TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes out the 2024 regular season this weekend as the Sycamores travel to Valparaiso for a three-game Missouri Valley series running May 16-18 at Emory G. Bauer Field.
 
Game times for the weekend include a 4 p.m. ET first pitch on Thursday, while Saturday and Sunday are both set to begin at 2 p.m. ET. All three contests will be streamed live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
The Sycamores (36-11, 19-5) look to keep one of their longest opponent winning streaks alive this weekend as Indiana State has won 22 consecutive contests against their in-state, in-conference rivals, including sweeping last year's series in Terre Haute over the March 25-26, 2023 weekend.
 
Indiana State hit .316 as a team in completing the three-game sweep over Valparaiso last season at Bob Warn Field. Seth Gergely and Mike Sears both recorded multi-homer games over the series to highlight 10 extra-base hits over the three-game series. Gergely paced the offense with a .600 batting average, while Mike Sears (.455) and Randal Diaz (.400) were also among the team's batting leaders over the three games. Four different players connected on doubles in the series win.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff combined to post a 1.67 team ERA over 27.0 innings in the series with a 23:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores allowed opponents to hit .224 from the plate in the sweep. Jared Spencer, Cameron Holycross, Brennyn Cutts, Cam Edmonson, and Kyle Cortner all posted 0.00 ERAs for the Sycamores, while Zach Davidson and Jacob Pruitt both saw time out of the bullpen over the series against the Beacons.
 
Indiana State looks to continue their recent momentum heading into the postseason as ISU recently clinched their second consecutive Missouri Valley regular season championship and the top overall seed at the 2024 MVC Championships after taking two of three this past weekend against Evansville. The Sycamores hold a four-game lead over both Evansville (15-9) and UIC (15-9) with three conference games to play to secure their second consecutive outright championship – the first time in program history ISU has won back-to-back outright titles.
 
The Sycamores hit .294 as a team over the weekend series against Evansville as Indiana State claimed the series win over the Aces. Randal Diaz (.500) paced ISU at the plate, while Adam Pottinger (.385), Luis Hernandez (.333), and Mike Sears (.333) were also among the team's hitting leaders. Overall, ISU combined for seven home runs over the series with Hernandez connecting twice over the weekend.
 
Indiana State's pitching staff combined to post a 5.00 ERA over 27.0 innings on the mound paced by Zach Davidson (0.00 ERA, 4.1 IP, 10 strikeouts) and Jacob Pruitt (3.00, 3.0 IP) both recording wins out of the bullpen. ISU posted a 33:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting Evansville to a .260 batting average.
 
For his efforts, Davidson became the fifth different ISU pitcher to claim the conference's weekly honors joining Jacob Pruitt (Feb. 19), Brennyn Cutts (Mar. 11 & Apr. 15), Cam Edmonson (Mar. 25), and most recently, Luke Hayden (Apr. 22). It marked the eighth overall honor the Sycamores have claimed this season with Luis Hernandez (Mar. 25) and Mike Sears (May 6) both earning MVC Player of the Week honors.
 
Indiana State remained ranked in all five major NCAA Division I polls for the fifth consecutive week as ISU remained in the D1Baseball, USA Today Coaches, NCBWA, Baseball America and Perfect Game polls. ISU remained at No. 20 in the D1Baseball poll, No. 17 in the NCBWA, and No. 14 at the Perfect Game polls. The Sycamores dropped two spots to No. 20 in the USA Today Poll, while moving up to No. 23 in the Baseball America poll.
 
The Sycamores also remained inside the top-10 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) standings sitting at No. 10 overall boasting the No. 18 non-conference strength of schedule and No. 58 overall strength of schedule through 46 games. The Sycamores boast a 20-9 record in road or neutral site game sitting as the lone team ranked in the top 30 in the RPI to post at least 20 wins away from their home venue in 2024.
 
Luis Hernandez (.369), Randal Diaz (.342), Dominic Listi (.341), and Parker Stinson (.317) lead an Indiana State offense that continues to rise hitting .293 from the plate over 47 games. Adam Pottinger (.289), Grant Magill (.279), and Mike Sears (.273) are also among the team's leaders at the plate this season with multiple key plate appearances over the last two weeks.
 
