Indiana State University Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State baseball hits the road once again with a trip to Wilmington North Carolina for the Hughes Brothers Challenge hosted by UNC Wilmington. The Sycamores will face the host Seahawks Friday at 4 p.m. ET before taking on Marshall at 10 a.m. Saturday and Iona at 10 a.m. Sunday. Fans will have the ability to follow the Sycamores via Twitter for live updates at @IndStBaseball.
 
SEASONED RETURNERS
Indiana State will be one of the most seasoned and veteran units in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2019, returning eight starters from the field and all three starting pitchers from a year ago. In total, the Sycamores return 22 letterwinners from a third-place team. Eight of the nine returning fielders are seniors and two of the three returning starting pitchers are four-year players. In total, the Sycamore roster bolsters 14 seniors, 16 juniors, two sophomores and a trio of freshmen. 
 
STRONG UP THE MIDDLE 
Two of the strongest players in the lineup for Indiana State come from the middle infield in seniors Clay Dungan and Jarrod Watkins. The duo combined for 135 base hits and 21 stolen bases. Dungan started all 55 games for the Sycamores, hitting .283 to go with a .369 slugging percentage and a .355 on-base percent. He also finished as the team leader in doubles with 14. Watkins was one of four Sycamores to finish over .300 in the box with a .304 average as the leadoff man. In total, Watkins finished with 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 18 RBIs. He was named to the All-MVC Defensive team after finishing the season with a .974 fielding percentage.
 
BACK ON THE MOUND
On the mound, Indiana State brings back left-handers Triston Polley and Tristan Weaver to go along with right-hander Tyler Ward. The trio started 37 games a year ago and combined for 224.2 innings of action. Polley finished 2018 with a 7-2 overall record to go along with a 3.53 earned run average while Ward went 6-3 with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 55 and walking just 13 batters. Weaver struck out 41 in 66.1 innings and finished 3-5 on the year.
 
SYCAMORES WITH TWO ON PRESEASON ALL-MVC LIST
Two Sycamores were tabbed to the Preseason All-MVC list in seniors Triston Polley (LHP) and Jarrod Watkins (2B). Polley started a team-high 15 games for the Sycamores on the mound in 2018. He finished with a 7-2 record and a 3.53 ERA while pitching a team high 94.1 innings. The southpaw allowed just 37 earned runs and held opponents to a .233 average against. Watkins started all 55 games for the Sycamores his first year in the program in 2018. He was an immediate impact player in the middle infield, earning an MVC All-Defensive nod. He finished second on the team with a .305 batting average going for 69 hits in 226 at bats. Watkins doubled 12 times to go along with two triples while driving in 18 RBIs and scoring 35 runs. 
 
GRAUER NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Indiana State baseball junior pitcher Tyler Grauer was one of 75 players named to the 2019 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's initial watch list for the Stopper of the Year award. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball with this being the 15th year of the award. Grauer was a standout reliever during his sophomore season, making 21 appearances for the Sycamores. He pitched 25.1 innings and finished with a 3.76 ERA. The left-hander struck out 20 and allowed just seven walks en route to a 3-0 record. Grauer also closed out all three save situations he faced. In total, 26 conferences have representation on the list with at least two players coming from 17 different leagues. Grauer is one of three relief pitchers to be on this list representing the Missouri Valley Conference. 
 
STARTING WITH A SWEEP
Indiana State opened the 2019 season with a road sweep over Jacksonville, a 40-win team in 2018 and the No. 2 seed at the Gainesville Regional. It marked the first season-opening sweep for the Sycamores since 2010 when ISU swept Texas Southern to kick off the season. The sweep of Jacksonville also marked the first time that the Dolphins have been swept at home since 2014.
 
OFFENSE NO ISSUE IN FLORIDA
Indiana State bats were live to kick off the season against Jacksonville. In a three-game series, ISU collected 35 total base hits, including 10 extra-base hits. The Sycamores notched five doubles as well as five home runs against the Dolphins en route to 28 runs while holding JU to just 11. Five Sycamores wrapped up the weekend with five or more hits led by Max Wright and Roberto Enriquez who tallied six hits apiece. The duo also connected on a home run each against JU.
 
BEST PERFORMANCES OF OPENING WEEKEND
Max Wright led the Sycamores at the plate over opening weekend as the Sycamores picked up a series sweep at Jacksonville. The junior finished the three games with six hits and a .500 batting average (6-of-12). In total, Wright tallied five RBIs, three runs scored, a double and a home run while slugging .833. The Toronto, Ontario native also picked up a walk and a hit-by-pitch to finish with a .571 on-base percentage. Wright tallied a hit in all three games with three hits and four RBI coming Saturday against JU. Wright iced the series finale with a solo home run in the seventh inning.
 
One of just two sophomores on the 35-man roster, Jake Ridgway looked like a veteran over the weekend against Jacksonville. The New Lenox, Illinois product saw action twice out of the bullpen for the Sycamores, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing just one base hit while holding opponents to a .063 batting average against. Ridgway struck out four batters on the weekend. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings in the finale en route to a save.
 
THE OPEN ROAD
Opening weekend of the 2019 season featured an 850-mile (1,700 round trip) bus trip for the Sycamores as they made their way to Jacksonville, Florida. It doesn't get any easier for the team as week two features a trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, an 835-mile journey. The Sycamores will then head back to Western Carolina for two games in the midweek, a 373-mile trip before making their way back to Terre Haute (1,756 round trip). 
 
HE DOESN'T GO DOWN EASY
Jarrod Watkins finished 2018 with a .305 batting average over 55 starts. Another area he excelled at was his strikeout numbers or lack thereof. Watkins was the toughest to strikeout in the Missouri Valley Conference at a 12.6 at bats per strikeout rating. In 226 at bats, Watkins has struck out just 18 times. Watkins ranked 28th nationally in the category. 
 
WEAR IT
Senior Roby Enriquez was hit-by-pitch 27 times in 2018, finishing second in the nation in the category. Enriquez averaged 0.51 HBP's per game which was tops in the country. As a team, Indiana State finished sixth nationally in hit-by-pitches with 105 total. Third baseman Jake Means was hit 14 times while Dane Giesler and Luke Fegen were hit 10 times apiece. 
 
Complete Notes…

FIND US ON SOCIAL
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.