TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State baseball team travels to Dallas, Texas this weekend to take on the Dallas Baptist Patriots. DBU is currently 27-7 and ranked 16th in the latest NCAA poll. ISU enters the series after a 6-2 victory over Indiana on Tuesday night at Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium.
Weekend Schedule vs. Dallas Baptist
Friday: at Dallas Baptist, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Saturday: at Dallas Baptist, 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Sunday: at Dallas Baptist, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Jeff Degano (R-Jr., LHP, 5-3, 2.23 ERA, 60.2 IP, 19 BB, 78 K's)
Saturday: Ryan Keaffaber (So., LHP, 1-3, 2.66 ERA, 40.2 IP, 11 BB, 27 K's)
Sunday: Ethan Larrison (Fr., RHP, 2-2, 4.60 ERA, 31.1 IP, 13 BB, 19 K's)
A Little History -- Dallas Baptist
The Sycamores and Patriots have played a total of nine times, and only three times with both clubs being part of the Missouri Valley Conference. 2014 was Dallas Baptist's first year in the Valley, where they won the Conference Tournament in Terre Haute, and qualified for the NCAA Fort Worth Regional. In last year's regular season series, the Sycamores took two of three from the Patriots. In the six non-conference matchups, ISU is 2-4. ISU opened up the 2011 season in Dallas, where the Patriots greated them with a three-game sweep. 2012 saw the Patriots travel to Terre Haute for the first time as they were defeated twice in three contests.
Scouting the Patriots
Dallas Baptist is currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA's RPI, and No. 16 in the Baseball America poll. DBU is 27-7 on the season, and 8-4 in the Missouri Valley. Notable victories for the Patriots include taking two of three from MVC-rival Bradley, as well as two victories over Baylor. DBU took on the current No. 1 Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, falling 7-5 on Mar. 3. The Patriots also took on a consistent Top-10, and currently No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs squad in Fort Worth, falling 6-2.
DBU's projected rotation is Joseph Shaw, Cory Taylor and Jay Calhoun. Shaw has consistently been the Friday night starter for the Patriots. In 2015, the 6-5 junior has gone 6-1, with a 3.02 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched. Shaw has allowed 33 hits, 16 runs, 15 earned, walked 14, and has struck out 34. Opponents are hitting .212 against Shaw. Cory Taylor has had the Saturday role in the Patriot rotation. Shaw ins 3-1 in his nine appearances, including eight starts. Taylor has logged 39.0 innings, while posting a 5.08 ERA. Taylor has surrendered 47 hits, 24 runs, 22 earned, walked 15 and struck out a team-high 39 hitters. Jay Calhoun got the ball on Sunday of the Bradley series, an 11-6 loss. DBU has experimented with four different pitchers getting the ball on Sundays. Calhoun is 1-0 in 13 appearances and five starts in 2015. The 6-3 senior, has earned a 4.11 ERA over 30.2 innings, giving up 31 hits, 13 runs, 11 earned, walking eight and striking out nine. Brandon Koch has consistently nailed down the end of games for the Patriots, picking up six saves in 2015, along with a 1-1 record. Koch was named to the All-MVC Preseason Team as a relief pitcher, along with ISU's Ryan Keaffaber. Koch has made 13 appearances, all out of the bullpen, going 19.2 innings, giving up 12 hits, three runs; two earned, walking 14 and striking out 34.
At the plate, Dallas Baptist has four hitters over the .300 mark. Drew Turbin leads the team with a .360 (49-for-136) batting average, while hitting 12 doubles, four triples and three homers on the season. Turbin has also driven in 28 runs and scored 38 times. Camden Duzenack leads the DBU club with 33 RBI. Duzenack has a .312 (43-for-138) average, with nine doubles and four long balls. David Martinelli and Trooper Reynolds tie for the team-lead with seven home runs each. Martinelli is hitting .291 (39-for-134), with 25 RBI. Reynolds has a .261 (30-for-115) average with 26 RBI.
Hayes' Homers
Jacob Hayes has hit four home runs over a span of the last five games. The most in a five game span during his Sycamore career. ISU hit 16 home runs during 2014, and has tied that amount through the first two-thirds of 2015.
