Game 37 ► Miami (Ohio) (20-15, 10-5 MAC) at Indiana State (23-13, 10-3 MVC)
Game 38 ► Indiana State (23-13, 10-3 MVC) at Indiana (18-18, 8-3 Big Ten)
Opponent: Miami (Ohio) RedHawks
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
Stadium: Sycamore Field (1,500)
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Opponent: Indiana Hoosiers
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Stadium: Sembower Field (1,500)
Game Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Setting The Scene
Coming of its third-straight sweep over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, Indiana State (23-13, 10-3 MVC) completes its four-game homestand on Tuesday against Miami (Ohio) (20-15, 10-5 MAC) before heading to Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday for a return game at Indiana (18-18, 8-3 MVC) against the Hoosiers. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Sycamore Field on Tuesday and for 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Sembower Field.
The Sycamores picked up their third consecutive sweep over a Valley opponent with a 3-0 sweep of Southern Illinois last weekend at Sycamore Field. ISU held on for a 5-4 victory in Friday's series opener, before playing a Saturday doubleheader due to unfavorable weather conditions forecasted for Sunday. The Sycamores dominated the Salukis in game one by a score of 10-5 and had to come from behind in game two with a grand slam off the bat of Bronco Lafrenz in the eighth inning to win 5-3 and complete the sweep.
Eric Valdez (3-2) was the catalyst on the mound in Friday's, as he allowed just three earned runs on six hits while striking out six Salukis in 8.1 innings on the mound. Brady Shoemaker led the offensive attack, as hefinished the game 4-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI for the Sycamores.
In game one of Saturday's, Jake Petricka (5-1) controlled the game from the mound and gave up five runs (only three earned) on 10 hits while striking out four batters in eight full innings of work. At the plate, Nick Ciolli finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Luke Fieser went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in the win for ISU.
Then, in the final game of the series, starter Joe Rodriguez allowed just three runs on seven hits while striking out six in 6.1 innings of work but reliever Matt Shelton (4-1) picked up the win in two scoreless innings of relief. Lafrenz finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored, the grand slam and four RBI to lead the way for ISU, while Shoemaker added two hits and a run scored in the win.
The Sycamores will be facing off against the RedHawks on Tuesday for the first time this season, after their first game scheduled for April 7 in Oxford, Ohio, was canceled due to inclement weather. The RedHawks head into the series as winners of four of their last six games, including a 2-1 series win over MAC foe Central Michigan last weekend.
The Hoosiers will be looking for some retribution against the Sycamores on Wednesday for an 11-2 defeat at Sycamore Field on March 3. IU has won six of its last seven games and is coming off a 2-1 series win over Big Ten counterpart Penn State at home last weekend. Much like the Sycamores, the Hoosiers have won three conference series in a row, with wins over Illinois, Iowa and Penn State.
About The Coaches
Lindsay Meggs (UCLA ?93) begins his third season as the Sycamore skipper (67-71) 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.
Dan Simonds (Davidson ?87) is in his fourth season at the helm of the Miami University baseball program (103-100). Simonds has led the RedHawks to two consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournaments and has coached seven Major League Baseball draft picks in three seasons in Oxford, with five players drafted in the first 10 rounds. Prior to taking over as the head coach at Miami, Simonds led Xavier to a 19-35 record in 2005, up from the Musketeers' 16-38 mark in 2004. An assistant at Miami from 2000-04, Simonds was a key component to six 30-win seasons.
Tracy Smith (Miami ?89) is in his fourth season as Indiana baseball's head coach (90-117) and his11th overall 11 years as a head coach (407-337-1). The 2008 season was a significant upward turn for the Hoosiers, as Indiana made its first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2004 by rallying for a sixth-place finish in the regular season and an overall record of 31-30. Prior to returning to Bloomington, Smith amassed a 317-220-1 (.590) record with Miami (Ohio) and a MAC regular-season mark of 152-95 (.615). He led the RedHawks to eight straight 30-win seasons and finished his career in Oxford third on the school's all-time wins list.
Call Him Mr. Consistent
A consistent approach at the plate this season for Luke Fieser has turned him into one of the best hitters on the Sycamores roster and in the Missouri Valley Conference. The ISU third baseman leads the team and the The Valley with a .402 average (47-for-117) in 35 starts, thanks in part to a couple of long hitting streaks. The Woodinville, Wash., native posted a 12-game hitting streak earlier in the season and currently has an 11-game streak going. Overall, Fieser has hit safely in 27 of his last 29 games for the Sycamores and has collected 12 multi-hit games.
Make It Nine In A Row
With a 5-3 come-from-behind victory in the eighth inning over Southern Illinois on Sunday at Sycamore Field, Indiana State secured its third straight series sweep over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent for the first time since the league went to the three-game series format prior to the 2005 season. ISU's nine consecutive wins in conference play is its longest streak since 1985, when the Sycamores won 12 straight games in Valley play and finished the season 57-22 overall.
Let's Play Two
Most teams dread the idea of playing a doubleheader, but Indiana State has come to love double dips this season as the Sycamores are 8-0 in doubleheader action this season. ISU started early in the year with a two wins on Saturday in its season-opening series at the Citadel (February 21) and has since posted a 6-0 record in doubleheader action in league play with wins against Northern Iowa (April 4), Bradley (April 11) and Southern Illinois (April 18) in consecutive weekends. In addition, if you figure in ISU's wins over Mount St. Mary's and St. Bonaventure on February 28 at the Palm Beach Classic, ISU is 10-0 when playing two games in a day this season.
