TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes out their longest home stand of the 2024 season this weekend as the Sycamores host the UIC Flames for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series over March 29-31. Friday's game will be carried live on ESPN+, while all three games will be broadcast live on 105.5 The Legend.
 
Game times for the weekend feature a 3 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday, a 2 p.m. ET start time on Saturday, and a 1p.m. ET first pitch at The Bob on Easter Sunday as the Sycamores welcome the Flames to Terre Haute during the regular season for the first time since 2013.
 
Indiana State Baseball Weekend Promotions

• March 29 - Trading card giveaway, set 2 of 5, sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi for the First 100 Fans
• March 30 - Bottle Koozie Giveaway, sponsored by Sparkle Pools (First 200 Fans)
• March 31 - 80's Day (anyone with a valid ID with a birthday in the 1980's can get a $5 GA ticket) 

The Sycamores (18-5, 2-1) head into the weekend series looking to extend an 11-series conference winning streak dating back to the end of the 2022 season. Indiana State took two of three this past weekend at home against Missouri State as the Sycamores rallied back from falling in Friday's opener to take both Saturday and Sunday's games and the season series edge over the Bears.
 
Indiana State has won three in a row heading into the weekend series against the Flames including rallying back in Tuesday's matchup against Purdue at Bob Warn Field. The Sycamores batted around in the fifth inning on their way to turning a 5-1 deficit into a 7-5 lead and Simon Gregersen shut the door on the Boilermakers in the ninth inning as Indiana State recorded its 10th consecutive win against the Big Ten.
 
The Sycamores loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth inning after Purdue evened the game up in the top of the frame on Keenan Taylor's sacrifice fly scoring Connor Caskenette. Listi drew a leadoff walk to set the table, while back-to-back singles from Luis Hernandez and Joe Kido loaded the bases against Purdue reliever Jackson Dannelley. Dannelley's first pitch to Parker Stinson went to the backstop and Listi beat the relay home to give the Sycamores the 8-7 lead.
 
Purdue rallied in the top of the ninth loading the bases before Simon Gregersen took the mound. The redshirt junior closer proceeded to strike out Logan Sutter for the first out, before getting Caskenette to roll over on a pitch for the game-inning ground ball double play to secure the one-run win for the Sycamores.
 
Indiana State rallied back from an early 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a six-run frame highlighted by Connor Hicks and Grant Magill home runs. Parker Stinson added a solo home run in the second inning, while Listi, Hernandez, and Hicks all posted multi-hit games in the win.
 
The Sycamore win over the Boilermakers ran ISU's record to 5-1 overall in the midweek as ISU continues one of the most successful stretches in program history. After starting 2-8 in the 2023 season, the Sycamores posted 43 wins over their next 52 games on their way to advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. With the 18-5 start to the 2024 season, the Sycamores have posted a 61-14 record over their last 75 contests, an .813 winning percentage.
 
ISU took two of the three games from Missouri State this past weekend in Indiana State's conference-opening series against Missouri State. Luis Hernandez (.500) and Dom Listi (.500) both paced the Sycamores lineup, while Hernandez and Randal Diaz both homered over the series win. The ISU pitching staff took control of the series from the mound posting a 3.00 ERA while limiting the Missouri State offense to a .186 batting average over the three-game series.
 
For their efforts over the last week, both Hernandez (Player) and Cam Edmonson (Pitcher) swept the Missouri Valley Conference's weekly awards. Hernandez hit .533 from the plate while homering twice against both Indiana and Missouri State. He added eight hits and seven RBIs while scoring six runs in his first conference recognition. Edmonson went 7.0-innings over two relief appearances in picking up wins over both Indiana and Missouri State. He struck out 10 and posted a 1.29 ERA.
 
The Sycamores added two more accolades to their credit coming into the weekend as both Randal Diaz (No. 20 Shortstop) and Hernandez (No. 46 First Baseman) were honored among the tops in their position by D1Baseball in their Week 6 rankings.
 
Hernandez continues to pace the Sycamore offense in the 2024 season as the first baseman enters the weekend on a career-best 22-game hitting streak. The Gurabo, Puerto Rico native is hitting .396 from the plate while leading ISU in hits (38) and runs (23), while sitting third in home runs (6) and second in RBIs (27). He's also tied for the team lead with two stolen bases on the season.
 
Listi has nearly kept pace with Hernandez connecting at a .373 clip from the plate with 28 hits and a team-high six doubles, while reaching base in all 23 games in 2024. He's posted a team-best .529 on-base percentage drawing 15 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches working primarily out of the two-spot in the Indiana State lineup.
 
