The Indiana State baseball team plays their final Missouri Valley Conference road series this weekend as the Sycamores travel to Normal, Ill., for a three-game set with Illinois State.

Due to heavy rain in central Illinois on Thursday, the first pitch of Friday's game has been postponed to 1:00 p.m. (ET), 12:00 p.m. Noon locally in Normal on Saturday. The Sycamores and Redbirds will play a doubleheader before wrapping up the series on Sunday. All three games of the series can be heard live on WIBQ 98.5 FM with Brian Fritz on the call.

Indiana State (17-14, 7-5 MVC) and Illinois State (19-15, 3-3 MVC) both saw five-game winning streaks come to an end during midweek play, as the Sycamores fell to SIU Edwardsville and the Redbirds to Illinois. Indiana State will also return to Normal, Ill., for the 2013 MVC Tournament, beginning on Tuesday, May 21.

Weekend Schedule
Saturday: 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Saturday: 4:30 p.m. (ET) -- approximate start time
Sunday: 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Probable Weekend Indiana State Pitching Rotation
Saturday: Devin Moore (Sr. -- RHP -- 6-3 -- 210 -- Springfield, Ill. -- Lincoln Land CC)
Notes: 21 hits allowed in his last 33.2 IP ... ISU has scored one run or less in four of his last five starts
2013 Season Stats: 3-3 record ... 2.44 ERA ... 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 6 Ks vs. Creighton last Friday (W)
Saturday: Sean Manaea (Jr. -- LHP -- 6-5 -- 235 -- Wanatah, Ind. -- Andrean HS)
Notes: Fifth in ISU history with 260 career strikeouts ... at least eight Ks in six of his eight starts
2013 Season Stats: 5-2 record ... 1.21 ERA ... 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 8 Ks vs. Creighton last Sunday (W)
Sunday: Daniel Peterson (Jr. -- RHP -- 6-6 -- 182 -- Lenexa, Kan. -- Neosho County CC)
Notes: Earned his first win at ISU vs. Purdue (April 9) ... 4.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (37 Ks, 8 BB)
2013 Season Stats: 1-3 record ... 4.73 ERA ... 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 Ks vs. Creighton last Sunday (ND)

A Little History -- Illinois State
This weekend's series will be the 166th, 167th and 168th all-time meetings between Indiana State and Illinois State, with the Sycamores leading the series by a 94-71 margin. The Sycamores have won four of their last five games with the Redbirds, taking two games during the 2011 MVC Tournament in Omaha, Neb., and winning two out of three games in last season's series in Terre Haute. Indiana State is 7-10-3 in series at Illinois State since 1971, dropping eight consecutive series since 1993 when Indiana State took two out of three games. Since that series in 1993, the Sycamores are 7-23 in Normal. Under fourth-year head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 6-7 overall and 1-2 on the road against Illinois State.

Scouting The Redbirds
Illinois State enters the weekend at 19-15 on the season and at an even 3-3 in league play. The Redbirds were off from MVC play last week, sweeping a four-game set at home against Morehead State. Illinois State saw their five-game winning streak come to an end during the midweek, as the Redbirds fell 12-1 to Illinois on Tuesday. The Redbirds are 8-3 at home this season, including a series win over Missouri State to begin April. Redshirt senior Eric Aguilera leads the team with a .388 (54-for-139) batting average, also totaling 33 runs batted in and nine doubles. Senior Zac Johnson tops the roster with 10 doubles and six home runs. The Redbirds lead the MVC this season with 51 stolen bases in 64 attempts. Senior Chris Razo (3-0, 1.78 ERA) and redshirt sophomore Dan Savas (5-0, 1.99 ERA) highlight a pitching staff that carries a 4.02 ERA into the weekend.

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

April 1, 2012 at Indiana State -- W, 11-3                    May 1, 2011 at Illinois State -- L, 1-4
March 31, 2012 at Indiana State -- W, 7-3                  April 30, 2011 at Illinois State -- W, 3-1
March 30, 2012 at Indiana State -- L, 2-3                   April 29, 2011 at Illinois State -- L, 2-8
May 26, 2011 at Omaha, Neb. -- W, 7-6                     May 27, 2010 at Wichita, Kan. -- L, 4-9
May 24, 2011 at Omaha, Neb. -- W, 5-2                     May 26, 2010 at Wichita, Kan. -- L, 5-10

On The Road Under Head Coach Rick Heller
Under head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 61-55 (.526) in road and neutral site games since the start of the 2010 season. In MVC action, the Sycamores are 18-20 (.474) away from Terre Haute. This season, Indiana State is 7-11 on the road and at neutral sites.

Ort Named MVC Player Of The Week
Senior Robby Ort led the team to a perfect 4-0 week on the diamond and has been named the MVC Player of the Week as announced by the league office.

