TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball welcomes in the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock to Terre Haute for a three game series this weekend. First pitch for the games on Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with the finale Sunday scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Weekend Schedule vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
Friday: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 6:30 p.m.
Greek Night – Sycamore baseball is inviting all of the fraternities and sororities to help the Sycamores to victory. Show off your colors, win prices and have some fun at the ball park.
Sycamore Manor Baseball Bingo – all fans can grab their BINGO cards on their way into Bob Warn Field. Fans who play along and win can return the cards to the ticket office to receive their prize, while supplies last.
Saturday: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 6:30 p.m.
Honoring Champions – The Sycamores welcome back the 1985 MVC Regular Season Champions and the 1995 MVC Tournament Champions and NCAA participants back to Bob Warn Field.
Sunday: vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 1:00 p.m.
Run the Bases – Immediately following the conclusion of the game, all kids eighth grade and under will have an opportunity to run the bases at Bob Warn Field!
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Jeff Degano (LHP, R-Jr., 2.49 ERA, 6-3, 68.2 IP, 85 K's)
Saturday: Ryan Keaffaber (LHP, So., 2.87 ERA, 1-4, 47.0 IP, 30 K's)
Sunday: Ethan Larrison (RHP, Fr., 4.81 ERA, 2-3, 33.2 IP, 20 K's)
A Little History -- Arkansas-Little Rock
The Sycamores and Trojans have met just twice on the baseball diamond, splitting the all-time series at one game each. ISU won the first meeting between the schools on Mar. 28th, 1990, by a score of 5-1. In the most recent meeting on Mar. 11th, 2005, the Trojans won 3-2 as part of the Rawlings USA Challenge in Millington, Tenn.
Scouting the Trojans
Arkansas-Little Rock enters the weekend series with an overall record of 14-23, and an even 10-10 in the Sun Belt. ISU has faced on other team from the Sun Belt Conference this season, defeating UL-Monroe 11-6, in the Warhawk Classic on the first weekend of the year. The Trojans have are 1-4 against the Missouri Valley this season. UALR opened the season against the Evansville Purple Aces, dropping two games in the three game series. The Trojans also played the Wichita State Shockers and the Missouri State Bears in midweek matchups, falling 9-2, and 10-3 respectively.
On the mound, the Trojans have used the same starting rotation the last three weekends. Jarrid Garcia has thrown in the series openers. Garcia is 1-2 with a 4.23 ERA in six starts. Garcia has logged 38.1 innings, giving up 33 hits, 19 runs (18 earned), walking 16 and striking out 40. Garcia has also held opponents to a .231 batting average. Cory Malcolm has started the Saturday games for the Trojans. Malcom is 4-2 in 10 appearances with nine starts. Malcolm's one relief appearance came in the season opener against Evansville where he logged 4.0 innings giving up three hits and striking out three while preserving a 6-3 Trojan victory. Malcolm has thrown a total of 62.0 innings, allowing 30 runs (27 earned), walking 14 and striking out a team-high 45. Sam Thoele has pitched in the series finales. Thoele has started a team-high 10 games, going 2-5 with a 5.69 ERA. Thoele has logged 49.0 innings, giving up 46 hits, 31 runs, all earned, walking 34 and striking out 44.
At the plate, the Trojans are led by junior Ryan Scott. Scott has started in all 37 games, hitting for a .366 (53-for-145) batting average, with and leads the team in all extra base categories. Scott has hit 17 doubles, one triple and two home runs, while driving in 19. Scott also has scored the most runs for UALR, at 25. Tanner Rockwell is the next biggest threat in the UALR lineup. Rockwell has also started all 37 games, hitting for a .348 (48-for-138) average, with 10 doubles, a triple and two home runs. Rockwell has been the biggest run producer for the Trojans, driving in 29 RBI, while scoring 18.
Hammering Hayes
Jacob Hayes hit six home runs over a span of eight games earlier this season, including a string of five-straight. The Sycamores as a team have already surpassed last year's Tater Total by hitting 19 in 2015. ISU hit 16 for the 2014 season. The eight homers are the most for a Sycamore since 2012 when Jeremy Lucas hit nine in 60 games. Lucas is currently at the AA level playing for the Akron Rubberducks, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Hayes has also hit five triples in 2015, surpassing his total from 2014 and improving his career total to 10.
Playing to Competition
This season the Sycamores have raised their game to be competitive with some of the top teams in the country, on the flip side; ISU has also been in competitive games with teams with losing records. Of the Sycamores 17 wins, eight have come against teams with winning records, most notably, Vanderbilt and Dallas Baptist. ISU was competitive in both series, winning one in each. Against Dallas Baptist, the Sycamores were outscored by two runs during the course of three games. The Sycamores also have gone just 9-7 against teams with losing records, including dropping four of five to three teams below .500 during the week of April 6th-12th.
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 every game since April 10th. Redshirt Junior Jeff Degano had made seven-consecutive quality starts before the 4/10 game with Southern Illinois. Degano gave up 12 hits and four earned runs to SIU, while striking out 10 hitters. Degano has fanned 85 hitters in 2015, and allowed just a .233 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
On Saturday Apr. 4th, 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 eight 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 2.87 ERA while striking out 30 hitters in 47.0 innings pitched. In Keaffaber's start against Southern Illinois on April 11th, 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 .328 (43-for-136) 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 nine games at first after another injury moved Derek Hannahs back to second base.
#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 68.2 innings, allowing 23 runs; 19 earned, 59 hits, and struck out a team-high 85, 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.
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 3-3 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. The Sycamores split their season series with the Purdue Boilermakers, with each team winning when on the road. ISU was also able to defeat 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 197 and played in 200 of the 202 games for the Sycamores since arriving in the 2012 season. Curry has a career .284 batting average and 60 stolen bases. Curry needs eight stolen bases to tie for sixth-place all-time at ISU. Curry has hit in the lead-off spot 181 times of his 197 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, April 29th when they travel to Bloomington, Ind. to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. ISU won the previous matchup 6-2 on April 14th, in Terre Haute. In 2014, the teams split the regular season matchups, with both teams winning in their home parks.
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.
