TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball is set to open Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend at Evansville. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The Sycamores and UE will kick things off at 3 p.m. ET Saturday before wrapping up the series Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
 
All games can be seen live on The Valley On ESPN3. The games can also be heard via Sycamore All-Access on GoSycamores.com with Brian Fritz calling the action.
 
LOOKING AT THE SYCAMORES
Tony Rosselli (.378) and Kyle Moore (.301) lead the team at the plate while Dane Giesler and Brandt Nowaskie are hitting .295 and .294, respectively. Giesler leads the team with 20 RBI and six home runs. As a team, the Sycamores are hitting .270 and have hit for 48 doubles, nine triples and 23 homers. ISU pitching has struck out 218 batters and hold a combined 5.00 ERA.
 
LOOKING AT THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville comes into play with a 9-20 overall record and a 0-3 mark in The Valley after dropping their conference opening series to the Salukis. The team is led offensively by Kenton Crews (.319) and Craig Shepherd (.11). As a club, the Purple Aces are hitting at a clip of .251 while the pitching staff holds a 5.61 ERA.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Sycamores lead the all-time series with Evansville 57-42. The Sycamores and Aces have split the last six meetings. ISU took two of three from the Purple Aces in 2016 while UE took two of three in Terre Haute in 2015.
 
STRONG ON ALL FRONTS
Senior Tony Rosselli has been brilliant for the Sycamores this season at the plate. Rosselli holds a .378 batting average to lead the team and second in the Missouri Valley. The Terre Haute native has 28 hits in 74 at bats, including five doubles, five triple and a pair of home runs. His five triples leads the MVC and second in the nation.
 
GOOD GLOVES
Following a phenomenal defense outing a year ago, ISU has picked up where it left off. The Sycamores sit at the top of The Valley with a .978 fielding percent and have committed just 20 errors this season, four fewer than the next best team.
 
SLUGGING IT OUT
When it comes to picking up extra bases, ISU has no problem getting it done. The squad ranks third in the MVC with a .429 slugging percent. As a team, the Sycamores have 48 doubles, nine triples and 23 home runs on the season. Tony Rosselli leads the Trees with a .662 slugging percentage off of five doubles, five triple and a pair of home runs.
 
STRIKE 'EM OUT
One thing the Sycamores have done well this season on the mound is record strikeouts. As a team, ISU has struck out 218 opposing batters, led by senior right-hander Jeremy McKinney who has 39 K's in 28 innings. The team ranks 32nd in the country with 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings while McKinney has struck out 12.54 per nine innings, good enough for 22nd nationally.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.