TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball wraps up its two-week Florida trip to open the 2023 season as the Sycamores take on Northeastern in a three-game series at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla.
 
The teams will compete on field C-9 starting with a doubleheader on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., while Sunday's finale is also set for an 11 a.m. first pitch. All three games will be streamed live via FloBaseball, while live stats will be provided on NUHuskies.com.
 
The Sycamores enter the weekend coming off a pair of midweek games against Florida Gulf Coast and at No. 22 Miami (Fla.). Indiana State picked up an 8-7 win against FGCU on Tuesday afternoon as a part of the Snowbird Baseball Classic, while the Sycamores fell on the road at the Hurricanes on Wednesday night, 9-3.
 
Mike Sears powered the Sycamores past Florida Gulf Coast as the redshirt junior connected on a grand slam to cap a six-run rally to top the Eagles. The Sycamores relied on power in the contest with six of their nine hits going for extra bases in the win, while ISU utilized nine pitchers on the mound with Simon Gregersen recording his first win in the Blue & White.
 
Luis Hernandez connected on his first home run in 2023 in the Wednesday night contest against No. 22 Miami as the sophomore sparked Indiana State early against the Hurricanes. Cameron Holycross added an effective three-inning relief stint in the loss to Miami.
 
Indiana State's pitching staff continues has posted a 5.65 ERA over the first week of the 2023 season with a 38:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores have limited opponents to a .258 batting average, while 15 different pitchers have seen time on the mound this year. Jared Spencer and Simon Gregersen lead the way with a team-high three appearances.
 
Josue Urdaneta (.385) and Luis Hernandez (.357) are the team's hitting leaders on the year through the first four games of 2023. Hernandez is the team leader with four extra-base hits and has scored a team-high six runs. Mike Sears leads the Sycamores with six RBI following his five-RBI game against FGCU.
 
Indiana State takes on their second of three first-time opponents in the 2023 season this weekend as the Sycamores take on the Huskies. ISU previously faced off against Quinnipiac (W, 6-1) and still has Murray State (May 12-14) on the schedule.

Scouting the Opposition
Northeastern Huskies
Northeastern enters the weekend with a 2-1 record on the year following their opening weekend at UNC Greensboro on February 17-19. The Huskies won the season opener, 11-0, and followed up by taking the series finale 12-9 to top the Spartans. UNCG took the middle contest, 7-6, with a walk-off single in the ninth. Jimmy Sullivan (.417) and Danny Crossen (.400) lead Northeastern's offense through the opening part of the season as the Huskies are hitting .333 as a team through three games. Sullivan and Carmelo Musacchia are tied for the team lead with five hits, while Crossen is the team leader with two doubles on the year. Sullivan and Tyler MacGregor have both homered for the Huskies.
 
Twelve different Northeastern pitchers have seen time on the mound this season with Wyatt Scotti, Eric Yost, and Matt Downing all earning starts on the rubber. Scotti, Charlie Walker, Griffin Young, and Jack Beauchesne combined for the season-opening shutout against UNC Greensboro to highlight the Northeastern staff. Walker and Young have both made multiple appearances on the mound to lead a staff that has posted a 3.76 ERA and a 30:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year.
 
Northeastern was picked fourth overall in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll as the Huskies received 71 total points and one first place vote in the poll. The Huskies were highlighted by preseason All-Conference selections Mike Sirota (OF), Wyatt Scotti (SP), and Honorable Mention choice Jordy Allard (RP). Sirota led the team with a .326 batting average with 14 doubles and four home runs prior to a season-ending injury in 2022. Scotti went 8-3 on the mound with 14 starts and finished among the national leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.12) and walks allowed per nine innings (0.89). Allard added 22 relief appearances and two midweek starts while making a pair of saves in the CAA Tournament.
 
Indiana State – Northeastern History
This weekend marks the first contest between Indiana State and Northeastern in their respective program histories. It also marks just the fourth Colonial Athletic Association opponent Indiana State has faced with ISU posting a 10-5 record against CofC (3-2), Elon (4-1), and UNC Wilmington (3-2).

Indiana State Quick Notes
On-Base Streaks Continue
Seth Gergely enters the weekend boasting a double-digit on-base streak as the redshirt senior outfielder carries an 11-game on-base streak heading into the series against the Huskies. The Tallmadge, Ohio native has hit safely against Iowa, FGCU (double), and Miami (Fla.), while also drawing a pair of walks against Quinnipiac. Gergely is one of six players on the team to boast a career double-digit on-base streak including Miguel Rivera (19), Josue Urdaneta (18), Joe Kido (13), Randal Diaz (12), and Grant Magill (11). Additionally, Josue Urdaneta carries an 11-game on-base streak in the state of Florida dating back to the start of the 2022 season after reaching base safely in all four contests this season.

They Get Plunked
Indiana State's hitters continue to wear it at the plate as the Sycamores lead the Missouri Valley Conference and sit 43rd in the NCAA in hit by pitches in the 2023 season. At least one Sycamore has been hit in every game this season including four batters plunked against Quinnipiac on February 18. Adam Pottinger has been hit a team-leading three times on the year, while Luis Hernandez has been hit by two pitches on the year. Jordan Schaffer led the Missouri Valley last season after getting hit by 23 pitches in 2022.

Powering Up
Indiana State's Mike Sears and Luis Hernandez connected on the Sycamores' first home runs of the 2023 season in the midweek games against Florida Gulf Coast and Miami (Fla.). Sears connected on ISU's first blast of the year as the redshirt junior drilled a grand slam in ISU's 8-7 win over the Eagles. Hernandez followed up in the next game with his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field, in the top of the first inning at Miami (Fla.). The Sycamores' first two home runs of the year come following a 45-home run season in 2022. Randal Diaz (7) was ISU's home run leader in 2022, while Keegan Watson (6), Josue Urdaneta (5), and Luis Hernandez (4) all return among Indiana State's leaders from last season. ISU is currently seventh in the MVC in team home runs with two on the year.
 
Sycamores For Extra Bases
Indiana State's hitters have struggled at the plate at the beginning of the 2023 season, but the power bats have been strong as the Sycamores have connected on 12 extra-base hits over their first four games of the year. Luis Hernandez leads the team with four extra-base hits (three doubles, a home run), while Josue Urdaneta and Grant Magill have also connected on a pair of doubles this season. Additionally, Seth Gergely (double), Connor Hicks (double), Mike Sears (home run), and Adam Pottinger (triple) have all posted extra-base hits on the year heading into the second weekend of the season.
 
Limiting the Free Runners
Indiana State's pitching staff returns to sit among the national leaders in both WHIP and walks allowed per nine innings heading into the second weekend of the season. The Sycamores lead the Missouri Valley in WHIP allowing 1.31 runners per inning, while Indiana State sits second in the conference allowing 3.44 walks allowed per nine innings. Matt Jachec remains one of the top pitchers in the country in the walks allowed per nine innings as the redshirt junior has not allowed a walk over his 6.0 innings on the mound.

First Time On The Field
Indiana State had a number of Sycamores make their Blue & White debuts on the field in the Sunshine State as Adam Pottinger, Henry Brown, Zach Davidson, Brayden Lybarger, Simon Gregersen, Jacob Pruitt, Kyle Cortner, Aaron Moss, Jorge Pereira, Dom Krupinski, and Alex Marx all appeared on the field for the first time. Pottinger has started all four games in left field for the Sycamores, while Zach Davidson (Quinnipiac) and Jacob Pruitt (FGCU) have both made their first starts on the mound.

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.