TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back in action this weekend as the Sycamores welcome the University of Memphis Tigers to Bob Warn Field for a three-game weekend series. ISU and the Tigers will open the series on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., while Saturday's contest starts at 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m.
 
Friday's game between the Sycamores and the Tigers will be carried live via ESPN+, while Saturday and Sunday will be featured on ESPN3. Additionally, Luke Martin will be on the call for the game on 105.5 The Legend for all three contests. Live stats will also be provided on GoSycamores.com.
 
Kansas Recap
Indiana State took the first and last games in the weekend series against Kansas as the Sycamores battled both the Jayhawks and the elements this past weekend at Bob Warn Field. ISU picked up its first weekend series win of the 2022 season with the pair of victories over the Jayhawks behind dominant pitching from Matt Jachec, as well as a pair of Josue Urdaneta home runs.
 
After Friday was washed due to inclement weather in the Terre Haute area, the Sycamores and Jayhawks moved to a single game on Saturday, Sunday doubleheader series. ISU turned the ball to Matt Jachec on Saturday afternoon and the redshirt sophomore ace delivered one of his best lines in the 2022 season in the series opening win.
 
Jachec pitched into the ninth inning for the first time in his career and posted a career-high nine strikeouts in limiting the Kansas offense in the series opener. The Hampshire, Ill. native picked up eight of his nine strikeouts over his final four innings on the mound before turning the ball over to the bullpen in the 6-2 win. Josue Urdaneta, Diego Gines, and Grant Magill all homered in support of Jachec's outing on the mound.
 
Kansas outlasted Indiana State in the first game on Sunday afternoon as the Jayhawks utilized a late Reyce Curnane home run in the 7-5 win. Josue Urdaneta and Seth Gergely both posted multi-hit games in second game of the weekend series as ISU battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to tie the game up at 4-4 before Curnane's late home run.
 
The Sycamores utilized a comeback of their own in the final game of the weekend as Indiana State held off a late Kansas rally in 11-10 win. Indiana State took a 10-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with a Jordan Schaffer RBI double while Tyler Nelson connected on a run-scoring sacrifice fly to give the Sycamores the advantage. Josue Urdaneta capped off the ISU win with a late insurance home run in the bottom of the eighth to secure the series victory.
 
Scouting Memphis
Memphis enters the weekend with a 12-6 overall record in the 2022 season following their midweek contest at Ole Miss. The Tigers were also affected by the weather with UM seeing their Tuesday home game against the Rebels called due to rain, but Memphis was able to get the Wednesday game in on the road in Oxford, Miss., in falling to No. 1 Ole Miss, 11-8.
 
The Tigers are 8-5 at home and 4-1 on the road this season with series wins over Valparaiso, Brown, Samford, and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Tigers dropped a weekend series at home against Nicholls for their lone series loss of the season as Memphis dropped two of three at home against the Colonels.
 
Memphis was selected eighth in the American Athletic preseason poll as announced by the conference office back in December. The Tigers received seven overall points in the poll and returns four starters to the 2022 lineup, while Connor Shamblin and Dalton Fowler both transferred in to bolster the Memphis rotation on the mound.
 
The Tigers entered the week with seven players hitting above .300 on the season paced by Jacob Compton (.348) and Logan Kohler's (.348) efforts on the year. Kohler is the team leader with five home runs, while Compton and Zach Wilson have seven doubles apiece on the year. Compton has been the team lead with 20 RBI.
 
Shamblin has been the team's ace on the mound this spring with a 2.84 ERA and a 31:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25.1 innings pitched. Landon Gartman has added 27 strikeouts over 23.1 innings in his three starts, while Fowler has also started all five games he's lined up this season. Dalton Kendrick is the bullpen leader with three saves over his eight appearances, while adding a 1.59 ERA on the year.
 
Tigers Top Player
Memphis' Friday night starter is the one to watch as Connor Shamblin is expected to take the ball against Indiana State in the opener. The 6-2 right-hander has gone at least five innings in four of his five outings on the year, including adding a 12-strikeout game on February 25 against Brown. Shamblin transferred in during the offseason from Alabama and has posted a trio of scoreless appearances over his first four outings. Opponents are only hitting .170 against the junior on the season.
 
