TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens up the 2024 season down in the Sunshine State as the Sycamores travel to the USF Baseball Stadium for a three-game set against Louisville, UConn, and South Florida.
 
The Sycamores will open the weekend against Louisville, before taking on UConn on Saturday and the host Bulls on Sunday afternoon. Sunday's contest against USF will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Indiana State was picked to repeat as the 2024 MVC Champions after last season's run. The Sycamores posted a 45-17 record, 24-3 mark in MVC play, and swept the regular season and conference tournament championships. The Sycamores continued the season earning the No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the Terre Haute Regional, before falling to TCU in the Fort Worth Super Regional Round.
 
Five Indiana State baseball players were named to the Missouri Valley Conference's preseason All-Conference team with Grant Magill (C), Josue Urdaneta (2B), Randal Diaz (SS), Mike Sears (3B), and Jared Spencer (RP), while ISU received 95 total points and eight first-place votes on their way to being selected the conference favorites this year.
 
Six Sycamores were highlighted on D1Baseball's top player positional rankings in the preseason. Jared Spencer (No. 8 relief pitcher), Grant Magill (No. 42 catcher), Josue Urdaneta (No. 44 second baseman), Randal Diaz (No. 21 shortstop), Adam Pottinger (No. 62 outfielder), and Luke Hayden (No. 149 starting pitcher) were all honored by the organization.
 
Spencer added Perfect Game Preseason All-American honors to his credit in early January. The Sycamore left-hander was named to the Second Team following a standout 2023 season on the mound. Spencer was the lone Missouri Valley player to receive the honors by the organization after making a team-high 25 appearances on the mound in relief in 2023 serving as the Sycamores' primary closer. He posted a 3-2 record with a 3.86 ERA over 37.1 innings while adding a team-high seven saves.
 
After finishing up the 2023 season ranked in all six major D1Baseball polls, the Sycamores enter the 2024 year receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll.
 
The Sycamores return 26 players who lined up and played on the 2023 squad last season, while 14 newcomers will look to crack their way into the lineup and rotation this year.
 
ISU's schedule features 18 home games at Bob Warn Field starting on March 12 against Illinois. The Sycamores will be on the road or on a neutral field 34 times on the season including trips to Southern Miss, Vanderbilt, and Xavier prior to the start of conference play.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Louisville Cardinals
Louisville enters the 2024 season coming off a 31-24 overall record with a 10-20 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals went 23-10 at home but struggled away from the friendly confines of Jim Patterson Stadium with an 8-14 record. The Cardinals were selected fifth overall in the ACC Atlantic Division in the preseason poll. Louisville received 48 total points in the poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.
 
Louisville announced five captains prior to the start of the season with Logan Beard, JT Benson, Dylan Hoy, Isaac Humphrey and Evan Webster selected for the campaign. Beard and Humphrey were named captains for the second straight season.
 
The Cardinals feature a familiar face on the mound for Indiana State with Wright State transfer and preseason All-American selection Sebastian Gongorra. The left-hander transferred to Louisville over the summer with his last start at WSU coming against Indiana State in the 2023 Terre Haute Regional.
 
Connecticut Huskies
UConn was a fellow 2023 NCAA postseason participant as the Huskies earned the No. 2 seed in the Gainesville Regional following a 44-17 regular season campaign. The Huskies finished with an 18-4 mark at home and a 26-13 record away from Elliott Ballpark on the year. The Huskies were selected the BIG EAST preseason favorites heading into the year receiving six first-place votes and totaling 48 points to lead the conference.
 
Outfielder Jake Studley was named BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and Stephen Quigley was voted as the BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Lefthander and team captain Garrett Coe also landed on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
 
The game between the Sycamores and the Huskies marks the first time the two teams have lined up since the 2014 season, also down in Florida in Port Charlotte.
 
South Florida Bulls
South Florida is three years removed from winning the Gainesville Regional before losing to Texas in the 2021 Super Regional round, but the Bulls return plenty of talent to the field after a 21-39 record in 2023. The Bulls posted a 10-22 record at the USF Baseball Stadium last season.
 
South Florida had five players selected to the preseason American Athletic All-Conference team with Bobby Boser, Drew Brutcher, Jack Cebert, Ben Rozenblum and Eric Snow all garnering recognition from the league's head coaches. USF was tabbed fifth overall in the preseason coaches poll for the 10-team league.
 
Boser had a breakout campaign in 2023 and was named to the All-AAC First Team. As a sophomore last season, he led the Bulls with 15 home runs which tied for ninth all-time in program single-season history. Brutcher enters his senior season ranked sixth all-time in USF history for career home runs (34). The slugger lands on the Preseason All-Conference Team for the third time and was named to the 2023 All-AAC First Team at the conclusion of last season.
 
Cebert was named to the 2023 All-AAC Second Team after leading the staff in innings pitched (76.2). The right-hander went 4-4 with a 5.05 ERA and ranked third on the team in strikeouts (65) while issuing only 21 walks.
 
2024 Baseball Season Ticket Information
Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $99. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($72), seniors ($54), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed.
 
ISU Baseball single game tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks.
 
Those seeking more information on season tickets can contact Assistant Manager of Athletic Ticketing Grant Manning by phone at 812-237-8972 or via email at Grant.Manning@indstate.edu. Fans have the opportunity to also buy season tickets online by clicking HERE.
 
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.