TERRE HAUTE - The Indiana State baseball team hosts Bradley at Bob Warn Field this weekend beginning with a Friday doubleheader starting at noon ET. All games will have live audio on Sycamore All-Access via
GoSycamores.com with Brian Fritz calling the action.
For the most up-to-date schedule changes, follow the team on Twitter:
@IndStBaseball.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Game One
ISU - RHP
Tyler Ward (3-2, 3.04)
BU - RHP Nathan Strong (3-2, 4.13)
Game Two
ISU - RHP
Will Kincanon (3-4, 5.26)
BU - RHP Alex Gray (0-2, 7.39)
Game Three
ISU - TBA (0-0, 0.00)
BU - LHP Cole Cook (6-3, 4.50)
OUT OF THE BOX
LOOKING AT THE SYCAMORES
Tony Rosselli (.357, 7 2B, 6 HR, 29 RBI) and Tyler Friis (.304, 5 2B, 15 BB, 8 SB) lead the Trees at the plate while Brandt Nowaskie and Dane Tofteland are hitting .346 and .293 in limited action, respectively. Giesler is tops on the squad with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. As a team, the Sycamores are hitting .272 and have hit for 64 doubles, 12 triples and 38 homers. ISU pitching has struck out 323 batters and hold a combined 4.81 ERA.
LOOKING AT THE BRAVES
Eastern Illinois comes into play with an 18-20 overall record after falling to Illinois in their last outing. The team is led offensively by Luke Shadid (.327) and Brendan Dougherty (.325). As a club, the Braves are hitting at a clip of .280 while the pitching staff holds a 6.61 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY
The Sycamores lead the all-time series that dates back to 1906, 86-61. The last time the two squads met on the diamond was last season in Peoria when the Trees took two-of-three from Bradley after dropping the series opener, 5-3.
TOFTELAND SETS A HIGH MARK
Redshirt sophomore Dane Tofteland broke the Indiana State single-game RBI record after driving in 11 runs on a trio of home runs, including two grand slams as the Sycamores took down Northern Illinois, 17-8 Tuesday. The 11 RBI tied the MVC record (John Knott of MSU vs. UNI on May 2, 1992) and is also the highest single-game performance in all of NCAA Division I this season.
STRONG ON ALL FRONTS
Senior Tony Rosselli has been one of the strongest contributors to the Sycamore offense this season, leading the team in batting average (.357), slugging percent (.635) and triples (5). Rosselli has 13 multiple hit contests, including one four-hit game and nine multiple RBI games.
NO FREE PASSES
Sophomore Tyler Ward has put together a nice stat line so far this season. The right-hander boasts a 3-2 record with a 3.04 ERA in eight starts. The Santa Claus, Indiana native has struck out 34 batters while walking just six. He ranks 39th nationally with a 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 11th nationally with 0.96 walks per nine innings.
STRONG IN THE NINTH
Indiana State is outscoring the opposition 27-12 in the ninth inning this season and the Trees are a perfect 17-0 when leading after eight innings.
SLUGGING IT OUT
When it comes to picking up extra bases, ISU has no problem getting it done. The squad ranks third in the MVC with a .429 slugging percent. As a team, the Sycamores have 64 doubles, 12 triples and 38 home runs on the season. Tony Rosselli leads the Trees with a .635 slugging percentage off of seven doubles, five triples and six home runs.
STRIKE 'EM OUT
One thing the Sycamores have done well this season on the mound is record strikeouts. As a team, ISU has struck out 323 opposing batters, led by senior right-hander Jeremy McKinney who has 54 K's in 42 innings. The team ranks 32nd in the country with 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings while McKinney has struck out 11.57 per nine innings, good enough for 33rd nationally.
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.