Ort went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs against Purdue as the Sycamores topped the Boilermakers for the second time in six days. The ISU senior tagged a three-run home run and his team-leading fourth triple of the season in Friday's series-opening 6-1 victory over the Bluejays. Ort picked up two hits, one RBI and one run scored in both of ISU's wins on Saturday and Sunday. For the week, Ort hit .600 (9-for-15) at the plate, adding seven runs batted in, three runs scored and a pair of sacrifice flies. The Newburgh, Ind., native leads the team with 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored for the season, entering the week in fourth place on ISU's career RBI list with 180 runs batted in for his career.

Manaea Named To CBHOF National Pitcher Of The Year Watch List
Junior starting pitcher Sean Manaea was one of 41 pitchers from around the nation named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Manaea is one of two representatives from the Missouri Valley Conference, as the ISU southpaw is joined on the prestigious list by Missouri State's Nick Petree. The CBHOF Pitcher of the Year award is college baseball's version of the Cy Young Award and is given annually to the nation's top collegiate pitcher.

Manaea has posted a 5-2 record and a 1.21 ERA this season, fanning 63 batters in 52 innings on the mound while allowing just 33 hits, 17 walks and seven earned runs in eight starts. The ISU junior has struck out at least eight batters in six of his eight outings, including a season-high of 10 Ks in six shutout innings against College of Charleston on Feb. 22. The Wanatah, Ind., native struck out eight batters this past Saturday against #30 Creighton, passing Mitch Stetter (254 – 2000-03) for fifth place on ISU's career strikeout list. Manaea enters the week with 260 strikeouts for his career, 39 behind record holder Casey Whitten (299 – 1991-93).

Kraemer Earns Second MVC Scholar-Athlete Of The Week Award
Redshirt senior Koby Kraemer has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week, as the Sycamores went 4-0 last week following a midweek victory over Purdue and a weekend sweep of MVC-rival Creighton.

Kraemer scored a team-leading five runs in ISU's four games, starting the week with a 2-for-4 effort against Purdue. The ISU senior's best game of the week came on Saturday against the Bluejays when Kraemer went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two runs scored. For the week, Kraemer hit .438 (7-for-16) with five runs scored and four doubles.

Best Winning Percentage In The MVC Since 2009
Indiana State has posted 155 wins and a .605 winning percentage since the 2009 season, the best winning percentage in that span among teams in the MVC. ISU is second to Wichita State (165) in overall wins, but leads the way in winning percentage due to playing 24 fewer games.

Middle Of The Order
Redshirt senior Koby Kraemer, senior Robby Ort and sophomore Jacob Hayes have led the middle of the Indiana State batting order over the past two weeks, combining for 11 multi-hit games, 12 extra-base hits, 18 runs batted in and 16 runs scored. The trio has combined to hit .464 (32-for-69) at the plate since the series finale at Wichita State on April 7.

Nationally-Ranked Opponents
Indiana State is 4-1 against nationally-ranked opponents this season, sweeping three games from No. 30 Creighton and splitting a pair of games with No. 28 Mercer.

Sycamores Sweep Nationally-Ranked Bluejays
The Sycamores took all three games from the Creighton Bluejays this past weekend, sweeping the team that entered the week ranking No. 30 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll. Indiana State hit .303 (30-for-99) and posted a 2.33 ERA over their three games against CU.

Back-to-Back Home Sweeps In MVC Play
Indiana State has played six games at home during Missouri Valley Conference play and posted back-to-back sweeps, taking all three games from Southern Illinois (March 22-24) and Creighton (April 12-14). The Sycamores have six more games at home during MVC play, coming against Evansville (May 3-5) and Bradley (May 16-18) later this season.

Indiana State Ends Tough Schedule Stretch At 6-5
The Sycamores ended March and began April with an 11-game stretch against four of the top teams in the Midwest, traveling to Missouri State, Purdue and Wichita State for seven straight games before hosting Purdue and Creighton. The Bears, Boilermakers and Shockers combined for 120 wins last season and won 66% of their games while Missouri State, Purdue and Creighton all joined Indiana State in the postseason in 2012. The Sycamores finished the 11-game stretch at 6-5 after their weekend sweep of Creighton.

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.

Manaea Ranks 24th Nationally, Fifth In ISU History In Strikeouts
Junior Sean Manaea struck out eight batters last weekend against Creighton, 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. The Sycamore southpaw enters the weekend with 63 strikeouts this season, good for a tie for 24th in the nation. Below is a quick look at the Top 10 in career strikeouts at Indiana State.

1. Casey Whitten (1991-93) – 299                             6. Mitch Stetter (2000-03) – 254
2. Mike Gardiner (1984-87) – 296                              7. Mike Farrell (1988-91) – 248
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. Sean Manaea (2011-present) – 260                10. Paul Quizner (1983-86) – 214

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

Productive At The Plate: Part I
Senior Robby Ort enters the weekend with 183 career RBIs at the plate, ranking fourth in program history at Indiana State. Below is quick look at the Top 10 for RBIs in school history.

