TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is ready to make history this weekend as the No. 14-seed Sycamores host Iowa, North Carolina, and Wright State for the Terre Haute Regional of the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
 
The Sycamores open play on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. as Indiana State takes on Wright State in the first game of the weekend at Bob Warn Field. Iowa and North Carolina will play the evening game at 7 p.m.
 
Clear Bag, Pets, and Alcohol Policies: Fans are to be reminded that Bob Warn Field will be enforcing a Clear Bag Policy throughout the facility. No pets are allowed in. No alcohol may be brought into the facility and unruly people will be asked to leave. In-venue exchanging bracelets for additional alcohol will also be strictly prohibited.
 
Purchase Tickets: All tickets for the Terre Haute Regional are digital. Printed tickets will not be available for the weekend. Please purchase your tickets online by clicking the link here.
 
Indiana State became just the fourth Missouri Valley Conference program selected to host a regional in its current format and first since 2015. ISU joins Dallas Baptist (2015), Missouri State (2015), and Wichita State (2002 & 2007) as the lone regional hosts in the MVC since 2000.
 
The Sycamores enter the postseason ranked in all six major national collegiate baseball polls for the first time in the 2023 season. Indiana State ranks as high as No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball News poll, while also sitting No. 18 in Perfect Game, No. 20 in USA Today, No. 23 in NCBWA, No. 23 in D1Baseball, and No. 25 in Baseball America.
 
The Sycamores' ranking follows up a strong regular season that featured ISU sitting among the leaders in the NCAA RPI Rankings in four of the last five weeks. ISU enters the postseason sitting No. 9 overall in the RPI following a year that saw the Sycamores sit fifth overall in non-conference strength of schedule and 43rd in total strength of schedule this season.
 
Indiana State remains one of the hottest teams in the NCAA entering the postseason with ISU boasting a 34-4 overall mark since March 25. The Sycamores have not lost a non-conference game since March 21 with wins over NCAA Tournament participants Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Ball State over the stretch. The 34-4 record also includes a 19-2 mark at Bob Warn Field.
 
Over the 38-game stretch, the Sycamore offense hit .294 from the plate with 51 home runs, 133 extra-base hits, and a .475 slugging percentage. Eight ISU players hit .290 or better from the plate over the 38-game stretch with five hitting above .300. Adam Pottinger (.336), Randal Diaz (.329), Josue Urdaneta (.321), Keegan Watson (.314), and Luis Hernandez (.303) were all above the line to wrap up the season, while Mike Sears hit .275 from the plate with a team-high 15 home runs and 44 RBI over the stretch.
 
The Sycamore pitchers nearly matched the offense over the stretch with ISU boasting a 2.60 team ERA including six complete games and seven shutouts. ISU's staff posted a 309:91 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit just .219 from the plate. Connor Fenlong (9-0, 2.01 ERA) and Lane Miller (7-0, 2.61) were both undefeated during the run, while Cam Edmonson posted a sparkling 1.14 ERA with a 27:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 appearances.
 
Indiana State enters the NCAA Tournament sitting in the 10 in six different team statistical categories. ISU is the NCAA leader in fielding percentage (0.984), third in WHIP (1.23), fifth in ERA (3.80), fifth in shutouts (7), eighth in hit by pitch (114), and seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (3.15). ISU is also top-20 in hits allowed per nine innings (791), and 16th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.73).
 
Indiana State secured the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament following a dominant display at the conference tournament this past week in Terre Haute. The Sycamores outscored their opponents 39-12 over five games and the pitching staff combined to put together two shutouts in ISU's eighth MVC Tournament in program history.
 
Randal Diaz was named the 2023 MVC Baseball Championships Most Outstanding Player headlining five ISU players honored on the conference's postseason All-Tournament team. Grant Magill (catcher), Luis Hernandez (designated hitter), Adam Pottinger (outfielder), and Connor Fenlong (pitcher) were also recognized on the MVC postseason squad.
 
The Sycamores' tournament win followed up a historic regular season for ISU as the team set new program records for MVC wins (24) and conference series wins (nine). Indiana State's six-game margin in winning conference's regular season title was the largest in the MVC since 1998. Indiana State's 42 wins entering the NCAA marks ISU's 12th 40-win season in program history and first since 2019.
 
Eleven Indiana State players were named to the 2023 MVC postseason baseball teams including five on the conference's First Team. Fenlong (Pitcher of the Year), Magill (Defensive Player of the Year), and Head Coach Mitch Hannahs (Coach of the Year) were honored with three of the conference's major awards.
 
Diaz (SS), Magill (C), Matt Jachec (SP), Fenlong (SP), and Jared Spencer (RP) were honored on the MVC First Team, while Pottinger (OF), Lane Miller (SP), and Cameron Holycross (RP) were on the Second Team. Josue Urdaneta (2B) and Mike Sears (3B) earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.
 
