The Indiana State baseball team travels to preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State this weekend, facing the Bears over three games at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo. The Sycamores opened conference play with a three-game sweep of Southern Illinois on Bob Warn Field last weekend.

All three games of the weekend series can be heard live on the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network, on either WPRS AM 1440 or WIBQ 98.5 FM. Friday's game (5:00 p.m. first pitch) will be carried on WPRS AM 1440, while Saturday's (3:00 p.m.) and Sunday's (2:00 p.m.) matchups can be heard on WIBQ 98.5 FM.

Weekend Schedule
Friday: 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Saturday: 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Sunday: 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Probable Weekend Indiana State Pitching Rotation
Friday: Sean Manaea (Jr. -- LHP -- 6-5 -- 235 -- Wanatah, Ind. -- Andrean HS)
Notes: Ninth pitcher in ISU history to tally 100+ Ks in a season (115 in 2012) ... 238 career strikeouts
2013 Season Stats: 3-1 record ... 0.84 ERA ... 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 Ks vs. Southern Illinois last Friday
Saturday: Devin Moore (Sr. -- RHP -- 6-3 -- 210 -- Springfield, Ill. -- Lincoln Land CC)
Notes: MVC Pitcher of the Week ... two runs allowed in 24.2 innings pitched since his first outing
2013 Season Stats: 2-1 record ... 2.15 ERA ... 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 Ks vs. Southern Illinois last Saturday
Sunday: Daniel Peterson (Jr. -- RHP -- 6-6 -- 182 -- Lenexa, Kan. -- Neosho County CC)
Notes: Transfer from Neosho County CC ... earned all-state honors while at De Soto HS (KS)
2013 Season Stats: 0-2 record ... 4.78 ERA ... 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 Ks vs. Southern Illinois last Saturday

A Little History
This weekend's series will be the 96th, 97th and 98th meetings between Indiana State and Missouri State, with the Bears leading the all-time series by a 58-37 margin. ISU won the series opener in Terre Haute last season to secure to regular season MVC championship before MSU came back to take the final two matchups over the weekend. Indiana State is 2-7-2 in weekend series in Springfield since 1991, picking up series wins in 2005 (3-0) and 2007 (2-1). Under head coach Rick Heller, ISU is 4-5 against Missouri State and 1-2 on the road in Springfield.

Scouting The Bears
Missouri State enters this weekend's series at 15-6 overall, the top winning percentage in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears are 6-1 at home this season, earning series wins over Northwestern (3-0) and Western Illinois (2-1) along with an 11-4 victory over SEMO this past Wednesday. Redshirt junior Nick Petree (3-0, 1.09 ERA) and freshman Jonathan Harris (4-0, 1.80 ERA) highlight a strong MSU pitching staff that ranks 27th in the NCAA in ERA (2.79 ERA).

Game-by-Game -- Missouri State
Below is a quick look at the last 10 games between Indiana State and Missouri State.

May 19, 2012 at Indiana State -- L, 0-5                      March 22, 2011 at Missouri State -- L, 2-14
May 18, 2012 at Indiana State -- L, 5-7                      May 2, 2010 at Indiana State -- L, 3-5
May 17, 2012 at Indiana State -- W, 6-3                     May 1, 2010 at Indiana State -- W, 10-3
March 23, 2011 at Missouri State -- L, 1-4                  April 30, 2010 at Indiana State -- W, 8-1
March 23, 2011 at Missouri State -- W, 7-6                 May 16, 2009 at Missouri State -- L, 1-6

Sycamores Sweep Salukis To Open MVC Play
Indiana State opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game sweep of Southern Illinois, the second season in a row that the Sycamores have blanked the Salukis over a weekend matchup. Indiana State's 3-0 start in league play is their best since taking all four games of a series in Terre Haute against Bradley to begin the 2003 season.