1. Boi Rodriguez (1985-87) – 200                              6. Mike Eberle (1984-87) – 174
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. Robby Ort (2010-present) – 183                     9. Dan Olson (1994-96) – 153
5. John LaMar (1989-92) – 175                                 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 a team-leading 26 runs batted in.

Steady At Short
Junior Tyler Wampler has been a mainstay on defense for the Sycamores, starting 124 games at shortstop over his three seasons. Wampler has tallied 407 fielding assists (140 as a freshman in 2011, 184 as a sophomore in 2012, 83 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 .963 (24 errors in 141 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, ranking third in the conference with 14 stolen bases this season. For his career, Curry is 30-for-36 in stolen base attempts.

Manaea, Moore Combine For Three MVC Pitcher Of The Week Awards
Junior Sean Manaea and senior Devin Moore have combined for three MVC Pitcher of the Week awards, highlighting a pitching staff that carries a 3.57 ERA this season. Manaea was selected on Feb. 22 following his six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against College of Charleston and on March 18 after fanning nine batters in a six-hitter at Minnesota. Moore earned the award on March 25 following his two-hit shutout of Southern Illinois.

All About Defense: Part I
The Sycamores rank 18th 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 58-20 (.744) when they do not make an error in a game, including a 9-5 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 64-60.

All About Defense: Part II
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 (11th), ISU (18th) and UE (71st) are all in the Top 75 in fielding this season.

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, March 17. 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.

Getting To The Seventh
Under head coach Rick Heller, ISU is 90-14 (.865) in games that they hold a lead heading into the seventh inning. When the Sycamores have trailed after the sixth inning, ISU is 18-58 (.237). This season, Indiana State is 13-0 when leading after six innings of play.

Against The Best
ISU is 8-5 against the RPI Top 80 this season, including series wins over Creighton (67) and Minnesota (79). Indiana State also holds wins over Mercer (20), Austin Peay (30) and College of Charleston (56). Last season, the Sycamores were 14-13 against the RPI Top 100.

Allowing Big Innings
Under head coach Rick Heller, the Sycamores are 80-25 (.762) 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 42-55 (.433) 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 72-11 (.867) over the past four seasons. When opponents score four runs or more, ISU holds a 50-69 (.420) 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 13-3 when scoring first and 6-2 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 losses at Indiana and at Purdue. In 2013, ISU is 8-3 when posting 10 hits or more and 9-11 when going for nine hits or less. ISU has tallied at least 10 hits in seven of their last 10 games entering the weekend.

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 nine-run advantage in the first five innings, leading 72-63, and has scored 14 first-inning runs.

Seven-Run Ninth At Missouri State
ISU's seven-run ninth inning in the series finale at Missouri State was ISU's most runs in a single inning since plating eight runs in the second inning at Bradley last season on April 15.

All Nine Starters Post At Least One Hit Against Purdue
Led by senior Jordan Pearson's three hits, all nine position starters for Indiana State tallied at least one hit in ISU's 10-5 home victory over Purdue. The last time that the Sycamores saw all nine of their starters total at least one hit was on March 11 of last season in a 15-4 victory over UT Martin at Bob Warn Field.

4-1 Against The Big Ten Conference This Season
Indiana State completed a two-game series sweep of Purdue earlier this month, moving the Sycamores to 4-1 against the Big Ten Conference this season with four out of those five games coming on the road. The Sycamores took two out of three games inside the Metrodome against Minnesota in mid-March before sweeping a home-and-home midweek series with the Boilermakers over a six-day span in early April.

Close Games
In ISU's four seasons under head coach Rick Heller, the Sycamores are 69-51 (.575) in games decided by three runs or less. In games decided by four or more runs since 2010, the Sycamores carry a 53-28 (.654) record. This season, ISU is 9-8 in close games.

Free Baseball
Indiana State has played three extra-inning games this season with all three contests ending in the 11th inning. ISU fell 6-5 at Austin Peay on March 21, picked up a 1-0 victory against Southern Illinois on March 23 and lost 8-7 at Missouri State on March 31. Last season, the Sycamores went 6-4 in extra innings.

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.

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

Category                                       ISU Rank     ISU Total           NCAA Leader / Total
Sacrifice Flies                                  T-15th           22                   Vanderbilt / 31
Fielding Percentage                           18th           .977                  Oregon / .988
Double Playes Per Game                   T-28th          1.0                   Towson / 1.42
Stolen Bases Per Game                     T-55th         1.5                   Wofford / 3.05
Strikeouts Per 9 IP                             64th           7.6                   Louisville / 9.5
Earned Run Average                          71st          3.57                  Arkansas / 1.72
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio                      77th          2.15            Cal State Fullerton / 5.08
Hits Allowed Per 9 IP                          77th          8.6                   Arkansas / 6.32

On To The Next One...
Indiana State plays four road games next week, traveling to nationally-ranked Indiana on Wednesday, April 24, before hitting the road for their final weekend series away from Terre Haute, matching up with UT Martin in Martin, Tenn., on April 26-28.