TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its season-opening road trip this week as the Sycamores make the trip to Nashville, Tenn. for what is becoming an annual clash between ISU and the Vanderbilt Commodores. First pitch on Tuesday, February 27, is set for 5:30 p.m. ET with the game set to be streamed live on SECN+.
 
The Sycamores (7-0) are coming off one of the best starts in program history as Indiana State closed out their opening Florida road trip undefeated over the first two weeks of 2024. ISU topped Louisville, UConn, South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Michigan State, and Marshall (twice) to open the year marking the first time the Sycamores opened a year with seven consecutive wins and sixth time overall in program history.
 
Indiana State is riding the high streak this weekend into their first national ranking of 2024 with the Sycamores coming in at No. 24 in the Perfect Game College Top 25 poll. ISU spent seven weeks ranked in the national polls in 2023 finishing as high as No. 9 in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Collegiate Baseball News (CBN) polls at the end of the year.
 
The Sycamores extended their winning streak this past weekend against Michigan State and Marshall at the Snowbird Baseball Classic held in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Sycamores topped the Spartans, 8-7, in extra-innings, while adding a 5-4 10-inning win over Marshall, before capping the weekend with a 12-5 win over the Herd.
 
Parker Stinson had a big week for the Sycamores with a trio of home runs coming against South Florida and Marshall (twice) as the senior outfielder has provided the early power bat for the ISU lineup. The Yorktown, Ind. native hit .333 for the week with an .833 slugging percentage, while driving in six RBIs and scoring four runs. Stinson's two-run shot against Marshall in the Saturday contest gave ISU an early lead over the Herd, while his RBI sacrifice fly added to the Sycamore totals in the extra-inning win.
 
Randal Diaz continues to get it done at the plate as well with the junior shortstop continuing to add to a 27-game on-base streak while hitting .357 at the plate on the season. Diaz leads ISU with 10 hits and has reached base 17 times over his 35 plate appearance in the leadoff spot of the Sycamore lineup. He connected on one of the biggest hits of the 2024 season to date with a grand slam top cap an eight-run fifth inning against Marshall in ISU's 12-5 win on Sunday.
 
Dominic Listi has also shined at the plate for the Sycamores and is an on-base machine posting a team-high .515 on-base percentage on the year in the two-hole of the lineup. The redshirt senior has added a team-high eight runs scored, while driving five walks and getting hit by five pitches.
 
Luis Hernandez and Henry Brown have provided clutch hitting on the season with the duo tied for the team RBI lead. Brown was the big bat on opening weekend with five RBIs in wins over Louisville and UConn, including the go-ahead three-run home run on opening day against the Cardinals. Hernandez had a pair of three-RBI contests against both South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast and added two more runs batted in against Michigan State.
 
The Sycamore pitching staff remains among the nation's best sitting inside the top-15 in five different statistical categories on the year. ISU's pitchers are second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.27), fifth in walks allowed per nine innings (2.08), seventh in ERA (2.08), 11th in WHIP (1.05), and 14th in shutouts (1) over the first two weeks of the season. Luke Hayden (0.00) is tied for the national lead in individual ERA through his first two starts, while Jacob Pruitt (0.77, 77th) is fourth nationally in individual strikeouts (20).
 
Combined as a pitching staff, 14 Sycamore pitchers have gone 65.0 innings on the year posting a 79:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing opponents to hit just .212 from the plate. Seven different pitchers have recorded wins, while four different pitchers have saves on the season.
 
Scouting Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt remains highly ranked in all major national polls and enters the week with a 5-3 record after winning the series against Gonzaga at Hawkins Field this weekend. The Commodores took the first two games against the Bulldogs winning 12-2 (8 inn.) and 4-3, before falling in Sunday's finale, 9-8. Vanderbilt was ranked in Perfect Game (No. 11), Baseball America (No. 9), D1Baseball (No. 9), and NCBWA (No.
 
Vanderbilt has played all eight games at home in the 2024 season hosting Florida Atlantic, Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, and Gonzaga to start the year. The homestand continues with the midweek games against Indiana State and Evansville (Wednesday), before VU travels for the first time to compete at the 2024 Astros Foundation College Classic held in Houston, Texas. Vanderbilt will also host Illinois State (Mar. 8-10), Belmont (Mar. 19), and Valparaiso (Mar. 26) as the Commodores are scheduled to take on five MVC teams this season.
 
Alan Espinal (.393), Jack Bulger (.367), Jayden Davis (.345), and RJ Austin (.323) are all among the Vanderbilt batting leaders on the year through the first eight games on the year. Bulger has provided the early power with two early home runs, while Jayden Davis paces the team with five doubles. Three different Vanderbilt players have posted eight RBIs on the year.
 
Fourteen different Vanderbilt pitchers have seen time on the mound this season with 13 making multiple appearances over the first eight games. The Commodores have posted a 4.69 team ERA on the year over 71.0 innings on the mound. The staff has posted an 85:37 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing teams to hit .218 from the plate.
 
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.