Games 24-26  ► Indiana State (14-9, 1-2 MVC) at Illinois State (10-7, 2-1 MVC)

March 27-29, 2009  ►  Normal, Ill.  ►  Duffy Bass Field (1,500)

Series Game Times

Friday:             5:00 p.m. EST

Saturday:         3:00 p.m. EST

Sunday:           2:00 p.m. EST

Indiana State Probable Starters

Friday:             #23 Eric Valdez, Jr., RHP

Saturday:         #17 Jake Petricka, So., RHP

Sunday:           #42 Joe Rodriguez, Jr., LHP

Illinois State Probable Starters

Friday:             #31 Ryan Camp, Fr., RHP

Saturday:         #21 Ryan Copeland, Jr., LHP

Sunday:           #30 Corey Maines, So., RHP

Setting The Scene

            Indiana State (14-9, 1-2 MVC) will begin an eight-game road swing on Friday, when the team travels to Normal, Ill., for the first of three Missouri Valley Conference games over the weekend against Illinois State (10-7, 2-1 MVC).  First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST at the newly-constructed Duffy Bass Field.

            The Sycamores opened Missouri Valley Conference play last weekend against the Creighton Bluejays, who came into the series having won 10 straight games against the Sycamores.  That streak was extended to 12 games in a row, as the Jays picked up a 7-3 win in Friday's series opener and earned a 9-4 victory in the second game of the series on Saturday.

            However, ISU avoided the series sweep thanks to a strong pitching performance on the mound by junior starter Joe Rodriguez. Rodriguez (2-1) gave the Sycamores just what they needed on the mound, as he allowed just three earned runs on nine hits in seven-plus innings of work for ISU.

            After Sunday's win, the ISU picked up a dominating 14-6 win on Wednesday at home against in-state foe Ball State.  Thanks to four home runs and 15 hits at the plate, the Sycamores extended their mid-week mark at home to 5-0 and also improved to 3-0 against teams from the Hoosier State in mid-week contests.

            Freshman starter Cordell Greene (2-1) did not surrender a run to Ball State in six inning of work for the Sycamores to pick up his second win of the season.  Greene scattered nine hits in those six innings while striking out three Cardinal hitters.

            Senior Brady Shoemaker finished the day 2-for-4 with the two home runs and four RBI to lead the way for Sycamores, while senior Brian Jett added two hits, a home run and three RBI as well.  Junior Nick Ciolli also had a solid day at the plate with three hits and junior Tyler Graham finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI.

            The Redbirds opened conference play last weekend with a 2-1 series win over Evansville. Illinois State picked up their first win of the weekend in dramatic fashion, as Corey Maines hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Redbirds a 3-2 win over Evansville in the first game of the series. Maines then struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered two hits over seven innings to lead the ?Birds to an 11-2 series-clinching win over the Purple Aces on Sunday.

            Illinois State is coming off a 9-5 loss to in-state rival Eastern Illinois at Coaches Stadium on Wednesday.  Anthony Ruffolo went 2-for-3 with his first career home run and drove in two runs for the Redbirds, but it was not enough as Eastern Illinois hit three home runs in the game and tallied six extra-base hits on the day.

About The Coaches

Lindsay Meggs (UCLA ?93) begins his third season as the Sycamore skipper (58-67) in 2009.  In his first season, Meggs coached the Sycamores to a 26-26 mark overall and a 7-17 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last year, the Sycamores were 18-32 overall and 9-15 in the Valley playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.  Meggs took the reigns of the Sycamore baseball program in 2006, coming to ISU after spending 13 seasons as head coach at California State-Chico.  While there, he guided the Wildcats to two NCAA Division II National Championships and compiled an overall record of 538-228-4.

