TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball opens its home schedule this weekend as the team plays host to Oakland in a three-game series set to begin Friday at Bob Warn Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. ET Friday – 2 p.m. ET Saturday – and 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Ryan Keaffaber will get the start Friday while Will Kincanon will make his fourth start in Saturday's game. The Valley On ESPN3 will carry coverage of Friday and Sunday games through ESPN3.  
 
Promotions

• Everyone is a winner on Friday for St. Patrick's Day. Sycamore athletics will hand out scratch-off cards where everyone can get lucky with a free hot dog, drink or popcorn.
• 2017 Baseball Posters will be available free-of-charge

 
For ticket information, call (812) 237-3737 for tickets or order tickets online HERE.
 
LOOKING AT THE SYCAMORES
Tony Rosselli (.412) and Chris Ayers (.357) lead the team in hitting while Brandt Nowaskie is hitting .357 in eight games of action for the Sycamores. Rosselli leads the club with 13 RBI, four triples and a .745 slugging percentage. Utility man Dane Giesler has three home runs to lead the Trees so far.
 
On the mound, Jeremy McKinney is 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA. The junior suffered his first loss of the season in his last outing at the hands of No. 12 Washington. He struck out nine in 5.1 innings.  Sophomore Tyler Ward holds a 4.15 ERA through 21.2 innings of work this season. The Santa Claus, Indiana native has a 2-1 record with opponents' batting .227 against him. Junior Will Kincanon sits at second on the team in strikeouts with 27 after securing his first win of 2017 at UW. He picked up MVC Pitching accolades following the 5.2 win after going 8.2 innings and striking out a career high 11.
 
LOOKING AT OAKLAND
Oakland began the 2017 season under the new regime of co-head coaches Colin Kaline and Jacke Healey, who took over the program in July 2016, becoming the first co-head coaches in Division I. Kaline and Healey picked up their first wins as head coaches Feb. 19 in a 16-11 win at Lipscomb.
 
The Golden Grizzlies come into play with a 1-13 overall record after being swept at Virginia Commonwealth over the weekend. The team is led offensively by Zach Sterry (.368) and Mike McGee (.250). As a club, the Golden Grizzlies are hitting at a clip of .223 while the pitching staff holds an 8.05 ERA.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend will mark the first meeting between the two programs.
 
TOP-25 WINS
Indiana State knocked off its first ranked squad last weekend when the team defeated No. 12 Washington twice on the road. The Sycamores came away with a 4-2 win in the Friday opener before defeating the Huskies 5-3 on the back end of a doubleheader Saturday.
 
COMING HOME
After playing 16-straight games on the road to start the season, Indiana State will make its home debut Friday at Bob Warn Field when the Trees take on Oakland in a three-game series.
 
STRIKE 'EM OUT
On the mound, the Sycamores have been dominant in the strikeout category, retiring 141 batters via strikeouts through 16 games. Junior Jeremy McKinney leads the charge with 30 K's through just 20.2 innings while Will Kincanon has 27 K's in 22.2 innings of work.
 
TRIPLES GALORE
Indiana State's Tony Rosselli is one of seven players nationally to sit atop the NCAA leaders with four triples this season.
 
STRONG WEEKEND FROM AYERS
Ayers led the charge at the plate over the weekend as the Sycamores took two games against No. 12 Washington in Seattle. The sophomore finished with a .438 average on seven hits. With two doubles over the weekend, Ayers tallied a .563 slugging percentage. He also had two RBIs and scored a run. Ayers finished with multiple hits in three of the games with the Huskies.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.