TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back in action this weekend as the Sycamores start Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game set against Illinois State starting on Friday afternoon.
 
First pitch in the opener is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN3, while Saturday's contest is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will also be carried live on 105.5 The Legend with live stats on GoSycamores.com
 
Memphis Recap
Indiana State took both contests of the weekend series against Memphis this past Friday and Sunday as the Sycamores topped the Tigers in the non-conference matchup at Bob Warn Field. Indiana State took the opener, 12-0, and then followed up with a 3-1 win in the Sunday finale to tie up the all-time series at 6-6.
 
Jordan Schaffer and Randall Diaz broke the Friday game open in the series opener against Memphis in ISU's 12-0 win. Schaffer opened up the offensive scoring with a two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth, while Diaz followed with a two-run home run to give the Sycamores the 4-0 lead. The Sycamores added two more runs in the sixth on a Grant Magill sacrifice fly and a Seth Gergely double, before blowing the game wide open with a six-run eighth inning thanks to a pair of Memphis errors.
 
The Indiana State offense aided another strong pitching effort from Matt Jachec as the redshirt sophomore right-hander went 7.0 strong innings in his third quality start in a row. Jachec allowed four hits while striking out six on the way to his Missouri Valley leading fifth win of the year.
 
After Saturday's contest was called due to the weather, Indiana State and Memphis battled in Sunday's finale. Sean Ross doubled twice, while Joey Hurth struck out five Tigers over the final three innings in the Sycamores' 3-1 win. Ross drove in the first ISU run of the game with a RBI double in the sixth, while Jordan Schaffer and Grant Magill added late RBI in support of the Sycamores pitching staff.
 
On the mound, Jake Ridgway carried a perfect game through four innings and a no-hitter threw five before turning the ball over to the ISU bullpen. Jack Parisi, Connor Fenlong, and Joey Hurth went the rest of the way with Hurth picking up his third win out of the bullpen.
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State enters the weekend with a 9-9 overall record in the 2022 season following their midweek contest against Eastern Illinois. The Redbirds opened the year with a signature 3-2 win over then-No. 2 Arkansas and added a series sweep over Western Carolina over the first two weeks of the spring. Illinois State also handed then-No. 19 Purdue its first loss of the 2022 season with a 4-3 victory in Normal, Ill. back on March 17.
 
Illinois State tied for third overall in the Missouri Valley preseason baseball rankings with the Redbirds tying with Southern Illinois with 39 total points overall. The Redbirds returned six positional starters and seven key pitchers to the roster after a 23-34 overall record that saw Illinois State finish sixth overall in the Valley's standings. Redshirt junior first baseman Jake McCaw and sophomore outfielder Ryan Cermak were both recognized on the Missouri Valley preseason All-Conference team.
 
Cermak and McCaw continue to be Illinois State's leaders at the plate in the 2022 season heading into conference play. The duo are both hitting over .300 on the season and have combined for 10 of the Redbirds 16 home runs. Overall, Illinois State is hitting .264 from the plate as a team.
 
The Redbirds strength has been on the mound this season with eight players posting a sub-5.00 ERA on the season, including six sitting with an under 4.00 ERA. Sean Sinisko (1-1, 3.20 ERA) has been one of the team's leaders, while Derek Salata (2-2, 3.63 ERA) has posted team-highs in both innings pitched (34.2) and strikeouts (35). Jared Hart (1.96 ERA) is the team's pitching leader with 12 appearances.
 
Redbirds Top Player
Redshirt junior first baseman Jake McCaw has been one of the top hitters in the Missouri Valley Conference this season as the Bloomington, Ill. native headlines the Illinois State offense on the year. McCaw opened the season hitting safely in six of the first seven games, including homering in all three contests against Western Carolina. He added a two-homer game against Saint Louis on March 25 and has posted seven multi-hit games on the year.
 
Opponent History
Indiana State holds the 112-83 all-time advantage over Illinois State dating back to the first matchup in the series in the 1906 season. No record of that game's score exists in the Indiana State archives, but the Sycamores did pick up the 10-4 win in the 1948 season in the first recorded score between the teams. ISU last hosted Illinois State at Bob Warn Field back in 2018 with the Redbirds taking two of the three games in the matchup. Indiana State is 63-29 all-time at home at Bob Warn Field against the Redbirds.
 
Last Time against Illinois State
The Sycamores took three of the four meetings last season in Normal, Ill., before topping the Redbirds, 5-2, in the first round of the MVC Tournament. Indiana State took the win in the first round of the MVC Tournament last season in Carbondale behind a complete-game effort 2021 MVC Pitcher of the Year Geremy Guerrero. The left-hander struck out four Redbirds and surrendered just one free base over the nine-inning outing, while Ellison Hanna II connected on a pair of home runs to highlight the Sycamores win.
 
Non-Conference Round-Up
Indiana State has posted a 13-7 overall record in non-conference play heading into the start of Missouri Valley action this weekend. The Sycamores have posted a 6-3 record in neutral site contests and a 6-1 home mark at Bob Warn Field this season, while sitting 1-3 in true road games. Highlighting Indiana State's schedule includes wins over BYU, Marshall, Merrimack, Minnesota (twice), Michigan, Wright State, SEMO (twice), Kansas (twice), and Memphis (twice).
 
Weather Impacts
Indiana State has seen a trio of games affected by weather over the last two weeks with the Sycamores having contests against Indiana and Purdue postponed, while game two of the Memphis series was canceled due to weather. At this time, the games are not scheduled to be made up.

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