No Errors
Defense led the Sycamores to their series sweep over Southern Illinois, as Indiana State did not make an error in the field in their three-game set with the Salukis. The last time that Indiana State did not make an error over a weekend series was during the 2010 season when ISU took two out of three games at home over Missouri State on April 30 through May 2.

Moore Named MVC Pitcher Of The Week
For the second consecutive week and third time this season an Indiana State pitcher has been named the MVC Pitcher of the Week, as senior right-hander Devin Moore earned the award after tossing nine shutout innings in Saturday's 1-0 victory in 11 innings over Southern Illinois. Junior Sean Manaea (Feb. 22 / March 18) has also been selected by the league office earlier this season. Moore allowed just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in nine shutout innings, needing just 95 pitches to blank SIU. The ISU senior retired the first 12 batters he faced before Austin Montgomery led off the fifth inning with a double, one of just four baserunners for Southern Illinois in Moore's time on the mound. Moore allowed those baserunners in just two innings, as the Salukis put two runners on in both the fifth and ninth innings before Moore was able to pitch out of the jams. For the season, Moore is 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA with 26 strikeouts against just five walks in 29.1 innings pitched.

Manaea Tabbed On Golden Spikes Award Watch List
Junior Sean Manaea was named to the Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List heading into the 2013 season, an award presented by USA Baseball at the end of the season to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Manaea is one of 50 student-athletes from around the nation to earn selection to the preseason list and is joined by Missouri State's Nick Petree in representing the Missouri Valley Conference.

Manaea Named To Three Preseason All-America Teams
Junior Sean Manaea earned selection to a trio of Preseason All-America teams heading into the season, as Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game each selected the Indiana State southpaw as a First Team All-American. Below is a quick look at the last All-America selections for the Indiana State baseball team:

ABCA: OF Dan Olson, 1996                                       Collegiate Baseball: DH Todd Tatlock, 1995
Baseball America: SP Casey Whitten, 1993                 Sporting News: 3B Chad McDonald, 1990

Manaea Joins 200 Strikeout Club
Junior Sean Manaea struck out eight batters last weekend against Southern Illinois, continuing his climb up the career rankings at Indiana State. Manaea totaled 115 Ks in his sophomore season, ranking in a tie for third in school history for single-season strikeouts. Below is a quick look at the Top 10 in career strikeouts at Indiana State.

1. Casey Whitten (1991-93) – 299                             6. Mike Farrell (1988-91) – 248
2. Mike Gardiner (1984-87) – 296                              7. Sean Manaea (2011-present) – 238
3. Brad Finken (1994-97) – 275                                 T8. John Howes (1982-86) – 217
4. Blaise Ilsley (1983-85) – 274                                 T8. Tom Browning (1993-96) – 217
5. Mitch Stetter (2000-03) – 254                                10. Paul Quizner (1983-86) – 214

Productive At The Plate: Part I
Senior Robby Ort enters the weekend with 169 career RBIs at the plate, ranking sixth in program history at ISU. Below is quick look at the Top 10 for RBIs in school history.

1. Boi Rodriguez (1985-87) – 200                              6. Robby Ort (2010-present) – 169
2. Chad McDonald (1988-90) – 198                            7. Bob Zeihen (1985-88) – 159
3. Dan Frye (1989-92) – 186                                     8. Mike Lexa (1984-86) – 154
4. John LaMar (1989-92) – 175                                  9. Dan Olson (1994-96) – 153
5. Mike Eberle (1984-87) – 174                                 10. Kevin Egli (2000-03) – 151

Productive At The Plate: Part II
Senior Robby Ort has led the team in runs batted in following each of his first three seasons at Indiana State, totaling 157 RBIs in his freshman through junior seasons. The Newburgh, Ind., native has also increased his production in all three seasons, improving from 50 RBIs as a freshman to 53 RBIs as a sophomore to 54 RBIs as a junior. In 2012, Ort became the first Sycamore in program history to lead the team in runs batted in for three consecutive seasons. Ort enters the weekend with 12 RBIs, one behind Koby Kraemer's team-leading total of 13.