Opponent History
Memphis is 6-4 all-time against Indiana State dating back to the series opener between the Tigers and the Sycamores back in 1976 when the Tigers were known as Memphis State University. Eight of the 10 games have been played in Memphis, Tenn., while the Sycamores and Tigers lined up two more times at neutral sites in both 2004 and 2005. This weekend marks the first time the two teams have played at Bob Warn Field.
 
Last Time against Memphis
Memphis took two of three in the last matchup between the Sycamores and Tigers back in the 2009 season as the Sycamores fell in the first two games, while picking up the win in the series finale. In ISU's win, Jake Petricka picked up his second win of the season in a strong outing, while Tyler Graham and Brian Jett had four RBI apiece in the Sycamores' 12-6 win.
 
Missouri Valley Player of the Week
Josue Urdaneta became the first Indiana State player to earn conference recognition in the 2022 season as the redshirt sophomore connected on four home runs and added a walk-off single in leading ISU to a 4-1 week. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native finished the week with a .429 batting average with multiple hits in four of the five games over the week, while adding a pair of two-run home runs in ISU's 10-1 win over Southeast Missouri State. Urdaneta's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth secured ISU's 5-4 win on Wednesday against SEMO. He added two more home runs in the weekend series against Kansas, including the eventual game-winner in the Sunday finale.
 
ISU Player of the Week
March 21 – Josue Urdaneta
 
Leading the Valley
Indiana State's offense continues to fire on all cylinders through the first 18 games of the season as the Sycamores entered the week as the Missouri Valley Conference's top offense in regards to batting average. ISU (.313) is one of three MVC teams hitting at an above .300 clip on the year, while Indiana State's 205 hits put them just behind Southern Illinois' 214 hits accumulated over 20 games. The Sycamores are 21st overall in the NCAA in batting average while leading the MVC in on-base percentage (0.405). Indiana State has posted double-digit hits in 11 games in the 2022 season, including a season-best 22 hits on February 26 against Minnesota. The Sycamores also have five games with at least nine hits, while posting extra base hits in all 18 games on the year.
 
Dodging Baseballs
The Sycamores have been one of the worst teams in the NCAA to dodge a baseball in the 2022 season, but it has worked out to Indiana State's credit this year in providing 34 extra runners to the base paths. The Sycamores rank 23rd in the NCAA in hit-by-pitches, while Jordan Schaffer (11) enters the week sitting sixth nationally in the category. The Sycamores have had multiple batters get hit by a pitch in 11 of the 18 games on the season, including a season-best five on February 25 against Merrimack. Schaffer was plunked a career-high three times against Ohio State on February 19, to tie for the Indiana State single-game record. Seven additional players have also been hit by multiple pitches with Sean Ross (3), Mike Sears (3), Tyler Nelson (3), Parker Stinson (3), Josue Urdaneta (2), and Randall Diaz (2) all getting plunked multiple times on the year.
 
We Don't Give Up Free Bases
The Indiana State pitching staff has been one of the nation's best at not hurting themselves this year sitting second in the Missouri Valley in both strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.46) and second in walks allowed per nine innings (3.69) through the first 18 games of the season. Right-hander Matt Jachec is individually ranked in both categories to pace the Sycamores on the season and he currently leads ISU with a 9.33 K:BB ratio (34th in NCAA) and a 0.79 walks allowed per nine innings (15th in NCAA) stretch. Overall, the Sycamores pitching staff has allowed three or fewer walks in 10 different games, while posting double-digit strikeouts on five separate occasions.
 
Thievin'
Indiana State continues to sit nearly perfect on the base paths in the 2022 season as the Sycamores have posted 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts on the year. Tyler Nelson and Josue Urdaneta both are a perfect 3-for-3 on the year to lead ISU on the base paths, while Jordan Schaffer has also added a pair of swipes on the year. Sean Ross, Diego Gines, Jackson Taylor, and Daunte Majors have also added steals in 2022 as the Sycamores sit sixth in the conference in total steals on the season.
 
