The Indiana State baseball team competed in their 115th year of baseball in 2011, finishing the season with the program's 69th winning season and second consecutive under head coach Rick Heller.

The Sycamores ended the year with a 29-28 overall record and an 8-13 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, claiming the sixth seed in the 2011 State Farm MVC Tournament. Despite entering each game as the underdog during their tournament run, ISU picked up three wins during the conference tournament, falling just short of a trip to the championship game with an elimination-game loss to Wichita State.

Indiana State will return a veteran squad for the 2012 season, with all nine of their position starters set to return next season. Included in that group are rising juniors Robby Ort (.320, 10 HR, 53 RBI) and Jeremy Lucas (.333, 3 HR, 28 RBI), a duo that both earned all-conference selections following the season.

2011 also marked the second season in the renovated Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium, a home field that has seen the team pick up 33 wins on the their home turf over the past two seasons. This season, the Indiana State baseball program added an indoor facility to their accommodations, a facility located next door to ISU's game field.

The Sycamores were not just successful on the field during the 2011 season, but also in the classroom. As a team, the ISU baseball team worked their way to a 3.01 team GPA, with junior Kyle Burnam, sophomore Koby Kraemer and sophomore Jeremy Lucas all earning individual selections to the MVC's Scholar-Athlete First Team. Kraemer also earned Academic All-District Five honors as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Ort, Lucas Earn All-Conference Honors

Sophomores Robby Ort and Jeremy Lucas both earned some hardware following the 2011 season, with Ort earning First Team honors while Lucas was named to the Second Team as announced by the league office prior to the 2011 State Farm MVC Tournament in Omaha, Neb.

Ort, a native of Newburgh, Ind., and a Castle High School product, led the Sycamores for the second straight season in home runs, hitting his 10th of the year on Friday, May 20 against Southern Illinois. The ISU sophomore also led the team with seven triples, 53 runs batted in and 56 runs scored in 56 starts in the outfield and at second base. Ort earned honorable mention All-MVC last season, hitting .353 with five home runs and 50 RBIs as a rookie.

Lucas, a native of West Terre Haute, Ind., and a West Vigo High School product, has been on a hitting tear since the start of the conference season, leading the Sycamores with a .405 batting average in league games. The ISU sophomore has racked up 32 hits in ISU's 21 MVC games, knocking five doubles and two home runs for 13 RBIs. Since returning in early April from his arm injury, Lucas has topped the Sycamores with a .357 batting average (41-for-115) over 32 starts behind the plate and at designated hitter. Lucas also earned Second Team All-MVC as a freshman, hitting .326 at the plate with 57 hits last season.

Wampler Named To MVC All-Tournament Team

Freshman Tyler Wampler tied for the team-lead with seven hits during the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and has been named to the All-Tournament Team.

Wampler, a native of West Terre Haute, Ind., and a West Vigo High School product, tied with sophomore Koby Kraemer with seven base knocks during Indiana State's five games in the tournament in Omaha, Neb., recording at least one hit in ISU's last four games. The freshman shortstop stepped up when it mattered most, hitting .500 (5-for-10) in Indiana State's final three games, including tying his career-high with three hits in ISU's 7-6 elimination game victory over Illinois State on Thursday. For the tournament, Wampler hit a team-leading .389 (7-for-18) with a pair on RBIs and two runs scored.

Three Sycamores Selected To All-MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team

For the second straight season, the Indiana State baseball team placed three members of their roster on the Missouri Valley Conference's Scholar-Athlete Team, with junior Kyle Burnam, sophomore Koby Kraemer and sophomore Jeremy Lucas all earning First Team All-MVC Scholar-Athlete honors.

Kraemer Named To Capital One Academic All-District Five First Team

Redshirt sophomore infielder Koby Kraemer was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Five First Team on Thursday (May 5), an award selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). After sitting out the 2010 season with a knee injury, Kraemer returned in a big way for the Sycamores in 2011, leading the team in hits (75), doubles (14) and stolen bases (nine) while placing second in RBIs (39) and runs scored (44).

Van Skike Tosses First ISU Nine-Inning No-Hitter Since 1949

Senior Jason Van Skike led the Sycamores to an 8-0 win over Central Arkansas on Saturday, March 5, tossing the first nine-inning complete game no-hitter since Darrell Wible against Eastern Illinois on May 6, 1949. Van Skike's no-hitter was the 10th in Indiana State's program history, the eighth from a single player in the center of the diamond and the fourth in a game that lasted nine innings. ISU's last no-hitter came back on March 30, 1988, when Skip Wiley and Kevin Klingerman combined to no-hit the University of Indianapolis in a 10-0 ISU victory. Mike Gardiner threw ISU's last solo no-hitter, coming on April 15, 1984, in a seven-inning 2-0 win against Wichita State.

Three Runs Or Less

The key to Indiana State's success started on the mound and on defense. The Sycamores were 22-2 in 2011 when they allowed three runs or less to their opponents, but just 7-26 when their opposition reached the four-run plateau.

Heller Wins 600th Career Game

With Indiana State's 8-0 victory over Central Arkansas on Saturday, March 5, second-year head coach Rick Heller surpassed another career milestone with his 600th career collegiate victory as the man in charge. The Sycamores' 8-0 win was not just a shutout over the Bears, as senior right-hander Jason Van Skike tossed a nine-inning no-hitter, the first of its kind for ISU since 1949. Heller begins his 24th season as a head coach with the start of the 2011 season, his second at Indiana State. In his first campaign at Indiana State, Heller led the Sycamores to a 35-19 overall record, the most wins for ISU under a first-year head coach in the 114-year history of Indiana State baseball.

