The news came as a surprise to Jeff Mercer, who learned mere hours before last week’s series against Penn State was set to begin that he would not be in the dugout as planned. A positive test for COVID-19 meant the Indiana head coach had to go — back home, away from the ballpark, and away from the team.
He followed instructions, drove away from Bart Kaufman Field and began his mandatory 10-day quarantine period, the latest quirk in a young season already full of them. In the week since Mercer tested positive, his symptoms have remained mild.