TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball returns to Tennessee for a midweek matchup with No. 12 Vanderbilt Wednesday afternoon in Nashville. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET from Hawkins Field. The game can be seen live on the SEC Network+ with Kevin Ingram on the call.
NEWCOMERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Indiana State newcomers have made an immediate impact so far for the club on the offensive side of the ball.
Luke Fegen has started one game for the Trees but has seen action in all seven contests with nine at bats and five hits for a team high .556 batting average. The junior has scored five runs in just seven base running attempts this season.
Roberto Enriquez has manned right field in seven starts for the Trees, coming in with a .423 batting average and nine RBIs. Enriquez has 11 hits, including a triple and a home run.
Jarrod Watkins has started every game at second base to go along with a .355 average at the plate. Watkins drove in the tying runs against Belmont with a two-RBI triple in the ninth.
Romero Harris has been the boom in the lineup with three homers in seven games. Harris is slugging .750 and has a .333 batting average while driving in nine runs.
SEE THE BALL - BE THE BALL
Seven games into the 2018 campaign, Indiana State has shown the ability to be aggressive as well as the patience to sit back and wait at the plate. The Sycamores rank in the top-50 nationally in home runs (25), batting average (45), slugging percentage (49), on-base percentage (24) and base on balls (11). ISU drew 14 walks in back-to-back games to start the weekend, capitalizing on those walks for 38 runs in the contests.
Dane Giesler ranks third in the nation in walks this season with 11 in seven games. The redshirt senior drew three at Middle Tennessee.
LARRISON NAMED MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Indiana State hurler
Ethan Larrison dominated out of the Sycamore bullpen over the last week as the Trees went 4-0 and improved to 5-2 on the season. Larrison carried a 1.12 ERA over eight innings, striking out nine batters and holding opponents to a .167 average against during the stretch. The right-hander from Shelbyville, Indiana pitched the final three innings in ISU's 4-2 win over UNLV Monday before picking up a relief appearance win at Belmont Sunday. Larrison went three innings and allowed only two hits and one run while striking out five UNLV batters en route to the three-inning save. Larrison went on to toss five innings at Belmont, allowing just two hits to the Bruins while striking out four for his first win of the season.
QUALITY STARTS
Triston Polley improved to 2-0 on the season Saturday after pitching a gem as the Sycamores defeated Middle Tennessee. The southpaw tossed a season high 6.1 innings while striking out seven batters while allowing just two runs. It marked the second game this season that Polley has went at least six innings and struck out five batters. In two starts, Polley has allowed just two earned runs for a 1.46 ERA.
Tristan Weaver (1-0) picked up his first win of the season with a five inning start at Lipscomb, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. In total, the southpaw struck out three batters he faced.
SYCAMORES AT A GLANCE
After two weekends of action, Indiana State is hitting .300 as a club with 19 extra-base hits, including mine home runs. The Indiana State pitching staff has put together a 3.50 ERA and has struck out 49 batters in 64.1 innings.
HITTING STREAKS
Jarrod Watkins and
Dane Tofteland have recorded a base hit in seven-straight games this season. Watkins leads the Sycamores with 11 base hits on the season, including a triple and a home run. Tofteland has eight hits through seven starts, including a pair of home runs.
FAST STARTS
Indiana State has dominated the first two innings this season, outscoring opponents 15-6. The Sycamores have outscored the opponent in every inning so far this season including a 12-3 advantage in the ninth. ISU is 4-1 when scoring the first run of the game.
GET ON AND SCORE
Though
Luke Fegen has only started on game for the Sycamores, the junior has been one of the top run-scorers for the Sycamores. Fegen has five hits in nine at bats for a .556 average in seven games. He has reached base seven time (5 H, HBP, BB) and has scored five runs for the Sycamores.
PRESEASON ALL-MVC
Redshirt senior
Dane Giesler was tabbed Preseason All-MVC following a breakout season a year ago. The Jasper, Indiana native led the way for the Trees in several offensive categories. He finished with a team high 17 home runs which was fourth-best in the conference. Giesler was also fifth in the league with a .593 slugging percentage and seventh in RBIs with 49.
WHAT RETURNS FOR THE TREES
Indiana State returns six position starters and three key pitchers from last season's 29-26 team. Infielder
Clay Dungan returns for ISU after starting in 55 games last season hitting .275 with 60 base hits and nine home runs. The Sycamores will also welcome back
Dane Tofteland and
Chris Ayers to the batting order. The duo combined for 57 base hits and 45 runs a year ago.
Indiana State will look to fill a void in the starting rotation this season after its top arm was taken in the 11th round of the MLB Draft. Junior RHP
Tyler Ward will look to fill the spot after a solid year on the mound. Ward finished at 4-5 with a 4.16 ERA in 84.1 innings.
Two bullpen arms in right-hander
Ethan Larrison and southpaw
Triston Polley return for the Sycamores this season as well. Larrison appeared in 19 games last season and struck out 32 batters while walking only 13. Polley struck out 35 batters and walked 14 in 26.2 innings.
SYCAMORES PICKED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Indiana State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll. Dallas Baptist tallied 63 points and were named the favorites over second-place pick Missouri State (57). The Sycamores collected 42 votes overall followed by Southern Illinois (35), Illinois State (31), Bradley (30), Evansville (18) and MVC newcomer Valparaiso (12).
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.
