TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball makes its long-awaited home debut on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores welcome the University of Illinois to Bob Warn Field for a midweek nonconference matchup. First pitch at The Bob is set for 4 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+.
 
Game Day Promotion Schedule
It's Fan Appreciation Day at the ballpark with free general admission to all fans, while autographed MVC/Regional Championship posters will be handed out to the first 100 fans. It's also Two for Tuesdays with fans able to purchase two hot dogs for $5 at the concession stand.
 
On the Call
Greg Rakestraw and Jeremy Lucas will be on the ESPN+ call for the Sycamores on Tuesday, while John Sherman is back to reprise his role as the baseball radio play-by-play on 105.5 The Legend as Indiana State brings an 11-3 overall record back to Terre Haute for their first home game following the opening week of the season.
 
Game Preview
The Sycamores enter the week coming off their first weekend sweep of 2024 after taking all three games from Florida A&M down at Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee, Fla. Indiana State took the opener on Friday, 8-4, before sweeping Sunday's doubleheader by scores of 7-2 and 15-0.
 
Luis Hernandez (.462) and Adam Pottinger (.429) highlighted the Indiana State offense over the weekend with the duo pacing an attack that connected at a .302 clip from the plate. Mike Sears added three home runs, including his first multi-home run game of 2024, as well as nine RBIs as the Sycamores pressed the FAMU pitchers overall.
 
On the mound, the starting rotation of Cameron Holycross, Luke Hayden, and Brennyn Cutts combined for a 3-0 record and 1.69 ERA over 16.0 innings. The Sycamore trio posted a 19:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio allowing the FAMU lineup to hit just .217 from the plate.
 
Sears homered twice and Hernandez also went deep in the opening 8-4 win over FAMU. ISU set the tone early in the game scoring two runs in both the first and second innings to take the early 4-0 advantage over FAMU and providing Holycross all the run support he'd need in the win. The redshirt senior pitcher went 5.0 innings in his first start of the season allowing four hits and one run while striking out six in the game.
 
Indiana State rallied back from an early deficit in the first game in Sunday's doubleheader with Hernandez and Grant Magill both driving in two runs apiece as the Sycamores secured the series win over the Rattlers with the 7-2 win. Hayden went five strong innings in the win allowing five hits and two runs while striking out six.
 
Indiana State's offense exploded for 13 hits and 15 runs in the series finale to complete the weekend sweep with the 15-0 win over Florida A&M. Sears connected on his first grand slam of the season and drove in a season-high six RBIs in the contest, while Hernandez went 4-for-4 with four runs scored to pace an ISU offense that had nine different players record hits. Cutts went six scoreless innings allowing four hits and striking out seven in the win.
 
For their efforts, Hernandez (Mark Clinkenbeard Construction) and Cutts (MVC Pitcher) earned weekly recognition from both Indiana State and the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
The Sycamores have won four in a row following a three-game skid at Vanderbilt and Southern Miss with ISU taking the series finale against the Golden Eagles and all three against the Rattlers. Prior to the losing streak, ISU had won seven in a row to start the 2024 season tying for the fourth-longest winning streak to open a year in program history.
 
The ISU offense has started to balance out with Hernandez (.333) and Dominic Listi (.333) leading four hitters connecting at a .300 clip from the plate. Hernandez paces the team with 19 hits and 13 runs while adding 13 RBIs. Parker Stinson (.311) and Randal Diaz (.308) are also among the team's hitting leaders on the year, while Sears (5) and Stinson (4) have connected on nine of ISU's 14 home runs.
 
The Sycamores remain adept at getting on base this season drawing 60 walks and an MVC-high 36 hit-by-pitches over the first 14 games. Overall, 14 different players have been hit by a pitch in 2024 led by Listi (9), Pottinger (5), and Diaz (4).
 
Indiana State continues to boast one of the best pitching staffs in the NCAA and sits first or second in the Valley in multiple pitching categories through the first month of the season. The Sycamores lead the Valley in ERA (4.01), shutouts (2), runs allowed (67), earned runs (53), and strikeouts (147). ISU is also second in the Valley in walks (46) and opponent batting average (.242).
 
The Sycamores have allowed two or fewer earned runs seven times in the 2024 season, while posting double-digit strikeout numbers in 10 contests this season. Overall, six Sycamore pitchers have gone double-digit innings on the season, while seven have posted double-digit strikeouts paced by Jacob Pruitt (31).
 
Scouting Illinois
Illinois enters the midweek matchup with a 5-9 overall record in the 2024 season including an 0-5 record away from Illinois Field. The Fighting Illini have dropped each of their last three contests falling at  No. 8 Tennessee in a weekend series in Knoxville by scores of 6-3, 24-1, and 8-3.
 
Illinois has lined up against additional top-25 opponents falling to No. 1 Wake Forest (5-2) on the opening weekend, while dropping a 17-9 decision at Coastal Carolina on February 23. Common opponents remaining on the Illinois schedule include Bradley (Mar. 19), Indiana (Mar. 22-24), Illinois State (Apr. 2 & 9), and Purdue (May 16-18). The Sycamores return the trip to Illinois on April 30.
 
Camden Janik is back to pace the Illinois lineup as the junior catcher has posted a team-high .345 batting average with highs in hits (19), and doubles (5). Drake Westcott has been the power threat from the plate with four home runs, while Coltin Quagliano is the team leader with 16 RBIs. Overall, Illinois is hitting .247 from the plate as a team through the first 14 games.
 
Cooper Omans is likely to get the start on the mound for Illinois on Tuesday night with the grad student posting a 2-0 mark with a 2.31 ERA over 11.2 innings. He boasts an 11:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio going 2.2 innings in his last appearance against Michigan State on March 3.
 
Overall, Illinois has utilized 14 different pitchers on the mound in the 2024 season posting a 7.43 staff ERA over 122.1 innings. The Fighting Illini are allowing opponents to hit .271 from the plate with a 118:74 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Series History
Indiana State took both games in the 2023 season over Illinois topping the Fighting Illini in Urbana-Champaign for the first time since 2007 with a 7-3 10-inning win on March 15. The Sycamores picked up the second win in extra innings on May 2 at Bob Warn Field with Miguel Rivera connecting on the walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 13th inning in ISU's 5-4 win.
 
Illinois leads the all-time series 45-39-2 dating back to the inaugural matchup in 1906. The Sycamores have the 23-16-1 edge in Terre Haute including winning the last six games at home dating back to the 2006 season.
 
Up Next
Indiana State is back on the road this weekend traveling to Xavier University for a three-game series in Cincinnati, Ohio running from March 15-17. First pitch at Hayden Field in Friday's opener is set for 3 p.m. ET.
 
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.