TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball embarks on its longest road trip of the 2025 season as the Sycamores head down to Gastonia, N.C. for the season-opening weekend series against Wagner. First pitch at Caromont Health Park on Friday afternoon is set for 2 p.m., while Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (Noon) are expected to complete the weekend series.
 
Video will not be available for the series, but live stats will be available courtesy of GoSycamores.com with links on the Indiana State baseball schedule page.
 
The Sycamores head into head coach Tracy Archuleta's first season with the program looking to repeat the success the program has had over the last two seasons. Indiana State enters 2025 as the two-time Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions, while adding trips to the NCAA Postseason four out of the last five seasons.
 
The task will be different this season as the Sycamores lost 32 players from last year's team, including 2024 MLB Draftees Randal Diaz (5th Round, Washington Nationals) and Luke Hayden (8th Round, Cincinnati Reds), as well as free agent signee Grant Magill (Chicago White Sox). Overall, seven players from last year's team went on to sign professional contracts following the conclusion of the Sycamores' season in the NCAA Lexington Regional Championship game.
 
With the departure of 32 players, new faces will abound on the Indiana State roster as the Sycamores welcomed 22 players courtesy of the transfer portal, while nine freshmen made the final 40-man roster announced on Friday morning. Nine Sycamores return from last year's team including Carlos Pena, Keegan Garis, Max McEwen, Jacob Spencer, Aaron Moss, and Jordan Austin who all saw time on the field last year, while redshirts Cole Chace, John Curl, and Jackson Taylor are active again for the 2025 campaign.
 
The Sycamores enter the year receiving votes from the NCBWA Division I preseason poll and are projected to once again play one of the toughest schedules across the country. Indiana State entered the week projected with another Top 50 RPI schedule according to WarrenNolan.com with the 25th-best nonconference schedule including midweek games against Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, and more.
 
Projected opening day starter Ryan Karst heads into his first season with the Sycamores as the right-hander joined Indiana State by way of Madison College. No stranger to the Missouri Valley, he pitched at fellow Valley school UIC his freshman season and was selected to Perfect Game's preseason MVC All-Conference list heading into the year.
 
Indiana State will have a new lineup across the board with players fighting for position on the field throughout the early few weeks. The early projected lineup features familiar names including Pena and Garis, while Thomas Emerich, Alex Nevils, Weston Fulk, Eli Gipson, Carter Beck, and more will be named Sycamore fans will need to watch over the course of the year.
 
Scouting Wagner
Wagner heads into the 2025 season picked second in the Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason poll as announced by the conference office in early February. The Seahawks posted a 26-30 overall record in 2024 with a 21-12 mark in conference play on their way to advancing to the NEC semifinal round in the postseason.
 
The Seahawks return leading hitter Xavier Ulrich (.320, 11 2Bs) as the graduate student is expected to be back behind the plate once again this season. Outfielder Lukas Torres (.293, nine 2Bs) and infielder/outfielder Diego Tavarez (.289, six 2Bs) are also back as Wagner returns the services of their top three hitters from the 2025 season. Slugger Mateo Matthews is also back on the roster after posting a team-high seven home runs to go with 33 RBIs in the 2024 season.
 
Wagner returns one of their three weekend arms from the 2024 season as senior right-hander Connor Hayden is back for the Seahawks. The Aliso Viejo, Calif. native posted a 4.60 ERA over 74.1 innings with a 45:30 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Also returning to the mound include key arms Jake Toporek (16 appearances, 6.55 ERA) and Griffin White (14 appearances, 7.29 ERA) as Wagner will feature a new look on the mound in the coming season.
 
The Seahawks combined to hit .259 from the plate as a team over the course of the 56-game 2024 season including 22 home runs, 80 doubles, and 11 triples. Wagner's pitching staff compiled a 5.93 team ERA over 489.0 innings with a 401:277 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Series History Against Wagner, Northeastern Conference
This weekend's series marks the first time the Sycamores and the Seahawks will take the field against each other in their respective program histories.
 
The Sycamores are 1-0 all-time against current Northeastern Conference teams. Indiana State lined up against Maryland Eastern Shore early in the 2012 season at the Bulldog Classic held in Huntsville, Ala. The Sycamores took the 17-2 win over UMES in the win.
 
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.