Four Sycamores were also honored on the MVC All-Defensive team with Urdaneta, Sears, Seth Gergely (OF), and Magill all voted to the team.
 
Watson enters the postseason as Indiana State's overall leading hitter on the season with a .308 batting average. The redshirt senior has posted 19 extra-base hits on the year including five home runs and 25 RBI, while adding 30 runs scored.
 
Pottinger is hitting .300 on the season to also sit among ISU's leaders on the year and enters the NCAA Tournament on 33 game on-base streak (Mitch Hannahs era record) dating back to April 2. The junior outfielder is tied for the team lead with 44 runs scored, while adding 51 hits and nine home runs.
 
Mike Sears is team's leader with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs on the year, while four different Sycamores have scored at least 40 runs on the season. Diaz is the team's leader with 68 hits, while Urdaneta (66) and Hernandez (60) are also over the 60 hit mark on the season.
 
Indiana State's weekend rotation has set the tone for the Sycamores this year as the trio of Jachec, Fenlong, and Miller combining for a 23-5 overall record and a 3.33 ERA on the mound. Jachec has been the team's Friday night starter with a 7-3 mark on the mound with a team-best 93:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Fenlong (10-2, 3.24 ERA) has hurled four complete game shutouts over last six starts on the mound and has not allowed an earned run since April 29. Miller is a perfect 7-0 over his 10 starts on the season with an MVC-best 2.61 ERA and .211 opponent batting average.
 
Cameron Holycross (4-1, 2.00 ERA) and Zach Davidson (3-1, 2.93 ERA) have been among the many dominant arms out of the bullpen for the Sycamores as eight Indiana State pitchers boast sub-4.00 ERAs in 2023. ISU has combined for a 3.80 ERA on the year with a 492:180 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing opponents to hit .238.
 
The Sycamores boast the nation's top defense in the NCAA with a .984 fielding percentage in 2023. Two players boast perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 75 chances, while four more players are fielding at a .990 clip or better on the year.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Wright State Raiders
Wright State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 39-21 overall record including a 22-8 mark in Horizon League play this season. The Raiders clinched the Horizon's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament after surviving three consecutive elimination games in the Horizon League's Baseball Championship, punctuated by a 14-0 victory over Oakland in the title game.
 
Andrew Patrick finished with tournament MVP honors, as he batted.400 (8-for-20) with four doubles, two homers, eight runs batted in, eight runs scored, seven walks, and three stolen bases in five games. Jay Luikart, Tristan Haught, Julian Greenwell, and Luke Stofel joined Patrick on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team.
 
A season ago, WSU dropped games to regional-host Virginia Tech and Gonzaga at the NCAA Blacksburg Regional. The Raiders have also made recent NCAA appearances in the 2021 Knoxville Regional, 2018 Stanford Regional, 2016 Louisville Regional, and 2015 Champaign Regional.
 
Patrick is the team's leader on the season with a .333 batting average with a team-high 76 hits, 70 runs scored, 21 doubles, and 19 home runs, while driving in 58 RBIs. Patrick is also the team's leader with 39 stolen bases over 33 attempts. Additional WSU's offensive leaders including Gehrig Anglin (.306) with nine home runs and 48 RBIs, while Jay Luikart (.304) is second on the team with 70 hits and 52 runs scored.
 
Fifteen different Wright State pitchers have combined for a 4.85 ERA in the 2023 season. Sebastian Gongora (10-1, 2.92 ERA) is the team's ace on the mound over 15 starts with team-highs in innings pitch (86.1), strikeouts (82), and opponent batting average (.220). Additional weekend starters are Luke Stofel (5-5, 3.68 ERA) and Jake Shirk (5-5, 4.72 ERA). The Raiders have posted a team 4.85 ERA with a 511:209 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while WSU pitchers have allowed a .260 opponent batting average on the year.
 
Indiana State and Wright State have lined up against one common opponent in the 2023 season with both teams taking on Kentucky during the regular season. The Raiders took the middle contest of the three-game series in Lexington with the Raiders winning 12-9 in the Saturday game on February 25. Wright State fell in both the Friday (8-3) and Sunday (15-0) games.
 
Indiana State – Wright State History
Indiana State leads the all-time series between the two teams with a 9-3 mark all-time against the Raiders dating back to the first contest between the teams back in 1979. The Sycamores fell in the inaugural contest between the two programs back on May 4, 1979, with the Raiders claiming the 7-3 win. ISU followed up with 11-2 and 9-4 wins to claim the series.
 
Friday's NCAA Regional opening contest between the two teams marks the 10th game all-time between the two programs in Terre Haute. ISU has won eighth consecutive games at home against the Raiders including a four-game sweep in 1980 and two more wins in 1997.
 
Indiana State made its first trip to Dayton last season over the March 10-13. Wright State took the opening game, 6-3, before Indiana State evened the series on Friday with 6-2 victory. The Raiders claimed their first series win over ISU in Sunday's finale as WSU scored seven runs over the final two innings to claim the 11-10 win.
 