Double-Digit Hitting Streak
Eighteen games into the season and Josue Urdaneta has showed few signs of slowing down as the redshirt sophomore switch-hitter continues to sit among the Missouri Valley's leading hitters in the 2022 season. Urdaneta (.430) sits as one of just two players in the MVC this season to hit at an above .400 clip on the year and sits just behind Southern Illinois' J.T. Weber (.435) in the conference standings on the year. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native is third in the MVC with 34 hits, while his .489 on-base percentage puts him third in the conference on the season. Urdaneta's recent stretch of success has featured his first four home runs of the 2022 season, while 12 of his 15 RBI have come in the last 10 days. He leads the team with 11 multi-hit games in the 2022 season.
 
Gines Powering Up
Redshirt sophomore Diego Gines has taken over the power bat role in the middle of the Indiana State lineup over the last week as the Canovanas, Puerto Rico native has heated up in conjunction with Josue Urdaneta. Gines has hit safely in eight of the last nine games, while adding Indiana State's first grand slam of the 2022 season in ISU's 10-1 win over SEMO. He followed up with a solo home run on March 19 in the Sycamores' 6-2 series-opening win over Kansas, while adding his team-leading fifth double of the year in the series finale against the Jayhawks. Gines has two of Indiana State's four-hit games on the year, while sitting third on the team with a .324 batting average. He's one of three Sycamores to start all 18 games in the 2022 season joining Urdaneta and Jordan Schaffer.
 
Streaks End – Let's Start New Ones
Indiana State saw two of its longer streaks in the 2022 season come to an end this past week as both Jordan Schaffer (on-base) and Sean Ross (hitting) both saw extended streaks come to an end against Kansas. Schaffer saw his 27-game on-base streak come to an end in the opening game of the series against Kansas, but he bounced back with a 2-for-5 game in the finale against the Jayhawks as the preseason MVC All-Conference selection is hitting .320 from the plate on the year. Ross saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end in the second game of the series against Kansas, but the redshirt senior rebounded with a hit and run scored in the finale against the Jayhawks in the 11-10 win. Ross is second on the Sycamores with a .386 batting average on the year, while leading ISU with 16 RBI and five doubles.
 
Facing the "M"
In a rare occurrence across college baseball this season, Indiana State is scheduled to face off against their sixth university that starts with the letter 'M' this weekend as the Sycamores welcome Memphis to Bob Warn Field. ISU took on Marshall in the opening weekend at the Snowbird Baseball Classic, and added games against both Merrimack and Minnesota the following weekend, and followed up with contests against both Maryland and Michigan at the LeClair Classic. Not counting a midweek series against Southeast Missouri State, ISU will continue their 'M' opponents against Memphis (March 25-27) and Missouri State (April 29-May 1) this year. So far, Indiana State is 5-1 on the season against opponents starting with the letter 'M' with the lone loss coming against Maryland, 12-6, back on March 5.
 
Hitting the Triple
Another weekend, another Indiana State triple as the Sycamores picked up their fourth three-bagger of the 2022 season in the opener against Kansas. Four different Indiana State players have posted triples on the year with Josue Urdaneta, Sean Ross, Seth Gergely, and Luis Hernandez all ending up on third base this season. Gergely became the fourth Sycamore to hit a triple on the year as the redshirt junior centerfielder drilled a two-out triple to right centerfield to add to ISU's totals on the year. The Sycamores are currently third in the conference this season with four triples on the year trailing just Valparaiso (7) and Missouri State (5) in the conference standings.
 
Leaving the Park as a Group
It just took returning home to Bob Warn Field for the Indiana State bats to find their power stroke as the Sycamores combined to hit eight of their 17 home runs in 2022 over the past week against SEMO and Kansas. Josue Urdaneta led the charge this past week with four of the team's home runs, including a pair of two-run homers in the home opener against SEMO, while adding shots in both the first and last games in the Kansas series. Diego Gines added Indiana State's first grand slam of 2022 this past Tuesday and added a solo shot on Saturday against Kansas, while Grant Magill and Parker Stinson also left the ballpark. Overall, 10 different Indiana State players have homered in the 2022 season with five posting multiple home runs on the year. The Sycamores went on a seven-game home run streak earlier this season and added three more consecutive games with a home run earlier late last week against SEMO and Kansas.
 
