TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Bob Warn Field to begin their final home stand of 2023 as the No. 11-ranked Sycamores host Ball State on Tuesday evening. First pitch between the Sycamores and the Cardinals is set for 5 p.m. ET.
 
Tuesday night's game will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend. Live stats will also be provided on GoSycamores.com.
 
Game Day Promotions: Tuesday's game is Local Heroes Day as the Sycamores invite all active and retired military, first responders, and health care workers to get in free with proof of ID. Family & Friends can get in at a discounted $4 rate.
 
The Sycamores enter the week remaining one of the hottest teams in the nation as winners of 20 of their last 21 games following their three-game weekend sweep at Bradley. ISU's trio of wins over the Braves marked the Sycamores' seventh conference series win in 2023 and second road conference sweep of the season.
 
It all started on the mound for ISU this weekend as both Matt Jachec and Connor Fenlong posted complete game wins on both Friday and Saturday afternoon at Dozer Park. Jachec's third complete game of 2023 came in a 6-1 win that featured the ISU ace allowing five hits while striking out seven. Fenlong posted his second shutout over his last three starts in a 2-0 complete game scattering six hits while striking out four.
 
The power bats came to play in Sunday's finale as Randal Diaz and Seth Gergely both homered and Josue Urdaneta drove in three RBIs in support of a strong relief outing from Cam Edmonson (4.0 IP). The Sycamores knocked out 10 hits in the 8-3 win to improve to 19-2 in MVC play.
 
The Sycamores remain in the national postseason conversation heading into the second week in May. ISU was recently mentioned as a potential regional host site by both D1Baseball and Baseball America over the last two weeks.
 
ISU is sitting among the top 25 in four major polls for the first time in the 2023 season following Monday's announcements. ISU clocked in at No. 11 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 19 on Perfect Game, No. 25 in USA Today, and No. 30 in the NCBWA poll. ISU continues to receive votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the NCBWA poll.
 
ISU also boasts one of the nation's top RPI sitting in the top-10 for the third consecutive week as the Sycamores clocked in at No. 9 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 (72) and Missouri State (75) are also 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 remains second in the NCAA in the non-conference strength of schedule behind Liberty. Coastal Carolina (3), Charlotte, and Florida State (5) round out the top-five in non-conference strength of schedule.
 
ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (6), Miami (15), Indiana (34), Northeastern (35), Iowa (41), and Missouri (47). Additional top-100 schools on the schedule include Florida Gulf Coast (59), Michigan State (80), and Illinois (88).
 
Indiana State enters the week tied for the second-longest current home winning streak at 12 consecutive games. The Sycamores are tied with Southern Miss (12) with both schools trailing Kent State (14) in the column. ISU's six-game winning streak is tied for the seventh-longest current stretch in Division I.
 
The Sycamores are 12-2 at Bob Warn Field in 2023. ISU's lone home losses came back on March 19 in the Sycamores' home opening weekend against Michigan State. ISU fell in both games of the doubleheader against the Spartans. Since then, the Sycamores have swept home weekend series against Valparaiso, Illinois State, and Southern Illinois, while adding midweek home non-conference wins against Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois.
 
Overall on the season, Seth Gergely remains ISU's top hitter. The redshirt senior entering the week hitting a team-best .321 from the plate and is currently on his third double-digit on-base streak of the 2023 season having reached safely in 43 of the 45 games this season. He leads the Sycamores in hits (54), runs (34), and walks (23).
 
Adam Pottinger (.299), Keegan Watson (.292), and Luis Hernandez (.289) are are also among the team's leading hitters on the year heading into the final month of the season. Randal Diaz (12), Hernandez (11) and Watson (10) all have posted double-digit doubles on the season, while Pottinger leads the team in slugging (.520) and on-base percentage (.455).
 
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 3.95 ERA and a 390:149 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Connor Fenlong became the first Sycamore to seven wins on the mound, while Lane Miller and Matt Jachec both have five in 2023. Cameron Holycross (1.26 ERA) continues to be a name to watch out of the bullpen on the year while Jachec (78 strikeouts) is among the Valley leaders in strikeouts.
 
The Sycamores boast the nation's top defense in the NCAA with a .985 fielding percentage in 2023. Two players boast perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 75 chances, while four more players are fielding at a .988 clip or better on the year.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Ball State Cardinals
Ball State enters the Tuesday night contest with a 30-16 overall record including a 17-7 mark in MAC play this season. The Cardinals won back-to-back weekend series at Bowling Green and Ohio to improve to 13-13 overall on the road in 2023.
 
Ryan Peltier leads the Ball State offense with a .385 batting average, while Decker Scheffler (.379), Adam Tellier (.328), and Justin Conant (.311) are all among the team leaders. The Cardinals are hitting .287 as a team in the 2023 season. Peltier has been the offensive force at the plate with team highs in hits (72), runs (60), doubles (17), home runs (14), and RBIs (51). Blake Bevis is also among the team's power threats with 10 home runs on the year.
 
Fifteen different Ball State pitchers have combined for a 5.73 ERA in the 2023 season. Trennor O'Donnell headlines the staff with a 4-2 record and 3.24 ERA, while seven different pitchers have recorded multiple starts on the year. Ball State's staff has combined for a 438:255 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents are hitting .243 against the Cardinals this season.
 
Ball State was selected as the 2023 MAC preseason league favorite receiving 115 points and five first-place votes. The Cardinals returned preseason All-Americans Peltier and Sam Klein, as well as two of their three weekend starters in O'Donnell and Ty Johnson.
 
Ball State and Indiana State have lined up against two common opponents in 2023. The Cardinals have faced both Purdue (0-1) and Indiana (0-2) this year in non-conference action.
 
Indiana State – Ball State History
Indiana State leads the all-time series between the two teams with a 92-51 mark all-time against the Cardinals dating back to the inaugural contest between the two teams back in 1919. The Sycamores won the inaugural contest against then Muncie Normal by a score of 28-5 in the first contest. Indiana State has won the last eight games in the series dating back to their last matchup in 2018.
 
The series in Terre Haute has been rather one-sided with the Sycamores holding the 47-16 edge all-time at home against the Cardinals. The Sycamores have won their last 13 home games in the series dating back to the 1991 season and are 

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