Head Coach Mitch Hannahs is 1-2 all-time against the Raiders.
 
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa enters the NCAA Tournament with a 42-14 overall record including a 15-8 mark in Big Ten play this season. The Hawkeyes earned an at-large berth into the NCAA postseason after a run through the Big Ten Championships including a berth into the tournament championship game. Iowa topped Michigan (twice) and Indiana during their tournament run before falling to Maryland in the title game.
 
The Hawkeyes are making their sixth regional appearance and third under head coach Rick Heller. Iowa's last two trips under Heller came back in the 2015 and the 2017 seasons. Heller is no stranger to the Sycamores after serving as the head coach at Indiana State from 2010-13. Heller recorded his 300th win at Iowa this season and 1,000th career win earlier in May to sit with the 10th-most wins among active coaches.
 
In their last trip to the NCAA Tournament, Iowa competed in the Houston Regional hosted by No. 15 Houston back in 2017. The Hawkeyes topped the Cougars in their tournament opener, 6-3, before falling to Texas A&M and Houston.
 
Keaton Anthony has been Iowa's leading hitter in the 2023 season with a team-best 389 batting average with 61 hits and 22 doubles while driving in 38 RBIs. Brennen Dorighi (.340) and Sam Petersen (.331) are also among the team's hitting leaders on the season with Dorighi pacing the team with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs, while Petersen has 11 homers and a team-high 20 stolen bases.
 
Seventeen Iowa pitchers have combined for a 4.04 ERA in the 2023 season. Brody Brecht (5-2, 3.86 ERA), Marcus Morgan (4-2, 3.88 ERA), and Ty Langenberg (6-3, 4.06 ERA) have been among Iowa's weekend starters this year with the trio pacing an Iowa staff that has combined for a 590:286 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Will Cristophersen (27) and Luke Llewellyn (26) have at least 20 appearances on the year to lead Iowa's relief efforts with Iowa allowing teams to hit .207 from the plate.
 
Iowa and Indiana State lined up against six common opponents in the 2023 season including Quinnipiac (2-0), Illinois State (1-1, Bradley (2-0), Indiana (2-2), UIC (0-1), and Michigan State (3-0).
 
Indiana State – Iowa History
Indiana State and Iowa have lined up twice in program history including the 2023 season opener down in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Hawkeyes connected on an 11th-inning walk-off grand slam to secure the 6-2 win over the Sycamores at the Snowbird Baseball Classic as Iowa evened the all-time series against the Sycamores at 1-1.
 
The inaugural contest between Indiana State and Iowa came back in 2016, also in Port Charlotte, as the Sycamores topped the Hawkeyes, 11-3, behind Tony Rosselli's three-hit, three-RBI, three run game. Then-freshman Tyler Ward picked up the win on the mound against the Hawkeyes.
 
Head Coach Mitch Hannahs is 1-1 all-time against the Hawkeyes.
 
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina enters the weekend with a 35-22 overall record, including a 14-14 mark in ACC play in the 2023 season. The Tar Heels received an at-large bid to NCAA Tournament to return to the postseason for the 20th time in the last 23 years excluding the 2020 season (COVID). The Tar Heels are making their 35th all-time NCAA appearance and sixth consecutive trip to the postseason this year.
 
The Tar Heels were the No. 7 seed in the 2023 ACC Baseball Championship and picked up wins over both Georgia Tech and Virginia, before falling to Clemson, 10-4, in the ACC Semifinal. North Carolina struggled at the end of the regular season following up a five-game winning streak over East Carolina, Gardner-Webb, and North Carolina State (three games), before falling to Coastal Carolina and Clemson (three games) prior to the tournament.
 
Tomas Frick (.329) leads five Tar Heels hitting .300 or better in the 2023 season as the junior catcher boasts team-highs in hits (72) and doubles (21), while sitting second on the team with 60 RBIs. Mac Horvath (.305) is the team's primary power threat with 22 home runs and 62 RBI, while adding a UNC-best 24 stolen bases to his name.
 
Sixteen different North Carolina pitchers have seen time on the mound this season with the Tar Heels posting a team 4.73 ERA, while adding a 502:250 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Jake Knapp (5-3, 4.79 ERA), Connor Bovair (4-4, 5.57 ERA), and Max Carlson (4-2, 5.97 ERA) have been the team's primary weekend arms this year, while Matt Poston (1.77 ERA) has made a team-best 30 appearances on the year.
 
North Carolina and Indiana State have faced one common opponent in the 2023 season in Miami (Fla.). The Tar Heels went 1-2 against the Hurricanes over the April 13-15 weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. winning the second game of the series in 11 innings, 9-8.
 
Indiana State – North Carolina History
Indiana State and North Carolina have not faced off against each other in their respective program histories.

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