TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Bob Warn Field for a single game on Tuesday night as the No.15-ranked Sycamores host the University of Illinois Fighting Illini in the midweek game. First pitch in Tuesday night's contest is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Game Day Activities: Tuesday night is $2 Hot Dog night at Bob Warn Field as the deal is back for the midweek contest (while supplies last). Tuesday night's giveaway at the gate will be a mini Sycamore Baseball, so come early to get yours prior to the start of the game.
 
Indiana State returns home to Bob Warn Field boasting one of the nation's longest home winning streaks at 11 consecutive games dating back to March 25 against Valparaiso. The Sycamores trail only SEMO (13) in the column and are one of five teams nationally to boast a current double-digit home winning streak.
 
The Sycamores saw their 14-game winning streak snap on Friday night this past weekend at Evansville, but ISU rebounded to win the final two games of the series to clinch their sixth consecutive MVC series win. The six consecutive conference series wins continue one of the best starts in conference play in program history and equals the stretch set back in 2012.
 
Indiana State continues to gain national acclaim heading into the final month of the regular season. ISU continues to sit in the top 25 in two major polls including the Collegiate Baseball Division I poll (15) and Perfect Game (20). ISU continues to receive votes in both the USA Today Coaches Poll. The NCBWA poll has not been released at the time of this post.
 
ISU also boasts one of the nation's top RPI sitting in the top-10 for the second consecutive week as the Sycamores clocked in at No. 10 according to WarrenNolan.com and the NCAA. The Sycamores have been in the top-35 in the rankings over the last two months and remains the MVC leader in RPI. Evansville (68), Missouri State (79), and Valparaiso (93) are all among the top-100 in the rankings after the weekend.
 
Key to ISU's high RPI mark has been the strength of schedule for the Sycamores. ISU fell to second in the non-conference strength of schedule behind Liberty this week snapping a three-week stretch where the Sycamores boasted the top overall mark in the nation. ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (4), Vanderbilt (6), Miami (14), Indiana (30), Iowa (38), Northeastern (39), and Missouri (42). Additional top-100 schools on the schedule include Florida Gulf Coast (62), and Michigan State (66).
 
The Sycamores enter May as one of the hottest teams in the country after posting a 16-1 overall mark in the month of April. ISU's 16 wins over the month marked the program's best month since March 2012 when ISU went 18-3 over the span.
 
ISU took two of three this past weekend against Evansville with the Sycamores falling in the opener against the Purple Aces, 2-1, before rallying to take the final two games of the series 7-4 and 10-4. Randal Diaz led the Sycamores with a .333 average over the three-game series at UE with a double and a home run, while Josue Urdaneta (.308) and Adam Pottinger (.300) also hit above the .300 mark for ISU. All three ISU starting pitchers went at least six innings over the weekend and the staff posted a 3.46 ERA with a 24:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio against UE.
 
Seth Gergely remains ISU's top hitter on the season entering the week as the redshirt senior is hitting a team-best .333 from the plate. Gergely boasts a pair of 15-game on-base streaks this season and is closing in on his third double-digit streak this year having reached in each of the last nine games. He has reached safely in 39 of the 41 games this year and leads the Sycamores in hits (50), walks (22), and stolen bases (10).
 
Adam Pottinger is also hitting above the .300 mark and boasts the longest hitting streak by a Sycamore this season sitting at 13 consecutive games heading into the week. Pottinger is on a 17-game on-base streak after reaching in every game over the month of April and leads the team in slugging percentage (.553) and on-base percentage (.452) in 2023.
 
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.24 ERA and a 353:143 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Connor Fenlong became the first Sycamore to six wins on the mound this weekend, while Lane Miller improved to 5-0 with Sunday's win. Cameron Holycross (1.47 ERA) continues to be a name to watch out of the bullpen on the year while Matt Jachec (71 strikeouts) is among the Valley leaders in strikeouts.
 
The Sycamores boast one of the nation's top defenses this season sitting second overall in the NCAA with a .984 fielding percentage in 2023. Two players boast perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances, while four more players are fielding at a .990 clip or better on the year.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois enters the midweek contest with a 19-21 overall record on the year including a 9-12 mark away from Urbana-Champaign. The Fighting Illini have lost three of their last four games including dropping the weekend series at Ohio State and a midweek contest at Bradley.
 
Illinois offense has been led by Ryan Moerman's .314 batting average as the Fighting Illini are hitting .270 as a team for the season. Moerman sits among the team leaders with 48 hits, eight doubles, and nine home runs, while pacing Illinois with 38 RBIs. Drake Westcott is the team's power threat with 12 home runs on the year.
 
Eighteen different Illinois pitchers have seen time on the mound this season with the Fighting Illini posting a 6.01 team ERA and a 345:145 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Five different pitchers have made at least 15 appearances on the mound and five have made at least five starts on the rubber this season. Opponents are hitting .280 on the season against the Illinois staff.
 
Illinois was selected fourth in the Big Ten Baseball preseason poll as announced by the conference office in February. Illinois placed three athletes on the preseason All-Conference honors list in RHP Jack Crowder, RHP Riley Gowens, and IF/OF Cam McDonald. McDonald was also named to the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award watch list.
 
Illinois has lined up against several Missouri Valley teams this season sporting a 4-4 record against the conference this season. Indiana State (0-1), Southern Illinois (2-1), Bradley (1-1), and Illinois State (1-1) have all lined up against the Illini this year.
 
Indiana State – Illinois History
Illinois leads the all-time series, 45-38-2, against Indiana State dating back to the first contest between the two programs back in 1906. In the series, Indiana State has been stronger at home with the Sycamores taking the 22-13-1 edge in Terre Haute. Illinois has been the favorite in Urbana-Champaign with the 28-16-1 edge. ISU and Illinois faced off in one neutral site game back in 1996 with the Fighting Illini winning 6-2 at the Sahara Desert Classic in Las Cruces, N.M.
 
Indiana State's extra-inning win at Illinois earlier this season on March 14 was the Sycamores' first win in Urbana-Champaign since the 2007 season. The Sycamores utilized a late rally with Jorge Pereira and Keegan Watson sparking a four-run 10th inning in ISU's 7-3 win over the Illini.

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.