Steady At Short
Junior Tyler Wampler has been a mainstay on defense for the Sycamores, starting 113 games at shortstop over his three seasons. Wampler has tallied 386 fielding assists (140 as a freshman in 2011, 184 as a sophomore in 2012, 62 in 2013) in his time at Indiana State, a total that puts the West Terre Haute, Ind., native on pace to break Dan Frye's school record of 541. Wampler enters the weekend with a career fielding percentage of .962 (23 errors in 130 games).

Off And Running
Sophomore Landon Curry led Indiana State with 16 stolen bases last season as a true freshman, ranking in a tie for sixth in the MVC overall. Curry became the first freshman since Bob Zeihen in 1985 to lead the Sycamores in steals as a rookie. The Uniondale, Ind., native is off to a fast start again in 2013, swiping a MVC-leading 11 bases already this season. For his career, Curry is 27-for-33 in stolen base attempts.

Kraemer's Grand Slam Highlights Series Win At Minnesota
Redshirt senior Koby Kraemer hit a grand slam in the sixth inning inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, sending the Sycamores to a 9-4 win in the rubber match on Sunday. Indiana State earned a 2-1 victory on Friday night against the Golden Gophers as junior Sean Manaea pitched his first complete game with nine strikeouts.

Best Winning Percentage In The MVC Since 2009
Indiana State has posted 149 wins and a .611 winning percentage since the 2009 season, the best winning percentage in that span among teams in the MVC. ISU is second to Wichita State (158) in overall wins, but leads the way in winning percentage due to playing 23 fewer games.

Getting To The Seventh
Under head coach Rick Heller, ISU is 85-14 (.859) in games that they hold a lead heading into the seventh inning. When the Sycamores have trailed after the sixth inning, ISU is 17-54 (.239).

Against The Best
ISU is 3-3 against the RPI Top 60 this season, with wins over Mercer (17), Austin Peay (24) and College of Charleston (56). Last season, the Sycamores were 14-13 against the RPI Top 100.

Winning Streaks Under Head Coach Rick Heller
Below is a quick look at the longest winning streaks for ISU under head coach Rick Heller.

Streak               Dates                            Victories
1. 13 games      March 4-23, 2012           at EKU, EIU, IU, UTM (3), SIUE, vs. KU, vs. HBU, vs. ND (2), at MIZZ, at UE
2. 8 games        March 30-April 9, 2011   EIU, ROCK (3), at VU, BSU, BRAD (2)
3. 6 games        March 16-23, 2010         at SLU, WMU (4), APSU
T4. 5 games      April 10-17, 2010           at CIT (2), at CSU, WSU (2)
T4. 5 games      March 18-23, 2011         EKU (3), UIS, BUT
T4. 5 games      Feb. 24-March 3, 2012    vs. WIU, vs. UMES, at AA&M (2), at EKU
T4. 5 games      March 31-April 7, 2012    ILS (2), at UIC, at CU (2)
T4. 5 games      March 21-28, 2012         DBU (2), ILL, UNO (2)
T4. 5 games    March 17-23, 2013      at MINN, APSU, SIU (3)

On The Road Under Head Coach Rick Heller
Under head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 59-50 (.541) in road and neutral site games since the start of the 2010 season. In MVC action, the Sycamores are 17-15 (.531) away from Terre Haute. This season, Indiana State is 3-4 on the road.

Allowing Big Innings
Under head coach Rick Heller, the Sycamores are 76-23 (.768) when the team does not allow a three-run inning during a game. When Indiana State does allow their opponent to score at least three runs in one inning, Indiana State holds a 40-51 (.440) record.

Three Runs Or Less
The three-run plateau has been the breaking point for the Sycamores under head coach Rick Heller the last four seasons. When ISU has allowed three runs or less to their opponents, the team is 69-10 (.873) over the past four seasons. When opponents score four runs or more, ISU holds a 47-64 (.423) record.