Jim Brownlee (Illinois State ?70) is in his 30th and final season for as a head college coach, having spent the last six years at his alma mater, Illinois State (142-192).  Brownlee will step down after the season, as associate head coach Mark Kingston takes the reigns of the program. During his 30 years as a collegiate head coach, Brownlee has amassed 843 victories, which ranks him in the top-40 for wins among all active NCAA Division I coaches. Brownlee has also won seven conference coach of the year awards, produced more than 40 players who have gone on to play professionally and mentored 10 academic All-Americans.  Prior to returning to ISU, Brownlee spent 23 seasons at the helm of the Evansville baseball program.

Scouting The Redbirds

►        Illinois State University is located in Normal, Ill., and has an enrollment of 20,450 students.  The Redbirds are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at the newly-constructed Duffy Bass Field (1,500).

►        The Redbirds finished with an overall record of 22-30 during the 2008 season and posted a 6-18 record in Valley, which placed them in eighth place in the conference standings. 

►        Illinois State returns 19 lettermen from last year's team, including four position starters and nine pitchers.  The Redbirds have also picked up nine newcomers this season, including Friday's starter freshman Ryan Camp.

►        The Redbirds opened conference play with a 2-1 series win over Evansville last weekend. Illinois State picked up their first win of the weekend in dramatic fashion, as Corey Maines hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Redbirds a win over Evansville in the first game of the series. Then, on Sunday it was Maines who struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered two hits over seven innings to lead the ?Birds to an 11-2 series-clinching win over the Purple Aces at Duffy Bass Field.

►        Illinois State is coming off a 9-5 loss to in-state rival Eastern Illinois at Coaches Stadium on Wednesday.  Anthony Ruffolo went 2-for-3, with his first career home run, drove in two runs for the Redbirds, but it was not enough as Eastern Illinois hit three home runs in the game, part of a six extra-base hit effort on the day.

►        The Redbirds are led at the plate by junior first baseman Evan Kohli, who has a team high .373 batting average (19-for-51) in 15 starts.  Kohli is also one of six Illinois State hitters with a home run and is tied for the team lead with 13 RBI.  Junior Anthony Ruffalo (.340 average) and senior Collin Salzenstein (.333 average) have also been solid at the plate in all 17 games for the ?Birds.

►        Illinois State starting pitchers Ryan Copeland (3) and Corey Maines (2) have combined for five complete games this season. The duo notched four complete games through the team's first five contests this season.  Copeland, Saturday's starter against Indiana State, currently lead the Redbirds with a team low 2.23 ERA in five starts on the mound.  Maines, Sunday's starter against the Sycamores, leads the team with a 4-1 record in five starts and also leads the team with 35 punch outs on in 34 innings of work.

Multi-Homer Game For Shoemaker

The wind was blowing out at Sycamore Field on Wednesday, but Brady Shoemaker's two home runs hit would have cleared the fences no matter how much wind there was.  The senior slugger from Paris, Ind., hit two home runs against Ball State and finished the game with four RBI to lead the way for the Sycamores.  It was Shoemaker's second multi-home run game in his two-year career at ISU, with the other coming against Illinois State on May 17 at Sycamore Field when he launched three home runs and accounted for 10 RBI against the Redbirds in the season finale.

Mid-Week Success

Collegiate baseball mid-week games have a reputation of being high-scoring affairs and often not very fun for teams.  However, the Sycamores seem to be having a lot of fun during their mid-week games this season as they have posted a 5-1 record in those contests.  ISU is a perfect 5-0 at home in mid-week games and their only loss away from the weekend came on March 4 at Austin Peay.  In the team's five mid-week wins at home, the Sycamores have scored 65 runs while giving up just 25 to their opponents.

The Launching Pad

Sycamore Field turned into a launching pad on Wednesday, as the Sycamores hit a season-high four home runs against Ball State.  Senior Brady Shoemaker led the way with two home runs and four RBI against the Cardinals, while senior Brian Jett hit his team-leading fifth long ball of the season as well.  Junior Tyler Graham also got into the act, as he hit his first home run of his career at ISU to cap off the power display for the Sycamores. 

