TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores continue the five-game road trip with a three-game series at Belmont University. Friday night's series opener at E.S. Rose Park is set for 5 p.m. ET, while Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) close out the weekend series.
 
Both Friday and Sunday's games are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+. All three games will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend. Live stats will also be provided on BelmontBruins.com.
 
Indiana State enters the weekend on a seven-game winning streak and winners of 11 of their last 12 dating back to the March 25-26 series sweep over Valparaiso. Over the stretch, the Sycamores topped Valpo (three times), Purdue (twice), UIC (twice), Indiana, and Illinois State (three times), improving their 2023 record to 19-12 overall.
 
Indiana State also enters the weekend with an 8-1 mark in Missouri Valley play following their series wins over Valparaiso, UIC, and Illinois State. The 8-1 record is ISU's best start to conference play since the 1998 season (12-1), and just the third time in program history Indiana State has won its first three conference series (2023, 2012, and 1998).
 
The Sycamores are coming off a 4-1 midweek win at Purdue as the ISU pitching staff continued its recent dominance on the mound. Mike Sears homered and Grant Magill added a two-run single to highlight the ISU offense, but the pitchers shone against the Boilermakers to close out the 2023 series sweep over Purdue.
 
Seven Sycamores combined to allow one earned run and seven hits against Purdue with Jacob Pruitt earning his first win of 2023 in relief. Pruitt entered the game in the bottom of the first inning and went two innings striking out three in the victory. Cam Edmonson and Simon Gregersen both recorded 2.0-inning shutout relief outings on the day, while Cole Gilley, Zach Davidson, and Cutts also kept Purdue off the scoreboard on Tuesday night.
 
The Sycamore pitching staff has been lights-out over the seven-game winning streak. Twelve pitchers have combined to post a 2.11 ERA over the stretch with a 47:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores added a pair of shutouts over Indiana and Illinois State over the stretch with eight pitchers posting perfect 0.00 ERAs over the last two weeks.
 
Indiana State boasts the best batting average (.305) and ERA (3.22) in Missouri Valley play through the first nine games of the conference this season. The Sycamores are also second in team home runs (16), slugging percentage (.505), and on-base percentage (.377) heading into the bulk of conference competition.
 
Seth Gergely and Mike Sears are both among the Missouri Valley leaders in conference play to date. Gergely is third in batting average (.444), first in hits (16), and runs scored (12), while Sears leads the MVC in slugging percentage (.906) and home runs (6).
 
Pitching-wise, four different Indiana State pitchers are tied for the conference lead with two wins apiece, while Matt Jachec and Connor Fenlong are both among the MVC leaders with 19.2 innings' pitched. Jared Spencer has been strong out of the bullpen and sits among the conference leaders in overall appearance (5) and saves (2).
 
Indiana State enters the weekend leading the Missouri Valley teams in RPI as the Sycamores continue to sit among the national leaders through April 12. ISU moved up to 26 in the latest rankings as announced on WarrenNolan.com and remains one of three MVC teams in the top 100 with Southern Illinois (79) and Evansville (93).
 
The Sycamores boasted the nation's toughest non-conference strength of schedule over the last month, but ISU was bumped from the top of the list this week in slipping to second overall behind Florida State. ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (7), Indiana (15), Miami (16), Missouri (21), Northeastern (35), and Michigan State (48). Additional top-100 opponents include Iowa (57), Florida Gulf Coast (58), SIU (79), Evansville (83), and Ball State (84).
 
Seth Gergely remains Indiana State's top hitter coming into the weekend as the redshirt senior is hitting a team-best .333 on the season through the first 31 games. Luis Hernandez (.309) is also hitting above .300 on the season with a team-best eight doubles. Mike Sears (11) and Randal Diaz (6) have been the team's power bats at the plate on the year, while Sears also boasts a team-best 28 RBI on the season.
 
