TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana State baseball welcomes The Citadel for a three-game series starting Friday afternoon at Bob Warn Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday while the finale will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday. Fans can catch the action on ESPN+ Friday and Sunday, listen to the action on GoSycamores.com or follow along on Twitter (
@IndStBaseball) for live updates.
Fans with a valid Military ID will receive two free tickets to each game for Military Appreciation Weekend. For ticket information, call (812) 237-3737 or order tickets online
HERE.
ALL-TIME VS THE CITADEL
The Sycamores hold a 9-2 advantage with The Citadel in the all-time series. The teams last met in 2018 when Indiana State swept the Bulldogs in Charleston. Prior to last season, the Sycamores and Bulldogs met in 2010 with ISU taking 2-of-3 games on the road.
LOOKING AT THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel enters the weekend 7-9 on the year and winners of two of their last four contests. The Bulldogs are led by Bryce Leasure who holds a .388 batting average in 14 starts. Tyler Corbitt (.361) and Ryan McCarthy (.351) are also hitting over .350 for The Citadel. Right-hander Jordan Merritt anchors the pitching staff with a 1.21 ERA in four starts while the Bulldog pitching staff holds a combined 3.68 ERA.
PITCHING STRONG FOR THE SYCAMORES
The pitching staff for the Sycamores has been outstanding through the first 14 games this season, allowing 40 earned runs in 126 innings of work with its 2.86 team ERA. Six different Sycamores have ERA's lower than 2.70 entering the fifth week of the season. Starting pitcher
Collin Liberatore has a 2.45 ERA in four starts and 22 innings while right-handed reliever
Jake Ridgway has a 1.06 ERA in eight appearances. The Trees 2.86 team ERA ranks 19th-best in the nation.
WHEN IT'S WRIGHT, IT'S WRIGHT
Junior
Max Wright has hit the ball exceptionally well to open the 2019 season for Indiana State. The catcher leads the team and the Missouri Valley Conference with a .457 average. He has recorded 21 base hits -- including four doubles and a pair of home runs while his .696 slugging percentage and .536 on-base percentage also lead the team. Wright has seven multi-hit games in 12 starts and is currently riding an 9-game hitting streak.
THREE WEEKEND ROAD SWEEPS IN 2019
After a weekend sweep at Mercer, Indiana State has now recorded three road sweeps in the first four weekends of 2019. The 2018 Sycamores recorded just two road sweeps (at The Citadel and Valparaiso) as well as a weekend sweep at the Mule Mix Classic which featured two neutral site games. You have to go back to 2014 to find the last road sweep when the Sycamores took three-straight from New Orleans.
SYCAMORES STARTING ROTATION
#28
Triston Polley / Sr. / LHP
3-0, 2.70 ERA, 23.1 IP, 15 H, 7 ER, 18 K, 12 BB
Last Outing: 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 1 K at Mercer
#32
Collin Liberatore / Jr. / RHP
3-0, 2.45 ERA, 22.0 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 15 K, 6 BB
Last Outing: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 K at Mercer
#26
Tyler Whitbread / Sr. / RHP
2-0, 2.45 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 8 K, 4 BB
Last Outing: 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K at Mercer
JUMPING ON TOP AND CLOSING THEM OUT
Indiana State has put up runs consistently this season, averaging 7.6 runs a game and has outscored opponents, 103-46. ISU has outscored opponents 17-2 in the first inning and 16-8 in the second. The Sycamores have also outscored opponents in all but two innings this season, including a 38-13 mark in the final four innings of games.
NOT AFRAID TO WEAR IT
Indiana State ranks ninth in the nation in hit-by-pitches, taking 34 HBP's in 14 games. Sycamore infielder
Jake Means lead the team with six HBP's while outfielder Roberto Enriquez has been hit-by-pitch five times this season. Eight different players have been hit-by-pitch more than once.
KEEPING THE BEARS OFF THE BASE PATHS
One of the more impressive numbers from the weekend sweep of Mercer was the ability of Sycamores pitchers and catcher
Max Wright to keep the Bears from stealing bases. Entering the weekend, Mercer had recorded 23 stolen bases on 28 attempts. Over the three-game series, Mercer attempted to steal zero bases. On the season, the opposition is just 6-of-12 on stolen base attempts against the Trees.
More…
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.
