Games 49-51 ► Missouri State (29-19, 14-5 MVC) at #26 Indiana State (33-15, 15-4 MVC)
May 14-16, 2009 ► Springfield, Mo. ► Hammons Field (8,000) ► GoSycamores.com
Series Game Times
Thursday: #23 Eric Valdez, Jr., RHP
Friday: #17 Jake Petricka, So., RHP
Saturday: #42 Joe Rodriguez, Jr., LHP
Indiana State Probable Starters
Thursday: #23 Eric Valdez, Jr., RHP
Friday: #17 Jake Petricka, So., RHP
Saturday: #42 Joe Rodriguez, Jr., LHP
Missouri State Probable Starters
Thursday: #26 Aaron Meade, So., LHP
Friday: #19 Buddy Baumann, Jr., LHP
Saturday: #32 Pat Doyle, Jr., RHP
Setting The Scene
No. 26 ranked Indiana State (33-14, 15-4 MVC) can see the light at the end of the tunnel and has a Missouri Valley Conference championship in its sights. However, the Sycamores have to go through second-place Missouri State (29-19, 14-5 MVC) this weekend to achieve their goal of winning a regular season Valley championship for the first time since 1985.
The Sycamores head into the final week of the regular season on a high note, having won 13 of their last 15 contests and 21 out of their last 27 games overall. That earned the Sycamores a No. 26 ranking in Collegiate Baseball newspaper's NCAA Division I baseball poll released on May 11. The national ranking is the first for the Sycamores since 1986, when ISU made its first and only appearance in the College World Series.
ISU suffered a slight setback with a 9-8 loss to Xavier on Tuesday night in their home finale, but head into their final MVC series on a roll in the league. Last weekend, the Sycamores picked up their fourth series sweep over a Valley opponent with wins Friday-Sunday against in-state rival Evansville at Sycamore Field.
The Sycamores pounded out 12 runs and took advantage five errors by the Purple Aces to pick up a 12-7 win on Friday in the series opener. ISU starter Eric Valdez (5-3) labored on the mound and gave up seven earned runs in six innings of work, but his offense picked him up and gave him his fifth win of the season. Brady Shoemaker finished the day 2-for-4, with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI and Bronco Lafrenz chipped in with two hits and two RBI.
Thanks to a strong pitching performance and another strong day at the plate, the Sycamores picked up an 11-2 victory over the Aces in the second game of the weeknd on Saturday. ISU starter Jake Petricka (7-1) picked up his seventh win of the season, after allowing just two earned runs on five hits while striking out five in seven inning of work. Lafrenz finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI, while Shoemaker and Nick Ciolli each chipped in three hits and a RBI.
Then, in the series finale on Sunday, the Sycamores got solid contributions from seniors Brady Shoemaker and Bronco Lafrenz and powered their way to a 13-1 mercy-rule win in eight innings on Senior Day. ISU starter Joe Rodriguez was outstanding on the mound, as he allowed just six hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters in seven scoreless innings of work on the mound.
Lafrenz finished the day 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored and five RBI to lead the Sycamores and increase his home run total to 10 on the season. Shoemaker also had a great day with three hits, including the home run, three runs scored and three RBI while Ciolli added three hits and three RBI for ISU.
On The Web
Fans can listen to all three games of the Missouri State series live on GoSycamores.com. Just click on the listen live link off the baseball schedule page or click on the listen live graphic on the front page to listen to the games. Ace Hunt and Mike Williams will call all the action from Hammons Field.
About The Coaches
Lindsay Meggs (UCLA ?93) is in his third season as the Sycamore skipper (77-72) 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.
Keith Guttin (Missouri-St. Louis 78) is in his 27th year of guiding the Missouri State baseball program. Under Guttin, the Bears are 933-572 and have posted eight 40-win seasons. In 2003, MSU advanced to its first-ever NCAA Division I College World Series to cap a season in which the Bears won the MVC regular season title for the second time in three seasons. The Bears' NCAA Tournament trip was the second straight NCAA trip and the sixth appearance in the past nine years. That year, Guttin garnered the American Baseball Coaches Association Midwest Region Coach of the Year award and his second MVC Coach of the Year honor in three seasons.
Scouting The Musketeers
► Missouri State University is located in Springfield, Mo., and has an enrollment of 21,688 students. The Bears are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at Hammons Field.