Hernandez enters the weekend on a 24-game on-base streak surpassing Mike Sears (23) for the longest streak in 2023. The sophomore tied for the fourth-longest on-base streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era and boasts the longest streak since Romero Harris reached in 31 consecutive games in 2018.
 
Last weekend, Sears and Gergely reached double-digits in two different statistical categories in 2023. Sears became the first Sycamore to post 10 home runs in a single season since Max Wright connected on 16 in 2021. Gergely was the first Sycamore to reach 10 stolen bases in a single season since Jordan Schaffer swiped 11 also in the 2021 season.
 
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.83 ERA and a 270:120 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Matt Jachec, Connor Fenlong, Cameron Holycross, and Jared Spencer have all recorded three wins in the 2023 season to lead ISU's staff, while Holycross (0.40 ERA) and Lane Miller (2.57 ERA) are the staff's ERA leaders. Jachec (46) and Spencer (34) are the strikeout leaders.
 
The Sycamores continue to be elite defensively. Indiana State entered the week fifth in the NCAA and first in the MVC in fielding percentage. The Sycamores are fielding at a .985 clip on the season with three players posting perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances, while three others are fielding at .990 or higher.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Belmont Bruins
Belmont enters the conference weekend with a 19-15 overall record on the year following their midweek win at Austin Peay. The Bruins also boast a 5-4 mark in Missouri Valley play on the year after falling in all three games at Southern Illinois last weekend. Belmont currently boasts a 13-7 home record at E.S. Rose Park including a 2-1 record in conference play.
 
Sam Kirkpatrick is the team's hitting leader with a .317 batting average on the year with seven doubles, two home runs, and 18 RBI. Blake Barton is also among the team leaders with a .295 average with a team-high 12 doubles and two triples, while Mason Landers is the power threat with seven home runs and 26 RBI. As a team, Belmont is hitting .255 from the plate and has posted 42 stolen bases in 52 attempts.
 
Belmont's pitching staff has posted a team 4.33 ERA on the season with 14 different arms making appearances on the mound in 2023. The Bruins' starting rotation has been consistent throughout the year and is headlined by left-hander Andy Bean. The Friday night ace and 2022 Ohio Valley Pitcher of the Year has posted a 3-4 record and 3.48 ERA over a team-best 51.2 innings. Overall, Belmont has posted a 276:136 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is allowing opponents to hit .253 from the plate.
 
Belmont was slotted sixth overall in the Missouri Valley preseason baseball poll as voted on by the conference head coaches in the preseason. The Bruins received 53 total points and are coming off a season featuring Belmont matching the program record in regular season (37) and overall wins (39) while securing their first-ever OVC regular season championship.
 
Belmont's 2023 non-conference schedule features one common opponent. The Bruins fell on the road at Vanderbilt on March 14, 15-6. Indiana State will take on the Commodores on Tuesday, April 18, in Nashville.
 
Indiana State – Belmont History
Indiana State is 2-0 all-time against Belmont dating back to the team's inaugural contest back in the 2014 season. The Sycamores' first win over the Bruins came back on February 22, 2014, as a part of the Mule Mix Classic in Nashville, Tenn. with ISU topping the Bruins, 4-2. Indiana State picked up their second win in the series back on February 25, 2018, as ISU closed out the SAF Dirt Classic with a 10-inning, 7-4 victory, over Belmont at E.S. Rose Park.

Power Output in Conference
Indiana State's bats have connected in conference play as the Sycamores have powered out 16 of their 37 team home runs in Missouri Valley competition. The numbers were highlighted by nine home runs two weeks ago against UIC, and six blasts against Valparaiso.
 
Eight different Sycamores have homered in conference play highlighted by Sears' six home runs, while both Diaz (3) and Seth Gergely (2) have also left the park multiple times in MVC action. Sears already has two two-homer games in conference play (Mar. 26 vs. Valparaiso & Apr. 2 at UIC), while Gergely added his first collegiate multi-homer game on March 25 against Valparaiso. ISU hit 45 home runs as a team in 2022 with 20 coming in conference action.

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.