Scoring First
The Sycamores scored the first run in 38 of their 60 games last season, tallying a 31-7 record when putting a run on the scoreboard first. ISU scored in the first inning in 25 of their games, going 22-3 last season when plating a run in the opening frame. That trend has continued into 2013, as Indiana State is 8-1 when scoring first and 2-0 when scoring in the opening inning.

Double-Digit Hits
ISU recorded at least 10 hits in a game 29 times last season, going 26-3 when posting double-digit hits. ISU's only losses when tallying 10 hits came in walk-off wins for their opponents. So far in 2013, ISU is 4-0 when posting 10 hits or more and 7-8 when going for nine hits or less.

Early Runs
The Sycamores dominated the early innings last season, outscoring their opponents 242-110 (+132) over the first five innings of their 60 games. In the first inning alone, ISU had a 37-run advantage, scoring 58 runs to their opposition's 21. In 2013, Indiana State has a five-run advantage in the first five innings, leading 45-40, but has scored just four first-inning runs.

Saint Patrick's Day Success
Indiana State defeated Minnesota on Saint Patrick's Day this season, picking a 9-4 victory on Sunday, March 17, inside the Metrodome. The Sycamores are now 22-10 all-time on the holiday, including a six-game winning streak. Last season, Indiana State defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saint Patrick's Day in San Antonio, Texas, winning 6-4 in 10 innings.

All About Defense
The Sycamores rank 28th in the country in fielding percentage heading into the week, as the Sycamores check in with a .977 fielding percentage. Under head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 55-18 (.753) when they do not make an error in a game, including a 6-3 record this season. When the Sycamores have made a fielding miscue in Heller's four seasons, the team sits just above the .500 mark at 61-56.

Strong In The Field
Indiana State has ranked in the Top 35 in fielding percentage from 2010-12 under head coach Rick Heller, one of only nine teams in the nation to do so over each of the previous three seasons. Three of the nine from around the nation are from the Missouri Valley Conference, as Evansville and Creighton are also in the select group. CU (27th), ISU (28th) and UE (49th) are all in the Top 50 in fielding this season.

Close Games
In Indiana State's four seasons under head coach Rick Heller, the Sycamores are 65-47 (.580) in games decided by three runs or less. In games decided by four or more runs since 2010, the Sycamores carry a 51-26 (.662) record. This season, Indiana State is 5-4 in games decided by three runs or less.

Indiana State Around The NCAA
The Sycamores are among the nation's 50 best in several offensive and defensive categories. Below is a look at where Indiana State ranks around the NCAA:

Category                            ISU Rank           ISU Total               NCAA Leader / Total
Sacrifice Flies                        T-12th                  17                            VMI / 23
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio            27th                   2.7                Cal State Fullerton / 4.64
Strikeouts Per 9 IP                  28th                   8.4                   Arkansas State / 9.8
Fielding Percentage                 28th                  .976                     UC Irvine / .991
Stolen Bases Per Game            29th                  1.89                      Campbell / 3.08
Hits Allowed Per 9 IP               30th                  7.63                  North Carolina / 5.97
WHIP (BB + Hits / IP)             31st                  1.19                        UCLA / 0.94
Earned Run Average                49th                  3.12                   Oregon State / 1.64

ISU Earns Back-to-Back MVC Scholar-Athlete Of The Week Selections
Sophomore Landon Curry (March 20) and senior Devin Moore (March 27) have led the team to back-to-back weekend series wins over Minnesota and Southern Illinois, earning the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards over each of the last two weeks.

