TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back home this weekend as the Sycamores welcome Southern Illinois to Bob Warn Field in a matchup that features the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference to date.
 
The weekend slate has already been updated with the Sycamores and Salukis now scheduled to play on Saturday (2 p.m.), Sunday (3 p.m.), and Monday (2 p.m.). Saturday and Monday's games are scheduled to be on ESPN+, while Sunday's 3 p.m. contest will be carried live on ESPNU. All three games will also be carried on 105.5 The Legend.
 
Weekend Promotion Schedule
Saturday, April 22 – Mini Sycamore Bat Giveaway (while supplies last)
Sunday, April 23 – Kids Day/Youth Sports Day (8th Grade and Younger get in free with jersey – Parents/Family $4 tickets), Concessions Combo Special
 
Indiana State enters the weekend on an 11-game winning streak and winners of 15 of their last 16 dating back to the March 25-26 series sweep over Valparaiso. Most recently, the Sycamores topped No. 4 Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field on Tuesday night, 10-2, to extend one of the nation's longest current winning streaks heading into the weekend.
 
ISU's 11-game stretch is the second-longest in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era sitting one game behind a 12-game streak set back in the 2014 season. The streak is just the 17th time in program history Indiana State has won double-digit games in a row dating back to 1923-24.
 
The Sycamores return to Bob Warn Field winners of their last eight games in Terre Haute to sit tied for the seventh-longest current home winning streak and tied for second for the longest road winning streak with seven consecutive wins.
 
The Sycamore winning streak has come at the right time as Indiana State made their 2023 debut in the top 25 in the national baseball polls this week. Indiana State entered the week sitting No. 22 in the Collegiate Baseball Division I poll and is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.
 
The recognition marked the first time the Sycamores have been ranked since April 2021 when ISU was ranked in five national baseball polls (No. 19 Perfect Game, No. 21 D1Baseball, No. 24 Baseball America, No. 24 USA Today, No. 27 NCBWA).
 
Following Tuesday's win, ISU's RPI has hit a season-best at No. 12 in the rankings as announced by the NCAA and WarrenNolan.com on Wednesday. The Sycamores have been in the top-35 in the rankings for the six consecutive weeks. ISU remains the Missouri Valley leader in RPI with Evansville (72), Southern Illinois (79), Valparaiso (85), and Missouri State (92) all sitting among the top 100 in the country heading into the weekend.
 
The Sycamores have earned the high RPI mark this year with ISU playing the toughest non-conference strength of schedule in the country to date according to WarrenNolan. The Sycamores are back in the top spot entering the weekend after sitting second over the last two weeks. Indiana State held the top overall ranking for nearly the entire month of March prior to the start of conference play.
 
ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (7), Indiana (14), Miami (15), Missouri (22), and Northeastern (42). Other top-100 opponents on the schedule include Iowa (57), Florida Gulf Coast (67), Michigan State (70), Evansville (74), Southern Illinois (79), Valparaiso (85), Illinois (89), Missouri State (92), and Ball State (99).
 
ISU's win over No. 4 Vanderbilt marked the first Sycamore win over a ranked opponent since topping then-No. 20 Florida Atlantic twice early in 2021 season. The win over the Commodores also marked ISU's highest-ranked win since Indiana State defeated then-No. 1 Vanderbilt back in 2015.
 
The Sycamores enter the weekend leading the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-1 mark in conference play including a 6-0 mark at home at Bob Warn Field. ISU swept both Valparaiso and Illinois State in their two weekend home series with this weekend's series against Southern Illinois and the May 12-14 weekend against Murray State still on schedule.
 
Aiding Indiana State in conference play as been the awakening of the bats (.301 team batting average) and strong pitching (2.75 team ERA) over the first 12 conference games. As a team, the Sycamore hitters dot the Valley leader board in conference-only numbers sitting second in slugging percentage (.492), second in hits (128), second in home runs (19), and third in doubles (24). Likewise, the pitching staff has also been impressive sitting second in opponent batting average (.226), second in strikeouts looking (29), first in saves (4), first in pickoffs (5), and first win walks allowed (33).
 
