TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – After coming off of an undefeated weekend at Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium, Indiana State baseball hits the road again for contests against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and open the Missouri Valley Conference schedule against the Bears of Missouri State.
Week Schedule vs. Nebraska and Missouri State
Tuesday: at Nebraska, 5:05 p.m. (ET)
Wednesday: at Nebraska, 2:35 p.m. (ET)
Friday: at Missouri State, 7:35 p.m. (ET)
Saturday: at Missouri State, 3:05 p.m. (ET)
Sunday: at Missouri State, 2:05 p.m. (ET)
Probable Pitching Rotation
David Stagg - LHP (0-1, 9.20 ERA, 16 K)
Jeff Degano - LHP (4-1, 1.91 ERA, 38 K)
Jeremy McKinney - RHP (1-2, 6.62 ERA, 20 K)
A Little History -- Nebraska
The Sycamores and the Cornhuskers have never met on the baseball diamond. Nebraska and Indiana State have played in three other sports on the women's side. Nebraska won the 2002 women's soccer meeting along with picking up a win on the softball diamond. On the hardwood, the Sycamore women earned a victory over the Cornhuskers.
Scouting the Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers enter the series against the Sycamores with a 12-6 record, including 5-0 at Hawks Field. Last week, the Cornhuskers took their first five games at home with two against Northern Colorado, and swept Florida Gulf Coast over the weekend. The games marked a stretch of 16-straight home games for Nebraska. At the plate, the Huskers are led by Ryan Boldt who has a .381 average (24-for-63) through 17 games this season. Boldt has added three extra base hits with two doubles and a triple while scoring 18 runs. The RBI leader for the Huskers is Blake Headley. Headley currently has a .349 average (22-for-63) in 17 games played, and has knocked in 19 runs. Headley leads the team with five triples on the year. Ben Miller has been a sold contributor with a .348 average (23-for-66) with 17 RBI. On the mound, ISU will face Garrett King and Zack Engleken. King has a 2.08 ERA in four appearances this season, with one start. He has logged 8.2 innings, allowing nine hits and surrendering just two runs. Engleken is 1-0, with two appearances, including a start. Engleken has tossed in 6.0 innings, giving up four hits, two runs, both earned, walked four and struck out four. Josh Roeder holds down the bullpen for Nebraska, with five saves on the season. In his 5.2 innings, he has allowed three runs, all earned walked seven and struck out three.
A Little History -- Missouri State
The Bears and the Sycamores have met 102 times since 1972. Missouri State leads the all-time series by a 62-40 margin. In 2014, the Bears and the Sycamores met up four times, all in Terre Haute. During the regular season, ISU swept Missouri State in the three game series. The Sycamores won the Friday matchup 10-7, Saturday 6-5 and Sunday 4-3. In the single elimination playoff game during the MVC tournament, ISU lost 9-1. Over the last 10 years, the Sycamores have a 12-19 record in head-to-head competition with Missouri State. The 2014 regular season sweep was the first time ISU swept the Bears since 2005.
Scouting the Bears
The Missouri State Bears are coming off of a weekend which saw them drop two of three to the Kansas State Wildcats. The Bears lost the first two games before winning the series finale in Manhattan, Kan. This week, the Bears host UALR and North Dakota State before welcoming in the Sycamores. Spencer Johnson leads the Bears with a .333 average (17-for-51), has knocked in 14 runs and scored 12. Joey Hawkins has been a consistent contributor for the Bears, earning a .317 (20-for-63) average, with 14 RBI and has scored 12 runs. Tate Matheney, a member of the MVC Preseason All-Conference team, is hitting .258 (16-for-62) with eight RBI and has scored 11 runs. Another member of the MVC Preseason squad is starting pitcher Jon Harris. In four starts this season, Harris has amassed a 1.90 ERA and a 1-0 record. Harris has logged 23.2 innings allowing 19 hits, seven runs, with five earned. Harris has managed to strike out 31 hitters and walked 15. Opponents are hitting .221 against him. Matt Hall has had an impressive start to his 2015 campaign. In five starts, Hall has a 3-1 record with a 2.73 ERA in 33.0 innings pitched. Hall has allowed 31 hits, while giving up 14 runs, 10 earned, walked 11 and has fanned 36.
#Fearless
Fearless has been the attitude of the 2015 Sycamore Baseball program. This attitude was personified in the second week of the year when a schedule change saw the Sycamores travel to Port Charlotte, Fla. to take on the defending National Champion Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt took the series 2-1 but the stats during the games were comparable. Runs were tied at 10, the Commodores managed just two more hits than the Sycamores, and ISU issued 12 walks compared to 19 from Vanderbilt. Other opponents for the 2015 season include two teams that ISU saw in the NCAA Bloomington Regional, Indiana and Youngstown State. Dallas Baptist is also on the schedule who are now a Top 25 team, as well as this upcoming series against Georgia Tech, in which the Yellow Jackets are receiving votes in the NCBWA poll, as well as the USA Today Coaches' Poll, and Collegiate Baseball. The Sycamores have won four games in a row, the longest winning streak of the season.
Degano's Dominance
Starting pitcher Jeff Degano took over the Friday night starter's role in the series against Georgia Tech. This season Degano has pitched a combined 33.0 innings, allowing nine runs, 22 hits, and struck out 38, including a career-high 10 in back-to-back appearances against Youngstown State and Canisius. Degano has also recorded four quality starts in a row. A quality start is 6.0 innings pitched, allowing three or fewer runs.