Hoosier State Supremacy

With a win on Wednesday at Sycamore Field against in-state rival Ball State, the Sycamores improved to 3-0 against teams from the Hoosier State this season.  Indiana State previously defeated Indiana by a score of 11-2 on March 3 at home and also defeated Butler by a score of 23-3 on March 18.  However, it would be premature to give the Sycamores the state title at this point in the season as they still have a three-game series remaining against Missouri Valley Conference foe Evansville and games against Oakland City, Southern Indiana and a re-match with the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Ind.

Fieser's Gone Streaking

Junior third baseman Luke Fieser has made an immediate impact in the Sycamore lineup in his first season at ISU and had a 12-game hitting streak heading into Friday's game against Creighton.  Unfortunately, that streak was snapped on Friday with a 0-for-3 performance at the plate against the Jays in the series opener.  But, Fieser bounced back and has picked up hits in his last three games to keep his hot streak in tact.  He has now hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games and during that time, the Woodinville, Wash., native has posted a .436 average with 24 hits and eight RBI.  In addition, Fieser has raised his season batting average from .294 to .386, which currently leads the way for the Sycamores in that category.

Strausborger Can Do It All

Junior Ryan Strausborger posted a .600 batting average (9-for-15) with a double, a home run and three RBI in four starts for last week for ISU.  The Osceola, Ind., native also scored three runs, walked three times and accounted for 13 total bases while making two starts at second base and two in center field.  Strausborger began the week with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate and three runs scored in Wednesday's 23-3 rout of Butler at Sycamore Field.  He went 3-for-4 with a RBI on Saturday against Creighton and then capped off the weekend going 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI.

Rodriguez Becomes The Stopper

ISU starter Joe Rodriguez stepped up when his team needed him the most and picked up a win on Sunday against Creighton to help the Sycamores avoid a series sweep.  The Middletown, N.Y., native allowed just three earned runs and scattered nine hits in seven inning of work to pick up his second win of the season for the Sycamores and earn a win for his team in the series finale.  

Lafrenz Goes Deep ... Again

Coming off a week where he hit three home runs and drove in seven runs on way to being named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, catcher Bronco Lafrenz picked up right where he left off in last Friday's Valley season opener against the Creighton Bluejays.  With the Sycamores trailing by three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lafrenz came up with two runners on base and hit a long fly ball to right field that continued to carry in the wind over wall for a three-run home run.  It was Lafrenz's team-leading fifth of the season and his fifth in six games.

Is That Score Right?

One look at the scoreboard last Wednesday and Sycamore Field and you may wonder if your eyes were playing tricks on you.  First there was a 12 put on the board in the bottom of the first inning and by the end of the game the score read 23-3.  The 12 runs in the first inning, the 23 runs on the day and the 24 hits were all game highs for ISU this season. However, the 23 runs surrendered to the Sycamores were not a season high for Butler, as the Bulldogs had previously given up 24 runs to UNLV earlier in the year.

Make It A Dozen

The Sycamores have been scoring nearly nine runs a game during the season but they eclipsed that mark in last Wednesday's game against Butler in just the first inning.  ISU exploded for 12 runs on 10 hits in the bottom of the first against the Bulldogs to put the game out of reach early.  Brady Shoemaker, Tyler Graham, and Luke Fieser all picked up RBI singles to start the inning before Pascual Del Real struck the big blow with a three-run triple to make the score 6-0 at the time.  Joe Meggs then picked up a RBI on a single up the middle that scored Del Real from third and Shoemaker later tacked on two more RBI with another single to make the score 11-0.  Fieser capped off the hitting barrage with a RBI single to left field with two outs in the inning.

Everybody Chips In

Every member of the ISU starting lineup chipped in with at least one hit in the team's 23-3 rout over Butler last Wednesday.  Third baseman Luke Fieser led the way with four hits, while Joe Meggs, Ryan Strausborger and Brady Shoemaker each added three hits each for the Sycamores.  The feat was in jeopardy until the eighth inning as Brian Jett headed into his at bat 0-for-5 to that point.  However, Jett launched a two-run home run over the right field wall to pick up his first hit of the game and his fourth home run of the season.