What A Weekend For Shoemaker
Senior outfielder Brady Shoemaker paced the Indiana State attack in the middle of the lineup, hitting .444 (8-for-18) with five runs scored, three doubles, three walks, a home run and two RBI for the Sycamores in five games last week. The Brazil, Ind., native was particularly dangerous in ISU's weekend sweep over SIU, as he hit .727 (8-for-11) and posted a slugging percentage of 1.273 against the Salukis. Shoemaker was 4-for-4 with a double and a home run in game one and followed that with a 2-for-3 effort and three runs scored in game two. He finished the series with a 2-for-4 effort and run scored in the final game to improve his season batting average to .389 in 36 games for the Sycamores.
A Dramatic Win Keeps The Streak Alive
Heading into Saturday's doubleheader against Southern Illinois at Sycamore Field, ISU had won seven straight games in Valley play and had swept its last two conference opponents. After a 10-5 win in game one, that streak went to eight games but the streak was in serious jeopardy in game two as the Sycamores trailed 3-1 in the eighth inning. However, ISU loaded the bases against SIU reliever Nathan Forer for senior catcher Bronco Lafrenz, who launched a ball over the left field wall for his first grand slam of the season and his team-leading seventh home run of the year to give ISU a 5-3 advantage and an eventual sweep over the Salukis.
Petricka Shuts Down The Braves
Sophomore Jake Petricka was stellar on the mound in game two of Saturday's doubleheader against Bradley. The right hander from Fariboult, Minn., picked up his fourth win of the season by giving up just one run on three hits while striking out three in eight innings of work against the Braves. The win was Petricka's second in a row in Valley play, tied him for the team lead in wins and helped the Sycamores to their second-straight series sweep over a Valley opponent.
J-Rod Picks Up Third Straight Valley Win
ISU starter Joe Rodriguez struggled in the first two innings and gave up four earned runs to Bradley in the series finale between the two squads. However, the left-hander regained his composure and allowed just three hits over the next five-plus innings to pick up his fourth win on the season. In all, Rodriguez pitched 7.1 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out four to move to 3-0 in three starts in Valley play.
Scoring Runs At Will
With 280 runs scored this season (7.8 runs per game), the Sycamores have had no problems scoring runs in 2009. ISU has scored 10 or more runs 12 times during the season, including a 23-3 victory against in-state foe Butler at Sycamore Field and a 12 win over Bradley last Sunday in the series finale against the Braves. Last season, the Sycamores averaged 6.9 runs per contest while compiling a total of 504 hits and 36 home runs as a team.
Handling The Bat With Ease
Junior second baseman Ryan Strausborger set the table for the Sycamores at the top of the lineup against Northern Iowa, as the ISU leadoff man hit .571 (8-for-14) with a triple and five runs scored in a three-game sweep over the Panthers. The Osceola, Ind., native also added a walk and accounted for 10 total bases while finished 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Most of that damage was done in Saturday's doubleheader sweep over the Panthers, when he finished 6-for-10 with four runs scored and three stolen bases.
Get Out Your Brooms
Weekend sweeps on the road in Missouri Valley Conference play are hard to come by for any team and before the team's weekend sweep at UNI, it had been a while since the Sycamores achieved that feat. The last time ISU picked up a conference road sweep was in 2005, when the Sycamores picked up three wins at Missouri State from April 22-24. The sweep for ISU was its first since last season, when the team won its last three games of the year in a weekend sweep over Illinois State. With sweep over Bradley and Southern Illinois at home, the Sycamores have now extended their streak to three-straight series sweeps.
What Can't He Do?
Senior Brady Shoemaker continues to be a threat in the middle of the lineup for the Sycamores, as he hit .455 (5-for-11) with a double, triple, home run and four RBI in a weekend sweep over at UNI. Shoemaker also scored seven runs, was walked five times, stole two bases and accounted for 11 total bases on way to a .625 on-base percentage against the Panthers.
Strong Arming The Competition
The Sycamores have been getting the job done at the plate all season with their .311 team batting average. However, it was a trio of strong pitching performances at UNI that made the difference for the Sycamores. All three Sycamore starters earned wins against the Panthers and the ISU pitching staff allowed just eight runs in the three-game weekend sweep. Junior Eric Valdez kicked off the series with a 12-strikeout performance in Friday's 9-3 victory, while sophomore Jake Petricka allowed just two runs in game a 13-4 win in game one on Saturday. Junior Joe Rodriguez guaranteed the weekend sweep with a dominating 1-run effort in 8.1 innings in game two on Saturday to secure the team's first road sweep since 2005..
Multi-Homer Game For Shoemaker
The wind was blowing out at Sycamore Field, but Brady Shoemaker's two home runs hit would have cleared the fences no matter how much wind there was against Ball State. The senior slugger from Brazil, Ind., hit two home runs against the Cardinals 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.
The Launching Pad
Sycamore Field turned into a launching pad, 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 the first home run of his career in an Indiana State uniform to cap off the power display in the victory for the Sycamores.
Hoosier State Supremacy
With a win on 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 on April 22
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 at Sycamore Field in the team's win over Butler and one might wonder if their eyes were playing tricks on them. One look would show 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 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. 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.
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.