The Sycamore pitching staff continues to be dominant over the 11-game winning streak. Including Tuesday's game, ISU has posted a 1.89 ERA over the last 100.0 innings on the mound with an 82:31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Seven pitchers have posted sub-1.00 ERAs over the stretch and ISU has allowed opposing hitters to hit just .217 from the plate.
 
Seth Gergely remains ISU's top hitter coming into the weekend as the redshirt senior is hitting .328 on the season through 35 games. Gergely boasts a pair of 15-game on-base streaks in 2023 and has reached base safely in 33 of the 35 contests to date this season. He leads the team with 41 hits and 28 runs scores, while also sitting tied for the team lead with 19 walks and has been hit by 11 pitches.
 
Randal Diaz has come on strong late and leads the team with 18 extra-base hits on the year including seven home runs, while Mike Sears lead the Sycamores with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. Adam Pottinger has been among the best bats in the ISU lineup lately as well with a seven-game hitting streak and an 11-game on-base streak heading into the weekend.
 
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.45 ERA and a 305:133 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Matt Jachec and Connor Fenlong have recorded four wins in the 2023 season to lead ISU's staff, while Holycross (1.38 ERA) and Lane Miller (1.95 ERA) are the staff's ERA leaders. Jachec (57) and Jared Spencer (5 SV, 39 K) are the strikeout leaders.
 
The Sycamores continue to be elite defensively. Indiana State entered the week sixth in the NCAA and first in the MVC in fielding percentage. The Sycamores are fielding at a .983 clip on the season with four players posting perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances, while four others are fielding at .990 or higher.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Southern Illinois Salukis
Southern Illinois enters the weekend with a 23-14 overall record and sit second overall in the MVC standings with a 10-2 mark in conference play. The Salukis have won 12 consecutive conference weekend series dating back to the 2021 season. SIU is 8-9 away from Itchy Jones Stadium this season.
 
Nathan Bandy (.366) and Pier-Olivier Boucher (.348) lead an SIU offense that is hitting .289 from the plate this season. Boucher is the team leader in hits (54) and runs (31), while also added eight stolen bases on the year. Ryan Rodriguez (12) leads four SIU players who have connected on double-digit doubles this season, while Steven Loden is the team's power threat with 11 home runs.
 
SIU's pitching staff has posted a team 5.55 ERA on the season with 17 different arms making appearances on the mound in 2023. Jordan Bloemer (3-0, 3.82 ERA) is expected to be the series opener on the mound, while Tanner Lewis (2-1, 4.50 ERA) and Ben Chapman (3-1, 5.04 ERA) have both made multiple starts on the mound. Reliever Matthew Steidl (2-5, 6.33 ERA) is a name to watch this weekend out of the bullpen. Overall, SIU has posted a 277:168 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year with opponents hitting .271 from the plate.
 
Southern Illinois was slotted first overall in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. The Salukis received 93 total points and six first-place votes in the poll. Shortstop Kaeber Rog, outfielder Pier-Olivier Boucher, and reliever Matthew Steidl were all honored on the MVC Preseason All-Conference team.
 
The Salukis and Sycamores have lined up against several common non-conference opponents this season. SIU has taken on Kentucky (0-3), Illinois (1-2), and SEMO (1-0) so far this season. The Salukis are scheduled to take on SEMO a second time on April 25 with a return trip to Cape Girardeau, Mo.
 
Indiana State – Southern Illinois History
Southern Illinois holds the 103-92 all-time advantage against Indiana State dating back to the two teams' inaugural contest back in 1967. Southern Illinois was dominant early in the series winning 19 of the first 20 games between the two teams with ISU's first win coming back in 1971 – a 9-7 win on April 24.
 
The Sycamores are 18-12 against the Salukis since 2014 but fell in all four contests against SIU last season including an elimination game in the 2022 MVC Championships.

Follow the Sycamores
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