Scoring Runs At Will

With 186 runs scored in their first 23 games of the season (8.1 runs per game), it looks as if the Sycamores will have no problem scoring runs in 2009.  ISU has scored 10 or more runs eight times during the season, including a 23-3 victory last week against in-state foe Butler at Sycamore Field and a 14-6 win over in-state rival Ball State on Wednesday at home.  Those runs are coming via 11 hits per game from Sycamores batters and several of those runs have come from the 24 home runs hit by ISU sluggers.  Last season, the Sycamores averaged 6.9 runs per contest while compiling a total of 504 hits and 36 home runs as a team.

These Guys Can Hit

The offensive numbers the Sycamores have put up through the first 22 games of the season have been impressive and rank ISU as one of the top offensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Indiana State currently ranks first in the Valley in runs scored (186), on base percentage (.404), hits (258), doubles (47), RBI (170), total bases (393) and being hit by pitches (34).  The Sycamores also rank second in the conference in batting average (.307), slugging percentage (.468), triples (8) and home runs (24).

Petricka Spoils The Sweep

Heading into Sunday's series finale against Memphis on March 15, it was up to Jake Petricka on the mound to keep the Sycamores from being swept in the weekend series.  The right-hander stepped up big for his team and did just that, as he picked up his second win of the season with a 12-6 victory over the Tigers.  Petricka (2-0) allowed three late runs in 6.1 innings of work while scattering nine hits and striking out four Tiger batters to earn his first career win in an ISU uniform.

Shutting Down The Hoosiers

Indiana State was dominant in its effort against in-state rival Indiana on March 3, earning an 11-2 win over their Big Ten counterparts.  Much of that had to do with reliever David Gurbach, who picked up his third win in a Sycamore uniform in a dominating effort.  The Aliso Viejo, Calif., native threw 5.2 innings of scoreless ball in relief of ISU starter Cordell Greene and allowed just three hits while striking out a career-high eight batters.

Lucky 13 For Valdez

Junior starter Eric Valdez dominated St. Bonaventure at the Palm Beach Classic on way to picking up his first win in a Sycamore uniform.  The right-hander from Kearny, N.J., threw seven innings and gave up just one walk and three hits while striking out 13 St. Bonaventure hitters.  He also induced six ground ball outs in the win for the Sycamores as he helped them improve to 7-1 on the season at the time.

Strong Starts Becoming The Norm For The Sycamores

ISU's 9-1 start was its best start since the 1990 season, when the Sycamores also started 9-1 and went to 13-1 under head coach Bob Warn to begin the year.  ISU went on to finish that season 43-21.  This is the second strong start in three seasons under head coach Lindsay Meggs, as the 2007 squad started that season 4-1.

We're Gonna Need More Time

Nine innings of play just weren't enough for Indiana State and The Citadel in the season's opening weekend, as three of the four games in their series went into extra innings.  Both games of Saturday's double-header needed extra frames, but ISU picked up a 9-6 win in 10 innings in game one and an 8-7 in 11 innings in game two.  The fourth and final game of the set also needed some extra time, but this time The Citadel picked up a 5-4 win in 12 innings.

That's A Good Day's Work

Senior reliever Matt Shelton started the season off right, as he picked up both wins of a Saturday double-header at The Citadel.  The right-hander from Loves Park, Ill., finished the weekend with a 2-0 record in two appearances for ISU.  In five innings of work, Shelton allowed just two hits and walked one while striking out five Bulldog hitters.  In game one of Saturday's double header, Shelton threw two innings of scoreless relief while giving up one hit and striking out two to help ISU to a 9-6 victory in 10 innings.  He followed that up by throwing three innings of scoreless relief in game two of the doubleheader, allowing just one hit while striking out three in an 8-7 win.