, and they’ve always been very supportive.”

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One player in particular who caught the eye of both Beals and Mercer on the recruiting trail was Buckeyes shortstop Zach Dezenzo - who clinched last weekend’s four-game sweep of Indiana with a walk-off single on Easter Sunday.

Although he said he didn’t have particularly serious interest in Wright State, Dezenzo still acknowledged all Mercer had to offer as a coach.

“I was talking to him when I was like a sophomore in high school, about to be a junior,” Dezenzo said. “Didn’t have any serious interest in going there, but I still recognize that coach Mercer was a high-quality person, high-quality coach. So I pursued that quite a bit, but ultimately came down to Ohio State, which I’m glad I’m here.”

Mercer’s acclimation to the Big Ten after making the jump from the Horizon League was a rapid one. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in his first season in 2019, guiding the Hoosiers to their seventh conference regular-season title with a 37-23 record.

“The reality is baseball is gonna be baseball across the board, the same fundamental things that allow you to win in the Horizon League or at the Major League level are gonna be the same,” Mercer said. “So you just try to make sure you teach the fundamentals, the basics, and communicate those things in an effective and efficient way that’ll allow the kids to learn as fast as they can. Those guys are conducive to coaching. When you have talented guys who are intelligent, those guys are able to come in and adjust to a new coaching staff really quickly.”

The Buckeyes understood how talented that Hoosiers ballclub was as they prepared throughout last week. Dezenzo said “it was an overwhelming sense” of how competitive the weekend would unfold, crediting the Hoosiers’ “lights-out pitching staff.”

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For Ohio State junior right-handed pitcher Garrett Burhenn, he was a bit more familiar with the Indiana team.

The Indianapolis native said he knew Hoosiers junior third baseman Cole Barr, who went 4-16 with three runs scored and two RBIs over the weekend, and 2-4 and scored two runs on one strikeout against Burhenn.

“I take every game personally, but this one was a little bit extra just because it’s Indiana and I know most of the guys on there. Most of those guys are friends of mine,” Burhenn said Friday. “Cole’s a great hitter, I know Cole from back home. He hit mistakes and their whole team can hit mistakes, so I tried to have my best game and kind of live down like last week.”

Ohio State held Indiana to just seven runs across 18 hits over the 34 innings of baseball played. The Buckeyes scored 18 runs over 25 hits in that length, and among the highlights included redshirt-junior left-hander Seth Lonsway’s 17-strikeout, 7-inning complete game in the first contest of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Mercer may hold an edge in postseason play, and that may last for a bit longer as no Big Ten Tournament will be held this season. But, Beals and the Buckeyes expect a good fight from Mercer and the Hoosiers when the pair meet again for their next marquee matchup.

“He’s got a pretty good ballclub here as well, so it’s going to continue to be a heavyweight fight,” Beals said.