TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its season-opening road swing in the Sunshine State this week as the Sycamores make the trip to North Port, Fla. and CoolToday Park for a Wednesday night contest against Florida Gulf Coast. First pitch between the Sycamores and the Eagles is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game is set to be streamed on FloBaseball ($$) and live stats will be provided at the link on the baseball schedule at GoSycamores.com.
 
It marks the second consecutive season the Sycamores have lined up against the Eagles and third time since 2021 the two teams have met down in the early part of the season. The Sycamores are 2-0 all-time against FGCU winning the inaugural matchup in 2021, 5-3, before topping FGCU last year in Port Charlotte, 8-7.
 
Last season's game featured Mike Sears' five-RBI game including a sixth-inning grand slam as the Sycamores rallied back from a 4-1 deficit to take a 7-4 lead against FGCU. The Eagles rallied back to tie it up at 7-7 with a three-run eighth inning before Sears delivered again, this time with an RBI single scoring Miguel Rivera to provide the final scoring margin.
 
Simon Gregersen took home the win on the mound for ISU in a relief appearance, while Matt Jachec recorded his first save of the season after throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Other notable pitching performances from the game include Jacob Pruitt making his first collegiate start on the mound, while Cole Gilley, Aaron Moss, and Jared Spencer all held FGCU scoreless in the game.
 
The Sycamores enter the midweek contest with a perfect 3-0 record on the year after topping Louisville, UConn, and South Florida over the opening weekend in Tampa at the USF Baseball Stadium. Indiana State saw contributions across all levels, but the starting pitching set the tone for the weekend with dominant performances on the mound as ISU opened the year 3-0 for the first time since 2019.
 
Cam Edmonson drew the opening day start and delivered with a 4.0 inning performance surrendering just one earned run while striking out two in ISU's 8-7 win over Louisville. Jacob Pruitt followed up going 6.0 shutout innings while striking out nine against 2023 NCAA Regional participant UConn in ISU's 2-1 win, before Luke Hayden capped the weekend with 6.0 more shutout innings striking out five against USF in the Sycamores' 5-0 victory. Overall, the starting rotation posted a 0.56 ERA with a 2-0 record on the mound while adding a 16:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
The bullpen, a strength from the 2023 season, showcased the depth and variety of arms over the weekend with six pitchers combining to go 11.0 innings allowing just six hits and four runs while striking out nine. Brennyn Cutts and Cameron Holycross both pulled 3.0-inning relief stints, while Jared Spencer, Adam Berghorst, and Holycross all recorded saves for ISU.
 
The bats started to come to life as the weekend progressed paced by Randal Diaz (.417), Dominic Listi (.375), and Parker Stinson (.364). Diaz hit safely in all three contests and continued his 23-game on-base streak, while Listi reached base in eight of his 13 plate appearances on the weekend while leading the team with five runs scored. Stinson was one of two ISU players to homer over the weekend and is tied for the team's slugging percentage lead at .636.
 
Henry Brown came through in the clutch for ISU over the first two games of the weekend with the go-ahead three-run home run in ISU's 8-7 win over Louisville. He was back at it again on Saturday against UConn driving in the eventual game-winning run with an RBI double in the seventh inning in the Sycamores' 2-1 win over the Huskies. Luis Hernandez took over with the big hits on Monday against USF as the junior designated hitter drove in his first three RBIs of the 2024 season against the Bulls in the 5-0 win.
 
About the Opposition
Florida Gulf Coast (0-3) enters the weekend after dropping a three-game set to TCU this past weekend at Lupton Stadium. The Eagles held the lead in all three contests in Fort Worth and continue to showcase one of the most dangerous offenses in the country falling by scores of 10-9, 13-10, and 11-6, to the 2023 NCAA College World Series participant.
 
Florida Gulf Coast's offense was one of the nation's best in 2023 leading the nation in three different statistical categories over their 42-win campaign. FGCU paced the NCAA Division I in runs per game (9.6), home runs per game (2.37), and slugging percentage (.592).
 
Those power numbers were evident over the opening weekend as FGCU connected on seven home runs and 14 extra-base hits overall against TCU paced by Ian Farrow's three home runs, while Harrison Povey also connected on a pair of blasts against the Horned Frogs. Charles Davalan scored five of the team's 25 runs over the weekend to go with a .364 batting average and added the team's lone triple.
 
Florida Gulf Coast utilized 15 different pitchers over the opening weekend against TCU with Anthony Ursitti, Chase Kriebel, and Justin Henschel all earning the starts for the Eagles. The staff combined for a 12.04 ERA surrendering 24 walks while striking out 17 over 24.2 innings pitched.
 
Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Week
Jacob Pruitt took home Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Week honors following his strong performance on the mound against UConn. The sophomore right-hander delivered a career-long 6.0 innings and kept the Huskies off-balance surrendering just two hits while striking out nine in a scoreless outing. Pruitt struck out the first batter he faced and added a pickoff in the first inning, before hitting his stride in the third frame.
 
From the third through the sixth innings, Pruitt posted eight of his nine strikeouts, including a stretch of five in a row including all three outs in the fourth inning in shutting down the Huskies before turning the ball over to the bullpen in the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead in ISU's eventual 2-1 win.
 
Mark Clinkenbeard Weekly Recognition
Henry Brown was named the Mark Clinkenbeard Construction ISU Student-Athlete of the Week following his performance against both Louisville and UConn. The junior first baseman came up clutch with the game-winning hits in both of Indiana State's wins over Louisville and UConn to start the 2024 season. The redshirt sophomore hit .429 from the plate with a 1.500 on-base plus slugging percentage, while scoring two runs and driving in five RBIs. His three-run home run against Louisville proved to be the game-winner in the back-and-forth 8-7 win, while his RBI double against UConn provided the eventual game-winning run in the 2-1 win over the Huskies.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Up Next
The Sycamores will continue the 2024 season this weekend at the Snowbird Baseball Classic held in Port Charlotte, Fla. and Centennial Park as ISU will take on Michigan State (Friday) and Marshall (Saturday & Sunday) at field C-10. All three games will be streamed live courtesy of FloBaseball.
 
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,