Sears (19) paces four different Sycamores with double-digit home runs in the 2024 season leading Hernandez (17), Stinson (13), and Diaz (13), while Pottinger (8) and Magill (6) have also connected on multiple homers over the last 10 games. The Sycamores hit seven home runs over the weekend against Evansville with five different players leaving the yard in the series.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff continues to pace the Missouri Valley and sit among the national leaders on the year with a combined 4.52 ERA over 406.0 innings. Sixteen different pitchers have combined to post a 473:207 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting opponents to a .243 batting average.
 
The Sycamores have been better in conference play as Indiana State opens the weekend leading the Missouri Valley in batting average (.305), hits (251), and on-base percentage (.416). The offense sits second in home runs (50), doubles (48), runs scored (181), and slugging percentage (.552). On the mound and defensively, Indiana State also paces the league in ERA (3.58), strikeouts (249), strikeouts looking (74), opponent batting average (.216), and fielding percentage (.987).
 
Randal Diaz (.364), Luis Hernandez (.356), and Grant Magill (.355) have been among the Valley batting average leaders in conference-only play. Mike Sears is top-five in the conference in both slugging percentage (.805) and home runs (11), while Parker Stinson is among the league leaders in runs scored (25) and on-base percentage (.455).
 
Cam Edmonson continues to pace the Missouri Valley in ERA (1.38) out of the bullpen making eight appearances over the last four series, while Brennyn Cutts is third in ERA (2.76), first in opponent batting average (.185), and fourth in innings pitched (49.0). Cutts (46) and Luke Hayden (42) are also among the league's strikeout leaders.
 
Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso enters the weekend series with a 14-35 overall record and on a bit of a skid after dropping their last five contests, including Tuesday night's midweek contest at Northwestern, 7-2. The Beacons have posted a 6-7 mark at Emory G. Bauer Field this season with wins over Ball State, Belmont, Missouri State, Evansville, and a series win over Bradley.
 
Valparaiso was selected ninth overall in the Valley's preseason poll as the Beacons received 22 total points after finishing tied for seventh and advancing the MVC Tournament in 2023. The Beacons' preseason was highlighted by outfielder Ryan Maka earning All-Conference recognition in the outfield. Valpo enters the weekend having officially been eliminated from the conference tournament as they will not be able to pass Missouri State (9-15) in the conference standings due to their series loss against the Bears earlier this year.
 
Alex Ryan (.289), Kaleb Hannahs (.284) and Kyle Schmack (.281) are Valparaiso's hitting leaders on the year as the Beacons have combined to hit .258 from the plate over the 49 games entering the weekend. Schmack paces the team with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs, while Hannahs is the team leader with 13 doubles. Ryan leads the way with 10 stolen bases. Carson Husmann is also among the team leaders in multiple offensive categories including home runs (9, 2nd) and RBIs (32, 2nd).
 
The Valparaiso pitching staff has combined to post a 7.18 team ERA over 411.0 innings while allowing opponents to hit .304 from the plate against them. Sixteen Beacons have combined to post a 343:201 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season. Jake Jakubowski (1-2, 4.81 ERA) has made a team-high 22 appearances on the mound, while Connor Lockwood (2-3, 5.76 ERA) and Kaleb Krier (1-7, 9.39 ERA) have made double-digit starts.  
 
Series History
Indiana State holds the all-time 56-29-1 edge against Valparaiso dating back to the inaugural contest back in the 1948 season. The Sycamores hold the 48-19 edge in Terre Haute, but Valparaiso holds the 10-7-1 home advantage in the series.
 
Indiana State is in the midst of the longest winning streak in the series having won each of the last 22 games dating back to the 2007 season. The Beacons last won the series against Indiana State in Valparaiso back in the 1969 season when Valpo took both games in a doubleheader on May 16, 1969, winning by scores of 6-5 and 2-1.
 
The Sycamores swept the series at Emory G. Bauer Field back over April 9-10, 2022, in their last trip to Valparaiso winning by scores of 2-0, 15-8, and 11-8.
 
Tyler Nelson dropped down a safety squeeze bunt in the top of the ninth and Jordan Schaffer added an RBI single in support of Matt Jachec's strong eight innings on the mound to shut out the Beacons, 2-0, in the opener. The bats came to life in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with Keegan Watson driving in five RBIs in the 15-8 win. Game two featured a Valpo error leading to a six-run ISU sixth inning with Watson homering to propel the Sycamores to the win.
 
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