TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Rounding out a weather-assisted six-game home stand, Indiana State will host Drake beginning Friday afternoon in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Price Field.
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Friday's doubleheader, starting at 2 p.m., will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3. Saturday's game will also be carried on The Valley on ESPN3.
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The Sycamores (15-10, 3-0) have won three straight games to start league play for the first time in school history and just registered a sweep over Valpo, Indiana State's first three-game Valley sweep since 2015. Drake (19-9, 3-0) heads to Terre Haute tied with Indiana State atop The Valley's standings after a three-game sweep of Evansville.
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The Trees had a doubleheader on Wednesday at IUPUI postponed due to inclement weather that would have split the pair of three-game home series. Now the Sycamores will face IUPUI in Indianapolis on Tuesday, March 27.
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Quick Hits
• Indiana State continues a weather-assisted six-game homestand by hosting Drake in a (hopefully) three-game Missouri Valley Conference series.
• The 15-10 (3-0) mark by the Sycamores places the team tied for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference by win percentage after being selected to finish 10th (last).
• Indiana State is starting off conference play 3-0 for the first time in school history.
• Drake leads the all-time series against Indiana State, 46-31, and the Bulldogs have won six straight in the series.
• The last win over Drake in Terre Haute came on April 26, 2014, a 5-3 victory in the second game of a doubleheader.
• A young team this year, Indiana State only has four upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) on its 18-member roster.
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How Sweep It Is
With its three wins over Valparaiso last weekend, Indiana State registered its first Missouri Valley Conference series sweep in several years. The last time the Sycamores swept a Valley opponent was in 2016 with two wins over Northern Iowa (weather canceled the third game of the series). The Trees have not registered a three-game conference sweep since 2015 when Indiana State won three games over Evansville.
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Hot Start
Not only did Indiana State register a sweep of Valparaiso over the weekend, the Sycamores registered a first. Never before has a Sycamore team been 3-0 in league play until now. This marks the first time in school history that Indiana State has won its first three games of conference play, a mark that includes the program's time in both the Gateway and Missouri Valley Conferences.
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ConsistenTree
Indiana State sophomore
Leslie Sims has been the most consistent Tree to date at the plate this season. She enters this week's play ranked third in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .413 batting average while her on-base percentage of .486 ranks her sixth in The Valley.
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Trees Turn Two
Indiana State's defense has been seemingly on point with runners on base this year. The Sycamores enter this week's action ranked 34th in the nation and third in The Valley with an average of 0.44 double plays turned per game.
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Get In Gher
When
Della Gher (pronounced: GEAR) enters the game, go ahead and shut it down. She currently ranks second in the nation and first in the Missouri Valley Conference with five saves this season. She's already etched her name in Indiana State's record books - see the next note for more information.
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Della Gher
| Category |
National |
MVC |
Stat |
| Saves |
2 |
1 |
5 |
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Get In Gher - Part II
When
Della Gher (pronounced: GEAR) registered her second save of the young 2018 season in an 8-7 win over Tennessee State on Feb. 17, she forever etched her name into Indiana State history. That marked her seventh career save, setting a new school record for the Sycamores. She surpassed the six career saves Darcy Wood recorded from 2005-09. Gher currently has eight career saves to her credit.
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For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check outÂ
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media includingÂ
Facebook,Â
Twitter andÂ
Instagram.
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