Winning Seasons

The Sycamores ended the season with a 29-28 record, their third straight winning season overall and second consecutive under head coach Rick Heller. Indiana State's three straight winning seasons mark their longest string since the team recorded four winning seasons in succession from 2000-2003.

Taking The Lead

The Sycamores scored first in 36 of their 57 games this season, using that advantage to go 23-13 when breaking the scoreless tie. Getting an early lead was important to Indiana State, as the team won just three games when trailing heading into the final three innings.

Strong Defense

Indiana State's defense was one of the tops in the country, as the Sycamores ranked among the nation's best with a .976 fielding percentage. As of June 7, ISU ranked 21st in the country in fielding percentage, playing 24 games without an error in the field.

Seeing Triple

Indiana State tallied 21 triples this past season, the most among all teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. As of June 7, the Sycamores were ranked in a tie for 25th on a national scale with Central Michigan, Charlotte, Elon, Kent State, Prairie View and Southern, while Grambling leads the country with 36 triples in 49 games. Sophomores Robby Ort (seven), Koby Kraemer (four), Jeremy Lucas (two) and freshman Owen Conway (two) led the Sycamores in triples, with six other players recording one each. Ort's seven triples also ranked the ISU sophomore atop the MVC individual rankings and in a tie for 10th nationally.

Closing The Door

Senior Blake Drake racked up 10 saves during the 2011 season, tying the ISU closer for third on ISU's single-season save list. Drake is knotted with sophomore Tyler Browning, who also tallied 10 saves during his freshman season in 2010. John Trisler holds the school record, saving 13 games during the 1991 season, while Craig Kozlowski ranks second with 12 in 1986.

No Stealing

Sophomore Koby Kraemer led the Sycamores with nine stolen bases during the 2011 season, a total that marks the lowest total to lead Indiana State since 1975.

Back-to-Back Seasons

Sophomore Robby Ort has tallied at least 50 RBIs in both of his seasons as a Sycamore, leading Indiana State with 53 RBIs and 56 runs scored this past season. Ort is just the seventh Sycamore to lead ISU in runs batted in in back-to-back seasons since 1955, joining Brady Shoemaker (2008-09), Dan Frye (1991-92), Chad McDonald (1988-89), Larry Kester (1971-72), Harlan Lautenschlager ( 1963-64) and Joe Gore (1957-58). Ort led ISU with 50 RBIs as a freshman in 2010.

Hitting His Stride

After returning in early April from his arm injury, sophomore Jeremy Lucas topped the Sycamores with a .370 batting average (37-for-100) over 27 starts behind the plate and at designated hitter. The ISU sophomore was even better in conference play, racking up a team-leading 32 hits and a .405 batting average with five doubles, a pair of home runs and 13 runs batted in.

Close, But No Cigar

Sophomore Robby Ort tallied seven RBIs on March 20 against Eastern Kentucky, but fell three short of the Indiana State record. Brady Shoemaker holds that mark in the Sycamore record books with 10 runs batted in, coming on a pair of grand slams and a two-run home run against Illinois State on May 17, 2008.

18 To Life

Sophomore Koby Kraemer saw his 18-game hitting streak come to an end on April 19 at SIU Edwardsville. Kraemer's hitting streak dated back to March 19 against Eastern Kentucky, as the sophomore infielder went 31-for-74 (.419) with 20 RBIs over that 18-game span.

Rea Selected In 12th Round Of MLB Draft

For the second straight season, the Indiana State baseball team produced a high-round pitching prospect, as junior hurler Colin Rea was selected in the 12th round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft by the San Diego Padres, the 383rd overall pick of the draft.

Rea led Indiana State in wins and innings pitched this past season, going 8-4 on the mound with a 3.68 ERA over 95.1 innings. The junior from Cascade, Iowa, also led the team by limiting opposing batters to a .204 average, allowing 69 hits while fanning 76 at the plate.

Last season, the Sycamores saw Jacob Petricka go to the Chicago White Sox in the second round of the draft with the 63rd overall pick.

Drake Selected In 22nd Round Of MLB Draft

The Indiana State baseball program saw their second member of the 2011 roster be selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, when the Chicago White Sox picked senior Blake Drake in the 22nd round, the 681st overall selection.

Drake led Indiana State with 10 saves in 2011, tying for third in ISU's single-season save list. The Louisville, Ky., native, finished the season with a 1-5 record and a 4.78 ERA, making 22 appearances out of the bullpen and four starts early in the season before claiming the closer's role. The hard-throwing righthander struck out 37 batters in 49 innings on the mound.

With the selection of Drake, the Chicago White Sox have now selected four members of the ISU baseball program over the last three seasons. The Southsiders picked Jacob Petricka in the second round in 2010, after taking Nick Ciolli and Brady Shoemaker in 2009.

Heller Adds Nine To 2012 Baseball Roster

Second-year head coach Rick Heller and his Indiana State baseball staff have signed nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period.

"This is a talented group of players and I feel we addressed all of our needs for next season," said head coach Heller. "With a small senior class we needed quality, not quantity. This group is a good one! Recruiting coordinator Tyler Herbst and assistant coach Brian Smiley did an awesome job this season and as always, worked extremely hard. I appreciate their efforts. It will be exciting to see this group mixed in with all the returners next season."

Below is a quick snapshot of the newcomers for the 2012 season:

Name                    Pos.         Hometown                    Previous School