Streaks Snapped
Junior third baseman Andy Young had a streak of 21 games reaching base snapped on Wednesday against Eastern Illinois. Young's streak dated back to a Feb. 21st loss at Georgia Tech. Young has since started a new streak reaching in the last four games. Redshirt Junior Jeff Degano had made seven-consecutive quality starts before Friday's game with Southern Illinois. Degano gave up 12 hits and four earned runs to SIU, while striking out 10 hitters. Degano has fanned 78 hitters in 2015, and allowed just a .219 batting average. The four runs given up are the most since his start against Grambling State on Opening Weekend at the UL-Monroe Warhawk Classic.
MVC Player of the Week
Junior third baseman Andy Young earned Missouri Valley Player of the Week Honors during the week of Mar. 30th-Apr. 5th. During that week, Young hit for a .556 average with four multi-hit performances in five games, and a team-high eight RBI. During the second game against Wichita State, Young led off the eighth inning with a solo home run. After ISU batted around, Young hit his second home run of the inning and the Sycamores erased a four-run ninth inning deficit for the come-from-behind victory.
Young's Yahtzee's
Andy Young did something Saturday Apr. 4th that is extremely rare in baseball. Not only is it rare to come up to bat in the same inning, but Andy Young hit two-home runs in the ninth inning of the second game against Wichita State. The first home run sparked an eight-run comeback which saw the Sycamores erase a four-run deficit. Young's second homer was the exclamation point on the inning which put the Sycamores up by four entering the bottom half of the final frame.
Curry's Contusions
Sycamore centerfielder Landon Curry was hit by the 50th pitch of his career against Ball State (Apr. 1). Kevin Egli held the record before the season started, getting hit 43 times in his career from 2000-03. Curry also needs 10 stolen bases this season to etch his name into the ISU record book and tie him for sixth-most all-time.
Good Company
Redshirt Junior Jeff Degano had a streak of seven consecutive quality starts snapped against the Southern Illinois Salukis on Friday, Apr. 10th. It was the longest such streak since Sean Manaea had seven-straight quality starts in 2013. After Manaea's 2013 campaign in which he finished 5-4 with a 1.47 ERA, he was taken in the first round of the June Amateur draft by the Kansas City Royals. Manaea is currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Royals minor league system.
Keaffaber's transition
Ryan Keaffaber has transitioned from one of the premier closers in college baseball, to a formidable starter for the Sycamores. After being named to the National College Baseball Writers of America's Stopper of the Year watch list prior to the season, Keaffaber has proven to be a tough out for more than a couple innings. Keaffaber has a 2.66 ERA while striking out 27 hitters in 40.2 innings pitched. In Keaffaber's last start against Southern Illinois, he struck out a career-high eight.
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. Hannahs is hitting .339 (41-for-121) in 2015, and has had the team's highest batting average each of the last two years. 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 base 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.
#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 receiving votes 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 60.2 innings, allowing 19 runs; 15 earned, 49 hits, and struck out a team-high 78, including 10 in four starts against Youngstown State, Canisius, Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Against Wichita State, Degano posted a career-high 12 strikeouts and is currently eighth in the nation for strikeouts this season. Degano had recorded a streak of seven quality starts in a row before giving up four runs against Southern Illinois. A quality start is 6.0 innings pitched, allowing three or fewer earned runs.
Extra Credit
During the Indiana State Tournament, the Sycamores belted 20 extra-base hits. Five 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, bringing his season total to 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 was 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.
Sycamores against the Big 10
Indiana State has accrued a 2-3 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 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 against the Cornhuskers. ISU dropped a midweek game against Purdue on Apr. 7th, 10-6 in Terre Haute before defeating the Indiana Hoosiers 6-2 on Apr. 14th.
Lucky Number Seven
ISU is looking to make it seven winning seasons 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 Bloomington Regional. 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 193 and played in 196 of the 198 games for the Sycamores since arriving in the 2012 season. Curry has a career .286 batting average and 58 stolen bases. Curry needs 10 stolen bases to tie for sixth-place all-time at ISU. Curry has hit in the lead-off spot 177 times of his 193 games started. 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 has also set a school record after getting reaching base via hit-by-pitch against Ball State. It was the 50th time Curry has reached on a hit-by-pitch. Landon has since added to his career total, with 51 hit-by-pitches.
Return to Action
The Sycamores are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, Apr. 21st when they travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue defeated the Sycamores 10-6 in Terre Haute on Apr. 7th.
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.
