TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – No. 22 Indiana State baseball will make its home debut on Friday as the team begins a four-game series with Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso at Bob Warn Field. The Sycamores open the series Friday at 3 p.m. before playing a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. with game three following soon after. The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
  
All four games will be available on ESPN3 with Luke Martin and Tyler Ward calling the action. The series will also be available on GoSycamores.com/Listen worldwide with Brian Fritz on the radio call with Saturday and Sunday action also available on WIBQ 1230 AM in the Wabash Valley. Fans can also follow along on the go via the Indiana State Athletics March On App, live stats or at @IndStBaseball on Twitter.
 
FAN ATTENDANCE & TICKETING POLICY

Attendance will be limited to 500 (25% of 2000 seat capacity), with 140 on the ISU pass list and 60 on visiting team pass list. A total of 250 general admission tickets will be on sale for a price of $10. A total of 50 ISU students will be admitted for free (ISU student ID required) on a first come first serve basis once gates are open (30 minutes prior to first pitch).
 
The ticket window will open one hour prior to game time, 30 minutes before gates open. Fans will not be allowed along the first and third base lines to maintain social distancing from student-athletes.
 
For the health and safety of the Indiana State community, those in attendance will be required to follow campus policies such as wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, etc. The University will continue to monitor the conditions and evaluate the possibility of welcoming additional audiences.
 
For more information on the Spring Attendance Policy, click HERE.

THE SYCAMORE WEEKEND ROTATION

Game One - LHP Geremy Guerrero (6-0, 1.31 ERA, 48.0 IP, 56 K, 7 BB)        
Game Two - RHP Connor Cline (3-0, 3.29 ERA, 27.1 IP, 28 K, 8 BB)
Game Three - LHP Tristan Weaver (1-2, 7.91 ERA, 19.1 IP, 18 K, 10 BB)
Game Four - TBA
 
NEWS & NOTEWORTHY
 
» The Sycamores come into play at 16-8 overall and 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. ISU is hitting .261 as a squad led by Max Wright (.315, 7 2B, 7 HR, 18 RBI, .629 SLG) and Josue Urdaneta (.304, 4 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, .392 SLG) while four other ISU batters are hitting above .270 on the year. Indiana State boasts the top team ERA in the MVC at 4.03. ISU's .976 fielding percentage ranks 41st nationally and best in the MVC.
 
» Indiana State has been ranked for the last four weeks, and this week entered the D1Baseball.com poll at No. 23 while moving up to No. 22 in the Perfect Game USA poll. The Sycamores remain at No. 25 according to Baseball America. ISU has nine wins over quad 1 & 2 opponents (RPI 1-100) and have played all 24 games away from home this season.  
 
» Indiana State sits at No. 18 in the current RPI ranking after winning seven of its last 10 games, according to WarrenNolan.com. ISU has wins over Pittsburgh (#20), Tennessee (#3), Florida Gulf Coast (#55) as well as a sweep of FIU (#105). ISU also took two of three games at nationally ranked FAU (#75). Currently, Indiana State's strength of schedule ranks 61st nationally.
 
» Valparaiso enters the play at 5-16 overall and 0-4 in MVC play. Valpo is led by Damon Jorgensen at the plate with a .321 batting average in 14 starts. Kyle Schmack (.286) and Kaleb Hannahs (.286) also provide strong bats in the order. Colin Fields is 2-3 with a 4.39 ERA in six starts on the mound. As a team, Valpo holds a 6.03 ERA and a .967 fielding percent.
 
» Indiana State leads the all-time series with Valpo, 45-29-1 with the series dating back to 1948. The Sycamores have won 11-straight in the series. The last meetings between the two programs came in the 2019 season when Indiana State swept VU in Terre Haute by a combined score of 32-7. ISU also swept Valpo in 2018 on the road. The last loss to VU came in 2007 when the Brown and Gold took game two of a four-game series 11-2. ISU went on to win the series, 3-1.
 
» The Indiana State pitching staff has been strong this season, combining for a 4.03 team ERA which ranks 62nd-best nationally and tops in the MVC. As a team, ISU also ranks 13th with 2.79 walks allowed per nine innings; 20th with a 3.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 36th nationally with a 1.29 WHIP. Five Sycamores who have pitched at least an inning have ERA's lower than 4.00 through 24 games led by Connor Fenlong who holds a 0.51 ERA in 17.2 innings. Starting pitcher Geremy Guerrero has a 1.31 ERA in seven starts and 48 innings while Connor Cline has a 3.29 ERA in over six appearances.
 
» Geremy Guerrero has earned a pair of MVC Pitcher of the Week honors this season. He improved to 6-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.31. On the year, the southpaw has pitched 48 innings and struck out 56 while issuing only seven walks and holding opponents to a .168 average against. Overall, Guerrero ranks first in the MVC and 16th nationally in ERA (1.31) as well as tops in the MVC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.00) and victories (6). He ranks second in the League with 56 strikeouts.
 
» Geremy Guerrero was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List by USA Baseball on April 14. Guerrero tied for second-most strikeouts in a single game during the series opener at FIU on March 5. The 15-strikeout performance was one shy of Dan Lazar's 16-strikeout game in 1965 while tying Blaise Ilsley's mark in 1984. The last Sycamores to be named to the watch list was left-hander Sean Manaea during the 2013 season.
 
» It will be a family reunion of sorts this weekend as father and son square off at Bob Warn Field. Indiana State head coach Mitch Hannahs will coach against his son, Kaleb, who is in his first year with Valpo. Hannahs has started all 21 games for VU and is hitting .286 with two doubles and a home run. The freshman is also 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.
 
» Tyler Grauer sits at 19 career saves and is one shy of moving into a tie for second place. Craig Kozlowski holds the ISU career record with 26 saves from 1982-86. Austin Conway sits in second place with 20 career saves from 2014-17.
 
Full Game Notes ...
 
For the latest information on Sycamore Baseball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.