Game Experience
In the Georgia Tech series, the Sycamores subbed 14 times. This allowed members of the team that haven't seen the field some more extended playing time. Off the bench, the Sycamores notched three hits and scored two runs during the series.
Extra Credit
Last week, the Sycamores found their power stroke, belting 20 extra base hits. Five different Sycamores hit two doubles, as well as four hitting triples. Andy Young and Taylor Steen hit their first career home runs as Sycamores. Jacob Hayes showed his speed with two triples, making his season total three. In 2014, he hit four all season.
Speed Kills
ISU showed off their team speed during the Indiana State Tournament, hitting five triples, by four different players. The Sycamores also stole six bases in eight attempts. ISU's running game causes issues for pitchers, as Indiana State base runners constantly require attention from opposing pitchers. The Sycamores also took advantage of six opponent errors to score four unearned runs.
Early Season Recognition
The Sycamores placed four players on the Warhawk Classic All-Classic team during the weekend of Feb. 13-15 at the Warhawk Classic hosted by UL-Monroe. Position players Derek Hannahs, Kaden Moore and Andy Young earned a spot, along with pitcher Michael Eberle. ISU went 2-1 in games in Louisiana, placing second at the Classic.
Brothers in Arms
Redshirt juniors, Jeff Degano and Greg Kuhlman made their first appearances since 2013, on Opening Weekend. Both are coming off of arm injuries which didn't allow them to appear on the diamond for ISU in 2014. Kuhlman, prior to 2015, had a 3-3 career record and a 5.38 ERA after appearing in 27 games and making five starts. Degano, a transfer from Marshalltown CC, started in three games in 2013, posting an 0-1 record in 8.2 innings pitched. The pair of southpaws started Saturday and Sunday of Opening Weekend. The Sycamores featured an all-lefty rotation in the first weekend of the year at the Warhawk Classic in Monroe, La with senior David Stagg getting the ball on Friday night.
Preseason Poll
ISU placed fourth in the MVC preseason poll with 42 points. Dallas Baptist is the preseason favorite to win the conference, earning seven of the eight possible first place votes and 62 points overall. Missouri State picked up the one other and placed second on the list with 53 total points. Wichita State finished a spot ahead of the Sycamores with 43 points. Rounding out the bottom of the conference was Evansville with 28 points, Illinois State with 26, Bradley with 18, and Southern Illinois with 15.
Preseason All-MVC
Ryan Keaffaber was the lone Sycamore to place on the preseason all-MVC team. Keaffaber is a relief pitcher that finished 2014 with a 3-2 record and a 3.26 ERA. He also was named to the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Other members of the preseason all-conference team are as follows: Paul DeJong of Illinois State; Spencer Gaa and Tyler Leffler of Bradley; Daniel Salters, Justin Wall, David Martinelli, and Brandon Koch of Dallas Baptist; Dylan Becker, Tate Matheny, and Jon Harris of Missouri State; and Daniel Kihle and Sam Tewes of Wichita State.
2-for-3
Over the past three seasons, the Sycamores have earned at-large bids into the NCAA Regionals. In 2012, ISU earned a spot in the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Oregon. ISU also earned an at-large bid last season when the Sycamores competed in the NCAA Regional in Bloomington, Indiana.
Stellar Sophomore
Sophomore pitcher Ryan Keaffaber had a freshman season that saw him etch his name into the Indiana State Record Book. Ryan earned a place on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team and was the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Ryan appeared in 24 games with three earning a 3.26 ERA and a 3-2 record. Ryan served mostly as the closer for the Sycamores during the season. His 11 saves are the third-best total in school history while holding opponents to a .212 average against him. The only other Sycamore to earn Freshman of the Year honors was Mitch Stetter, a former major leaguer with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Sycamores against the Big 10
Indiana State showed its strength against Rutgers, the first of four Big Ten teams ISU will square off with during the regular season. The Sycamores won the first contest by a 14-4 tally. ISU will see more of the Power 5 conference this week as they travel to Lincoln, Neb. to take on the Cornhuskers.
Lucky Number Seven
ISU is looking to make it seven winning season in a row. The Sycamores earned their sixth-straight winning season in 2014 after going 35-18 and earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Regionals in Bloomington, Ind. The six winnings seasons are the longest such streak since the 17-season streak from 1977-1993.
Look at Me, I Can Be Centerfield
Landon Curry has started in 161 and played in 162 of the 164 games for the Sycamores since arriving in the 2012 season. Entering 2015, Curry had a career .290 batting average and 53 stolen bases. With the four stolen bases this season, Curry needs 11 more to tie for sixth-place all-time at ISU. Curry has hit in the lead-off spot 168 times of his 177 games played, and every game since April 24, 2013, a string of 84 straight entering 2015. Curry made the most of his one career home run, belting a grand slam against Ball State in 2012.
Powerful Pitching
The Sycamore pitching staff led the MVC with a 3.34 ERA and placed second with 17 saves in 2014. The pitchers also controlled the running game from the mound, picking off 18 runners. Continuing the pitching prowess, the Sycamores were first in runs allowed (222) and tied for first in the MVC in hits allowed (417) during the 2014 season .
Return to Action
The Sycamores are scheduled to return to action on Mar. 24th at SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill. The Sycamores then host their first MVC opponent of 2015 Mar. 27-29 against Evansville.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Men's Baseball team, make sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.