Curry scored both of Indiana State's runs in their 2-1 victory over the Golden Gophers on Friday night, including the game-winning run following a throwing error after Curry stole third base. The ISU sophomore added a two-run double in the ninth inning of the rubber match on Sunday, capping a 9-4 Indiana State victory to clinch the series. For the week, Curry also drove in three runs and stole two bases. Moore allowed just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in nine shutout innings, needing just 95 pitches to blank SIU. The ISU senior retired the first 12 batters he faced and allowed baserunners in just two innings, as SIU put two runners on in both the fifth and ninth innings before Moore was able to pitch out of the jams.

ISU Claims First Outright Regular Season Title In School History
Indiana State earned their first outright Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship in 2012, finishing the league schedule with a 14-7 record. The 2012 season marked the fourth time in program history that the Sycamores have sat atop the standings at the end of the season, joining the teams from 1982, 1983 and 1985. The 1982 and 1983 squads won the East Division of the MVC while the 1985 team tied with Wichita State.

At-Large Selection
Indiana State received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament field on Selection Monday last season, just the second time in school history that the Sycamores have made the postseason without winning the MVC Tournament. Indiana State claimed their only other at-large selection back in 1987 when the Sycamores fell in the conference finals to Wichita State, ending the regular season at 44-16-1 before going 1-2 in a regional in Austin, Texas.

Winning Ways
Indiana State posted their fourth straight winning season in 2012 and third straight under head coach Rick Heller. ISU's last run of four consecutive winning seasons came from 2000-03, while the last time that Indiana State posted five winning seasons in a row came during a 17-year run from 1977-1993. During Indiana State's 17-year run from 1977 to 1993, the Sycamores posted a 675-354-7 record and made six NCAA appearances.

40 Wins
Indiana State's 10-4 win over Southern Illinois on May 13 last season gave the Sycamores their 40th win of the season, the 10th time in program history that ISU broke the 40-win barrier. ISU's 41 wins in 2012 tied for seventh-most in school history and was the team's best since winning 42 games back in 1991. Below is a quick look at the 40-win seasons in ISU history:

2012: 41-19, First Place MVC, NCAA At-Large Bid       1987: 45-18-1, NCAA At-Large Bid
1992: 40-19, Third Place MVC                                   1986: 48-21, MVC Tournament Champions
1991: 42-23, Third Place MVC                                   1985: 57-22, T-First Place MVC
1990: 43-21, Fourth Place MVC                                 1982: 40-20, First Place MVC East Division
1989: 48-21, MVC Tournament Champions                 1979: 41-11, MVC Tournament Champions

Manaea, Ort Named Preseason All-MVC
Senior Robby Ort and junior Sean Manaea were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team heading into the season in a vote conducted by the eight head coaches from around the MVC.

Ort, a native of Newburgh, Ind., and Castle High School, hit .291 last season while leading the team with 54 RBIs and 20 doubles. Manaea, an Andrean High School product and Wanatah, Ind., native, went 5-3 on the mound with a 3.34 ERA last season, leading the team with 115 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched. Manaea's 115 strikeouts last season ranked the southpaw in a tie for 13th on a national scale.

Three Sycamores Earn MVC Specialty Awards In 2012
Jeremy Lucas and Dakota Bacus and head coach Rick Heller each claimed a specialty award from the MVC following the 2012 season, highlighted by Lucas becoming the program's first conference Player of the Year. Bacus was named the Newcomer of the Year for the conference while Heller earned the Dan Callahan / MVC Coach of the Year award.

Lucas hit a team-leading .345 last season, topping the roster in hits (78), home runs (nine), runs scored (53), slugging percentage (.540) and on-base percentage (.443). The Cleveland Indians draftee also totaled 52 RBIs and 13 doubles. Bacus went 7-4 with a 2.70 ERA on the mound, tossing three complete games. The Oakland Athletics selection set the program record for innings pitches in the single season, racking up 116.2 innings on the mound. Heller was named the Dan Callahan / MVC Coach of the Year following the 41-19 season for the Sycamores, their first 40-win season since 1992.

On To The Next One...
ISU plays four road games next week, at Purdue (April 3) and a weekend set at Wichita State.