TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head baseball coach Tracy Archuleta announced the signing of five more players for the 2024-25 academic year as the Sycamores continue to fill out their roster for the upcoming season.
 
The quintet of Gavin Morris (Southern Indiana), Grant Parson (Southern Indiana), Zac Laird (Niagara), Jorge Cartagena (Howard College), and Emil Estrella (Bossier Parish C.C.) join Carter Beck (University of Mary), Cole Pacheco (Modesto Junior College), and Carson Seeman (Southern Indiana) in Archuleta's first recruiting class at Indiana State. Additional signees are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
 
Morris signs with the Sycamores by way of the University of Southern Indiana as the Brazil, Ind. native enters his senior season. The right-handed pitcher made 13 appearances and 10 starts over the course of the 2024 season with the Screaming Eagles posting a 4-4 record with a 7.08 ERA over 48.1 innings of work. Highlighting his junior season on the mound includes striking out a career-high eight batters against Lamar, while adding a 6.2-inning start against Illinois.
 
A three-year player at USI, Morris posted a 5-9 record over 124.1 innings with a 107:71 strikeout-to-walk ratio during his time with Southern Indiana. Morris made 45 career appearances with 19 starts while allowing opponents to hit .295 from the plate. He was an Academic All-GLVC selection in 2022 and was named to the 2023 OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
 
Morris lettered in both baseball and basketball at Northview High School in Brazil, Ind. and helped Northview to the 2021 sectional championships. He is the son of Paul and Sara Morris and plans on majoring in business administration at ISU.
 
Parson signs with the Sycamores by way of the University of Southern Indiana as the Owensboro, Ky. native enters his sophomore season. The right-handed pitcher started 11 games over the course of his freshman season at USI throwing 60.0 innings with a team-best 3.90 ERA while adding 60 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .215 batting average. Highlighting his season included striking out a season-high nine batters against Southern Illinois, while going at least 7.0-innings in four different games.
 
Parson took home a number of postseason accolades including being named the Ohio Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year, a Second Team All-OVC selection, and an OVC All-Freshman selection.
 
Parson lettered in baseball at Owensboro Catholic High School playing under Coach Jody Hamilton. He posted a 4-3 record with a 1.14 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 49.0 innings of work. He posted a no-hitter and was one batter shy of a perfect game in a postseason start against St. Mary's High School. Parson is the son of Alison Grant and James Parson and plans on majoring in sports management at Indiana State.
 
Laird signs with the Sycamores by way of Niagara University as the Langley, British Columbia, Canada native enters his senior season. The left-handed pitcher came out of the bullpen in 17 games for the Purple Eagles over the 2024 season. He posted a 1-1 record over 18.0 innings on the mound while striking out 24 batters. Highlighting his junior season included a 2.1-inning contest against Queens where he struck out five batters without allowing a hit.
 
Laird posted a career 3-3 record at Niagara over 53.1 innings pitched while making 50 appearances. He added one career start in the 2022 season and allowed opponents to hit just .236 from the plate against the Purple Eagles. Overall, he posted a 71:64 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Laird came to Niagara by way of Brookswood Secondary where he was a member of the provincial championship team. He struck out 35 batters over 23.0 innings. He is the son of Phil and Casie Laird and plans on majoring in chemistry at Indiana State.
 
Cartagena signs with the Sycamores by way of the Howard College as the Carolina, Puerto Rico native enters his sophomore season. The outfielder lined up in 27 games over the course of the 2024 season at Howard posting a .328 batting average with two home runs, five doubles, and a triple. He added 24 runs scored and 17 RBIs, while posting four stolen bases in his lone season with the Hawks.
 
Cartagena excelled at Leadership Christian Academy under Coach Jaime Munoz over his prep career posting a .333 batting average with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and a triple in his senior season. He was named the Most Valuable Player in multiple sports while leading the school to championships in basketball, soccer, and track & field. Off the field, he was a member of the 10th and 11th Honor Roll posting a GPA above a 3.5.
 
He is the son of Jessica Galletti and plans on majoring in kinesiology at Indiana State.
 
Estrella signs with the Sycamores by way of Bossier Parish Community College as the Santiago, Dominican Republic native enters his junior season. The outfielder recorded a .307 batting average with 15 doubles and a team-high 12 home runs, while adding 36 runs scored and 35 RBIs over the 2024 season with the Cavaliers.
 
He posted a career .350 batting average and .471 on-base percentage over two seasons at Bossier Parish C.C. with 22 career home runs and 38 doubles. Over the course of the 2023 season, he led the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 14 in doubles, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, and outfield assists on his way to earning First Team All-Region Honors. He was also a 2024 All-Academic team selection and Spring 2024 Bossier Parish CC Chancellors List selection.
 
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