► The Bears finished with an impressive 40-17 overall record in 2008 and posted an 18-6 record in the Missouri Valley Conference, which was good enough for second place in the conference standings. However, the Bears were overlooked by the NCAA selection committee and their season ended at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
► MSU is planning to honor and recognize the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Division II World Series team as well as the 1970 World Series team in a special ceremony prior to the May 16 season finale. Those teams were coached by outgoing Director of Athletics Bill Rowe, who coached the baseball Bears from 1964 through 1982 and has been the AD since. Rowe is stepping down from his AD post in June.
► Senior third baseman Brayden Drake was selected as this week's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Drake homered and had three RBIs in all four Missouri State wins last week, hitting .588 with 12 RBIs and six runs scored. He also doubled twice and was hit by four pitches to slug 1.412 and collect a .667 on-base percentage in 21 trips to the plate.
► Like the Sycamores, the Bears are coming off a weekend sweep over a Valley opponent. Last weekend, MSU swept then league-leading Creighton to move within a game of the first-place Sycamores. Pat Doyle threw a career-high eight innings and the Bears took an 8-0 lead into the ninth inning before walking away with an 8-3 victory and series sweep over the Bluejays on Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
Hoosier State Supremacy
Indiana State is having one of its best seasons in recent memory, thanks to taking care of business in its own home state. With a weekend sweep over Valley foe Evansville last weekend, the Sycamores improved to 10-0 against teams from the Hoosier State this season. In addition to their three wins over the Purple Aces, Indiana State defeated Indiana twice during the season and defeated Division I foes Butler (23-3) and Ball State (14-6) in games at Sycamore Field. ISU also picked up a couple of wins against Oakland City and a recorded a 10-0 shutout over Southern Indiana on April 25.
Home, Sweet Home
After playing the majority of their games on the road last season, the Sycamores made the most of their home schedule this season. ISU has posted a 17-3 record in 20 games at Sycamores Field and hit .354 with 25 home runs and 202 runs scored after wrapping up their home schedule with Xavier on Tuesday. In contrast, ISU's opponents hit just .282 with 11 home runs and 101 runs scored in Terre Haute. The Sycamores' only losses at home were to Valley foe Creighton in back-to-back losses on March 20 and 21 and to Xavier on Tuesday.
It All Comes Down To This
Thanks to a series sweep over Evansville last weekend, the Sycamores find themselves in a position to win their first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship since 1985 heading into the final weekend of the regular season against Missouri State. The formula is simple: If ISU takes two out of three games or sweeps the Bears, it will win the conference outright for the first time in school history. Or, if ISU wins one game at Missouri State and Creighton loses one game at Wichita State, the Sycamores will earn a share of the championship.
Shoemaker Picks Up Academic All-District Honors
Indiana State senior outfielder Brady Shoemaker was honored for his hard work on the field and in the classroom earlier this week when he was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V First Team selection by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Shoemaker, a physical education major with a 3.85 cumulative GPA at ISU, has played and started in all 44 games this season for the Sycamores. He currently leads the team with a .404 batting and 13 home runs while compiling 16 doubles and 48 RBI.
Sycamores Ranked No. 26th Nationally By Collegiate Baseball
The Indiana State baseball team has been one of the hottest in the country, having won 13 of its last 14 contests and 21 out of its last 26 games overall. That has earned the Sycamores some national attention and a No. 26 ranking in Collegiate Baseball newspaper's NCAA Division I baseball poll released on May 11. The Sycamores are new to the poll and cracked the Top 30 at No. 26 with 433 points. ISU is also receiving votes in the NCBWA poll as well.
Flashing The Leather
The Sycamores are known for their potent offensive attack, but it's their defense that is garnering some national attention. As of the May 10th NCAA baseball national ranking summary, ISU ranked 12th in the country with a fielding percentage of .975. However, that mark ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference, as Creighton has posted a .982 fielding percentage which ranks second in the country overall. The Sycamores' fielding numbers are even better in Valley games, as they have a .986 mark which has resulted in a 15-4 conference record.
Rodriguez Named Pitcher of the Week
Indiana State left-hander Joe Rodriguez pitched seven shutout innings on the mound against Evansville on Sunday in the Sycamores' 13-1 win over Evansville. For that effort, the junior was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week by the conference office on May 11. The junior from Middletown, N.Y., allowed just six hits and struck out a career-high 11 batters in seven shutout innings of work for the Sycamores as they picked up their fourth series sweep over a Valley opponent this year. Only one Evansville base runner reached third when Rodriguez was on the mound and he gave up just three hits in his final four innings of work.