Doubling It Up
Indiana State's offense has featured a balanced approach throughout the 2022 season with the Sycamores posting 32 doubles on the year. The Sycamores have had at least one player record a double in 16 of the 18 games played on the season, including a season-high four doubles on February 20 against Ohio State. Indiana State has also featured 11 games with multiple doubles on the year and enters the weekend with doubles in each of their last six games. Sean Ross and Diego Gines led ISU with five doubles apiece on the season, while Jordan Schaffer has added four doubles to sit among the team leaders. Randall Diaz (3) and Aaron Beck (3) also are among the team leaders in the category on the season.
 
Jachec Leading the Way
Indiana State's rotation has found another ace as redshirt sophomore Matt Jachec currently sits among the Missouri Valley leaders through his first five starts of the 2022 season. The Hampshire, Ill. native is currently in the top-10 in multiple individual categories on the season including innings pitched (34.0), ERA (2.38), opponent batting average (.229), strikeouts looking (9), wins (4), and walks allowed (3). He went the first 16.2 innings before surrendering his first walk in the 2022 season, while going at least five innings in each of his four starts. Jachec has picked up wins over BYU, Minnesota, Wright State, and Kansas on the year, while taking his lone loss against East Carolina. He remains one of the NCAA leaders in both strikeouts-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings.
 
Mr. 300
Graduate transfer Jack Parisi knocked another career milestone off his list this past weekend as the Fort Wayne, Ind. native took the mound in a relief role on Sunday against Kansas. Parisi entered the weekend with 298 career strikeouts and the right-hander wasted little time in picking up two more strikeouts over his first two innings of work with Kansas' Jack Hammond becoming No. 300 in the record books in the top of the fifth. Parisi added two more strikeouts over his three innings of work to run his season total to 33 strikeouts over 22.1 innings in five appearances. Parisi currently sits tied for second in the MVC with 33 strikeouts on the season and is fourth in strikeouts looking (8). He is currently one of just two pitchers across all NCAA Divisions to post 300 career strikeouts trailing Shorter's Jonathan Pintaro (D2) with 330 career strikeouts.
 
Taking the Mound
Six different Indiana State players have earned starts on the mound in the 2022 season paced by Matt Jachec's five starts on the year. The redshirt sophomore right-hander has been one of the top aces in the Missouri Valley on the year in multiple categories, while Jake Ridgway (4) and Jack Parisi (4) have also been among the top starters on the squad this year. Luke Patzner and Jared Spencer also posted multiple starts this season as the Sycamores continue to work on the mound combination heading into the start of conference play. Jose Cabrera made his first start of the 2022 season in the second game against SEMO and could see more time on the mound over the next few weeks.
 
Saving the Game
Indiana State features two Sycamores with three saves in the 2022 season as redshirt junior Connor Fenlong and sophomore Joey Hurth help headline the ISU bullpen this year. Fenlong, a 2021 Missouri Valley All-Conference selection, has been one of the top right-handed arms in the league over his career and has seen action in nine games this year. Hurth has also been among the conference leaders in appearances this year possessing a strong slider and a 21:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio while earning a trio of saves on the year. Both right-handers headline a bullpen group that has posted a 5.64 ERA over 18 appearances.
 
Bullpen Aces
In addition to Fenlong and Hurth, the Sycamores have turned to several other strong arms out of the pen this season as Luke Patzner, Brennyn Cutts, and Lane Miller have also been weapons out of the bullpen for ISU. Patzner has been the headliner of the group over his last two appearances going 4.0 innings against SEMO on March 15 and 4.2 innings on March 20 against Kansas. He's posted 13 strikeouts over his last 9.2 innings of work allowing just six hits and four walks during the stretch. Cutts is also coming off a pair of standout appearances on the rubber with a 3.0 inning, five strikeout game against SEMO on March 16, while Miller has posted a trio of scoreless outings over his five games.
 
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