TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads into the 2024 Missouri Valley Baseball Championships looking to defend its title as the top-seeded Sycamores start conference tournament play on Wednesday afternoon. Indiana State's opponent is still to be determined, but the Sycamores will line up for their first game of the week at 5 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
The Sycamores were voted as the league's preseason favorites in the 2024 MVC Preseason poll prior to the start of the regular season. Indiana State lived up to its billing as ISU finished the regular season with a 39-11 mark, 22-5 in Missouri Valley play to clinch their second consecutive regular season title. It is the first time in program history ISU has claimed back-to-back outright regular season titles.
 
The regular season featured Indiana State winning all nine Valley weekend series for the second consecutive season continuing a stretch where ISU has won 19-consecutive conference series dating back to the 2022 campaign. ISU is the defending regular-season and tournament champs after sweeping both titles in the 2023 seasons including winning the tournament championship last season at Bob Warn Field.
 
The Sycamores enter the postseason looking to continue their recent momentum heading with Indiana State posting an 18-5 overall mark since April 6. Indiana State will look to keep their winning ways going losing two consecutive games just twice in the 2024 season, while posting winning streaks of six or more games on four separate occasions.
 
ISU's success has parlayed into national attention as Indiana State remained ranked in the national polls heading into the MVC Tournament. ISU enters the postseason ranked No. 14 in Perfect Game, No. 20 in D1Baseball, No. 17 in NCBWA, No. 23 in Baseball America, and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
 
The Sycamores also remained inside the top-10 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) standings sitting at No. 9 overall boasting the No. 16 non-conference strength of schedule and No. 77 overall strength of schedule through 50 games. The Sycamores boast a 23-9 record in road or neutral site game sitting as the lone team ranked in the top 25 in the RPI to post at least 23 wins away from their home venue in 2024.
 
ISU's success was well-rewarded by the conference's head coaches, SID staff, and media members as Indiana State had 10 players voted to the MVC All-Conference team with four additional members named to the All-Defensive squad. Brennyn Cutts (Pitcher of the Year), Grant Magill (Defensive Player of the Year), and Head Coach Mitch Hannahs (Dan Callahan Coach of the Year) all were honored among the conference's specialty award winners on Monday evening.
 
Luis Hernandez (1B), Randal Diaz (SS), Cutts (SP), and Zach Davidson (RP) were all honored on the MVC First Team, while Mike Sears (3B), Magill (C), Parker Stinson (OF), Dominic Listi (OF), Luke Hayden (SP), and Cam Edmonson (RP) were all named to the Second Team. Hernandez, Josue Urdaneta (2B), Magill, and Adam Pottinger (OF) were all named to the Valley's All-Defensive team.
 
The Sycamores featured a whole team approach to the field in the 2024 season with ISU wrapping up the regular season leading the Missouri Valley in conference-only play in nearly every single major team statistical category including batting average (.314), hits (296), slugging (.588), on-base percentage (.419), fielding percentage (.986), ERA (3.77), strikeouts (288), and opponent batting average (.224). Additionally, Indiana State finished second in runs scored (220), second in home runs (66), and second in RBIs (209).
 
Luis Hernandez (.373), Randal Diaz (.341), Dominic Listi (.335), Parker Stinson (.322), and Adam Pottinger (.302) are all hitting above the .300 line for the season to pace the Sycamore offense that is hitting .299 overall as a team from the plate. Mike Sears (.287), Grant Magill (.285), and Josue Urdaneta (.262) have also seen their season batting averages rise over the last month to provide steady offense at the plate throughout the batting order.
 
Sears claimed the Missouri Valley Conference regular season home run crown in the 2024 season hitting 23 home runs to break the Indiana State single-season record surpassing Boi Rodriguez's mark of 20 set back in 1985. Hernandez also surpassed the single-season mark with 21 home runs and led the Missouri Valley in both hits (79) and RBIs (68).
 
Diaz was also among the conference leaders with 73 hits out of the leadoff spot and connected on 15 home runs while sitting second on the team with 14 doubles. Parker Stinson added 15 home runs out of the cleanup spot and is currently second on the team with 52 runs scored while leading the team with 40 walks drawn.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff continues to pace the Missouri Valley and sit among the national leaders on the year with a combined 4.57 ERA over 431.0 innings. Sixteen different pitchers have combined to post a 512:222 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting opponents to a .244 batting average.
 
Jared Spencer (6-0, 3.91 ERA), Cutts (6-1, 3.80 ERA) and Hayden (6-2, 3.99 ERA) headlined the weekend rotation, while Davidson (4-1, 2.60 ERA) and Cam Edmonson (5-1, 4.01 ERA) both earned All-MVC honors out of the bullpen. Jacob Pruitt (3-2, 2.81 ERA), Cameron Holycross (2-1, 4.22 ERA), and Simon Gregersen (1-0, 4.30 ERA) have also hit double-digit appearances on the season, while Cole Gilley (3-0, 7.52 ERA) continues to piece together strong outings out of the bullpen.
 
Tournament History
The Sycamores have a lifetime mark of 82-67 at the MVC Baseball Championships dating back to their first appearance in 1977. Indiana State has won at least one tournament game since 2014 and had won at least two MVC tournament contests since 2017 before the streak was snapped last year in Springfield, Mo.
 
The Sycamores have won eight MVC Tournaments over program history with the last coming back in 2023 as ISU won four of five games including winning the championship game over Evansville to clinch the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The host institutions have a habit of winning the MVC Tournament and the Sycamores are hoping to break that historical trend this week. Since 1981, the home team has won the tournament 16 times, including Indiana State claiming the title last year at Bob Warn Field.
 
Additionally, the No. 1 overall seed has won the MVC Tournament 20 times dating back to the 1981 season with the last being ISU in 2023.
 
Indiana State has a winning postseason record against the current tournament field against nearly every team in the field with the exception of Murray State (haven't played) and Missouri State (6-8). ISU is 8-5 in the tournament against Evansville, 15-5 against Southern Illinois, 11-4 against Illinois State to highlight their postseason success against this season's tournament field.
 
Baseball America currently has Indiana State hosting a regional as the 12th overall seed, hosting North Carolina state, Cincinnati, and Bowling Green State. D1Baseball has the Sycamores as the 14th overall seed hosting Mississippi State, Kansas State, and Bowling Green State.
 
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