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 is third on the team and fourth in the conference with a .361 average (60-for-166) in 47 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 snapped a 21-game hitting streak last Sunday against Evansville. Overall, Fieser has hit safely in 37 of his last 40 games.
Potent Is An Understatement
The Indiana State offense has been labeled as being potent by many media members, however potent may be too light of an adjective to describe the Sycamores ability at the plate. ISU currently leads all teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.477), on base percentage (.410), runs scored (393), hits (557), runs batted in (352), total bases (828) and being hit by pitch (71). In addition, the Sycamores rank second in doubles (100), home runs (49), walks (205) and sacrifice bunts (44).
Scoring Runs At Will
With 393 runs scored this season (8.2 runs per game), the Sycamores have had no problems scoring runs in 2009. ISU has scored 10 or more runs 19 times during the season, including a 12-7 win on Friday, an 11-2 win on Saturday and a walk-off 13-1 win on Sunday in a series sweep over Evansville last weekend.
Strong Arming The Competition
Last season, the Sycamores had just one pitcher (Matt Shelton) win at least four games on the mound as the team posted an 18-32 record. However, that trend has changed this season as four Sycamores have four wins or more on the bump which has helped the Sycamores to their first 30-win season since 2005. Sophomore Jake Petricka (7-1) and junior Joe Rodriguez (7-1) lead the way with seven wins each, while junior Eric Valdez (5-3) and senior Matt Shelton (4-1) have combined to win nine more games for the Sycamores.
The Trees Keep On Rolling
Heading into last weekend's series against Evansville, Indiana State had won four straight Missouri Valley Conference series in and had swept three of their opponents in that stretch (UNI, Bradley and Southern Illinois). The Sycamores were looking to make it five in a row with a series win against the Purple Aces, and they did just that with a 12-7 win on Friday, an 11-2 win on Saturday and a 13-1 win on Sunday to pick up their fourth series sweep over a Valley opponent. The Sycamores have now won 14 out of their last 15 games in Valley play and have a one-game lead over Missouri State for first place in the conference standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
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.
Tough Luck For Valdez
Junior starter Eric Valdez wanted to start last weekend's series on a high note for the Sycamores against Wichita State. The right-hander from Kearney, N.J., did all he could on the mound to help ISU, but he was out-dueled by WSU's Tim Kelley in a 2-0 shutout loss. Valdez suffered the loss, after allowing just two earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight Shocker hitters in eight innings of work. With that loss, Valdez is now 4-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 11 starts for the Sycamores in his first season at ISU and leads the team with 65 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work.
J-Rod Picks Up Fourth Straight Valley Win
Junior starter Joe Rodriguez took the mound last Sunday hoping to give ISU its fourth-consecutive series win in Valley play and its first against Wichita State since 2001. The Middletown, N.Y., native struggled early against the Shockers, but bounced back to pick up the win in 6.2 innings of work. Rodriguez allowed three earned runs on five hits through the first three innings of Sunday's start, but rallied to allow just three hits in his remaining 3.2 innings to pick up his fourth win in a row in Valley play and improve his conference record to 4-0. Overall, Rodriguez scattered eight hits and walked just one while striking out a season-high seven batters.
The Hits Keep Coming For Ciolli
Junior outfielder Nick Ciolli continued his hot hitting last week, as he posted an average of .471 (8-for-15) with five runs scored and three RBI to help the Sycamores to a win over No. 28 Illinois and a weekend series win at Wichita State. The Terre Haute, Ind., started the week with a 2-for-4 effort with two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 11-10 win over No. 28 Illinois. He then headed into the weekend against Wichita State and finished the series 6-for-13 against the Shockers, including accounting for three of the team's four hits in Friday's series opener. During his current 10-game hitting streak, Ciolli has posted a .512 batting average (21-for-41) with a double and seven RBI.
A Reversal Of Roles For Shelton
Senior Matt Shelton spent the majority of his first three seasons on the mound as a starter for the Sycamores. Prior to this season, Shelton appeared in 41 games with 21 starts and posted a 9-8 overall record. However, Shelton has embraced his new role at the ISU closer out of the bullpen this season and his numbers have improved significantly. The right-hander from Loves Park, Ill., is 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 20 appearances for the Sycamores. He also leads the team with five saves and has struck out 31 batters in 28.1 innings of work. In Missouri Valley Conference play, he is even more effective as he is 1-0 with a 0.71 ERA and three saves in 12.2 innings on the mound.
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 extended their streak to three-straight series sweeps earlier this season.
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.
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.