Diaz (.313) is second on the team with 30 hits while adding five home runs and 20 RBIs from the leadoff position in the lineup. He's slugging .531 with a .393 on-base percentage while starting all 23 games. Josue Urdaneta, Parker Stinson, Adam Pottinger, and Mike Sears have all started to come alive at the plate with Grant Magill adding seven multi-RBI games on the year.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff continues to get the job done on the mound as the Sycamores boast a Valley-leading 4.23 ERA spread across 15 different pitchers. Cameron Holycross (1-1, 3.66 ERA) has held down the Friday starting spot over the last three games posting a 19:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while Brennyn Cutts (3-1, 3.46 ERA) and Luke Hayden (2-1, 3.81 ERA) continue to work in the weekend rotation.
 
The bullpen was stellar over the weekend series against Missouri State posting a 1.23 ERA highlighted by performances from Jared Spencer, Cam Edmonson, Simon Gregersen, Brayden Lybarger, Kyle Cortner, and Zach Davidson all shutting down the Bears' offense. For the season, the ISU staff has posted a 227:90 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .248 from the plate.
Scouting the UIC Flames
UIC entered the 2024 season ranked eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll receiving 34 total points following a 28-25 season that included a 13-14 overall mark in their first season in Valley play. The Flames welcomed 15 new faces to the roster this season under head coach Sean McDermott including Kentucky transfer Kendall Ewell, a 2022 Golden Spikes Award National Semifinalist.
 
The Flames have started off the 2024 season strong posting a 16-7 overall record, including a 2-1 mark on the road at Belmont in the MVC opener for both squads. The Flames took the Friday game, 8-6, against the Bruins, and bounced back from Saturday's 4-3 loss to claim the series with the 7-4 Sunday win.
 
Highlighting UIC's season to date includes wins over Houston Christian, North Park, Ohio (twice), Milwaukee (twice), St. Thomas (three), SIUE (twice), and last week's 6-5, 14-inning win at Purdue. The victory over the Boilermakers featured an early two-run Ewell home run, while AJ Henkle and Jackson Bessette drove in RBI singles in the 14th frame to secure the victory.
 
Zane Zielinski has been UIC's most consistent hitter at the plate over the first 23 games connecting at a .407 clip from the plate with team-highs in hits (35), runs (24), triples (3), and stolen bases (12). He's also posted a team-high .535 on-base percentage to go with seven doubles and four home runs.
 
Jackson Bessette was also hitting close to the .400 mark over the early part of the season on his way to posting a .367 batting average through 21 games. He's added 33 hits and eight doubles, while scoring 22 runs. Kendal Ewell (.311) and James Harris (.306) are also among the team's batting leaders with UIC posting a Valley-leading .311 team batting average. UIC also leads the conference in team triples (12) and on-base percentage (.424).
 
UIC has relied on the arms of Dillon Schueler (3-0, 3.77 ERA), Brandon Bak (2-2, 3.54 ERA), and Kendall Lyons (2-1, 5.13) on the weekend to date this season as the trio headline the Flames' pitching staff in 2024. Fifteen different pitchers have combined for a 5.70 team ERA over 203.2 innings on the year while allowing opponents to hit .280 from the plate. UIC has also posted a 158:86 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Series History
Indiana State and UIC have lined up six times over their respective program histories dating back to the inaugural matchup in the 2012 season. The Sycamores are 4-2 all-time against the Flames including 1-1 in Terre Haute following last season's 8-5 win in the Missouri Valley Championships held at Bob Warn Field.
 
UIC hosted Indiana State last season at Curtis Granderson Field with the Flames taking the series opener, 10-7, before ISU rallied back to win 13-7 and 10-1 over the final two games to claim the conference series. The pair of wins against UIC in the series finale started a 14-game winning streak that propelled the Sycamores to a stretch that featured 30 wins over 33 games on their way to winning the MVC regular season and Valley tournament championship.
 
The Sycamores hit .327 as a team against UIC over the four games last season paced by Seth Gergely's .467 batting average. Luis Hernandez (.400) and Adam Pottinger (.364) were also among the hitting leaders, while Mike Sears and Randal Diaz connected on two homers apiece to lead the offense.
 
ISU's pitching staff posted a 5.66 ERA over the four games against the Flames with a 30:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 35.0 innings. The Sycamores held the Flames to a .246 batting average with Simon Gregersen, Cam Edmonson, and Brennyn Cutts all making multiple appearances out of the bullpen.
 
­­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.