TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball travels to Edwardsville, Ill. to take on the Cougars of SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday, Mar. 24 at Simmons Baseball Complex at 7:00 p.m. (ET). ISU enter the contest with a 9-11 record, are 1-4 in their last five games. SIUE enters with an 8-10 record, and have a 3-0 record at Simmons Baseball Complex. Live stats and audio for the game will be on GoSycamores.com, as well as siuecougars.com.
Week Schedule vs. SIU Edwardsville
Tuesday: at SIU Edwardsville, 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Probable Pitcher
TBA
A Little History -- SIU Edwardsville
The Sycamores and the Cougars have played a total of 10 times since 2008. Indiana State has a record of 6-4 against the SIUE, but lost the two meetings in 2013, including an 8-9 12 inning affair on May 7th. In 2011, ISU and SIUE met up three different times, with ISU dropping two of the three midweek matchups. The Sycamores swept the season series in 2010 and 2012. In 2014, ISU and SIUE did not have a chance to play, the first year since 2009 in which they did not play.
Scouting the Cougars
The SIUE Cougars have had some ups and downs in the 2015 season. The Cougars started the season by dropping their first eight contests. During that stretch the Cougars took on Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts and Arkansas - Little Rock. SIUE has turned their season around, winning eight of their last ten, with all eight being part of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule. SIUE is also 3-0 at Simmons Baseball Complex. At the plate, SIUE has a team .262 batting average and is led by freshman Dustin Woodcock. Woodcock has played in 17 games and has a .379 batting average (22-for-58). Woodcock also has six extra base hits, two doubles, two triples and has hit two homers and scored a team-high 15 runs. The Cougar lineup has flexed its muscles during the 2015 season, hitting 16 home runs, tying them for 30th in the country. Senior catcher Parker Guinn leads the team with six home runs this season. Guinn is hitting .262 (16-for-61) with eight extra base hits to go with a team-high 17 RBI. Senior outfielder Nick Lombardo is second on the team with four homers during 2015. Lombardo has a .284 average (21-for-74), with 10 extra base hits with four doubles and a pair of triples. On the mound, Ryan Daniels has logged a team-high 26.2 innings in six starts. Daniels has started six games with a 1-3 record and a 7.43 ERA. Brett Thomas has appeared in six games out of the bullpen for SIUE. Thomas has pitched in 17.1 innings and has a 1-1 record with two saves and a 2.60 ERA. Zach Malach has a team-high three saves in seven appearances, while pitching in 16.2 innings. Malach is 1-0 and has a 3.78 ERA.
The Curse at First
The Sycamores have seen a revolving door at first base in 2015. Injuries have moved Redshirt Senior Derek Hannahs from his position at second base, over to first base. Four Sycamores have started at first base during the 2015 campaign. Last year's starter Jeff Zahn has gone down with an injury, which made room for Dane Giesler, a transfer from Wabash Valley CC. Giesler suffered an ACL injury in his first start at first against Youngstown State. Manny Estevez has played two games at first, including starting against Nebraska on March 18th, where he hit his first home run of the season.
Turning the Corner
The ISU pitching staff seems to be turning the corner from their early season mishaps. In 2014, the Sycamores led the MVC with a 3.34 ERA. Last week, the Sycamore pitching staff posted a 3.73 ERA in the five games, while striking out 30 hitters and walking 19. In the 41.0 innings, the pitching staff gave up 38 hits, 19 runs, 17 of which were earned. Jeff Degano and Ryan Keaffaber each recorded quality starts (6.0 innings pitched, three or less earned runs). In David Stagg's two starts, he needed one more out in each to meet the 6.0 innings needed to fulfill the quality start requirements. Austin Conway made two appearances late in games over spring break, tossing 4.0 innings allowing only two hits and striking out five, recording one win.
Fantastic Freshman
True freshman Tyler Friis has seen his name in the lineup for all 20 games of the Sycamore season. Friis has a .417 on-base percentage and has taken over the lead-off spot in the ISU lineup, hitting there the last four games, including the MVC opening series against Missouri State. Friis has shown a knack for getting on base, drawing a team-high 14 walks and getting hit-by-a pitch twice. He has also hit for a .284 average. Friis has continually put the ball in play, striking out just seven times. In the field, Friis has impressed by making difficult plays look routine and has turned seven double plays.
#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 is a Top 25 team. Georgia Tech is now ranked in the several polls, The Yellow Jackets took three games from ISU during the third week 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 39.1 innings, allowing 12 runs; nine earned, 29 hits, and struck out a team-high 48, including a career-high 10 in three-straight appearances against Youngstown State, Canisius and Missouri State. Degano has also recorded five quality starts in a row. A quality start is 6.0 innings pitched, allowing three or fewer earned 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
During the Indiana State Tournament, 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. Hayes hit four during the 2014 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, Ind.
Stellar Sophomore
Sophomore pitcher Ryan Keaffaber had a freshman season that saw him etch his name into the Indiana State Record Book. Keaffaber 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 has accrued a 1-2 record against the Big Ten Conference. ISU 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. The Sycamores then traveled to Lincoln, Neb. where they dropped a pair of one run games at Hawks Field.
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 181 and played in 182 of the 184 games for the Sycamores since arriving in the 2012 season. Entering 2015, Curry has a career .284 batting average and 57 stolen bases. Curry needs 11 stolen bases to tie for sixth-place all-time at ISU. Curry has hit in the lead-off spot 170 times of his 182 games played. On March 18th against Nebraska, Curry hit in the second spot of the lineup, the first time since April 24, 2013 where Curry hadn't hit lead off. It snapped a streak of 84 straight games with Curry being on the top of the lineup card. Curry made the most of his one career home run, belting a grand slam against Ball State in 2012. Curry also holds the record for most times being hit-by-pitch at ISU with 49.
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 when they host their first MVC opponent of 2015, Evansville on Mar. 27-29.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.
