TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball closes out the season-opening 19-day road trip this weekend as the Sycamores head to Greenville, N.C. and the LeClair Classic hosted by East Carolina over February 28 – March 2.
 
The Sycamores (5-3) will open the weekend on Friday afternoon against Virginia Tech with a noon first pitch. Saturday's contest against host ECU will be carried live on ESPN+ with first pitch at 4:30 p.m. Sunday's finale against Kent State is set for an 11 a.m. start time.
 
The Sycamores have won two in a row coming into the weekend following Tuesday night's win over Bethune-Cookman. Indiana State utilized patience at the plate, timely hits, and strong pitching performances on their way to capturing the 12-4 victory at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
 
Indiana State utilized a school record 16 walks issued at the plate on their way to putting runners on base in eight of the nine innings in the first matchup in program history against Bethune Cookman. The 16 walks snapped the previous record of 15 walks drawn by Indiana State batters back on May 11, 2013, against Alcorn State.
 
Indiana State cracked the scoreboard with a five-run fourth inning sparked by Emil Estrella's one-out triple. Estrella scored on a wild pitch, before Nick Sutherlin, Weston Fulk, and Miguel Cantu connected on RBI singles in the inning to stake the Sycamores to the lead. After BCU rallied to cut the lead back to one run, the Sycamores took control of the game with seven runs over the final three innings highlighted by two runs scoring on Eli Gipson's bunt, while Fulk, Cantu, and Estrella also drove in runs.
 
Colby Morse went four shutout innings to keep the Wildcats at bay as the senior right-hander allowed just a triple in the ninth inning and a walk, while striking out three. Morse retired nine BCU batters in a row at one point before closing out the game by retiring Michael Rodriguez on strikes to record his first win at Indiana State.
 
Ten different Sycamores reached base in the contest highlighted by multi-hit games from Nick Sutherlin, Fulk, and Cantu. Carter Beck and Jeremy Martinez both drew three walks apiece, while Sutherlin and Cantu both reached base four times overall in the contest.
 
Breyllin Suriel went 3.1 innings allowing two runs and five walks while striking out four in his first start at Indiana State. Aaron Moss allowed three hits and two runs over 1.2 innings, before turning the ball over to Morse to close out the contest.
 
Freshman catcher Jeremy Martinez leads the team with a .360 batting average over seven starts behind the plate, while adding a team-high nine hits, including three doubles and a home run early in the season. Eli Gipson (.353), Carter Beck (.321), Keegan Garis (.308), and Nick Sutherlin (.308) are also hitting above the .300 mark for the season to pace a Sycamore offense hitting .270 overall as a team.
 
Additional offensive leaders include Thomas Emerich pacing the way in doubles (4) and runs scored (12), while Carlos Pena and Beck are tied for the team lead with two home runs apiece. Beck leads the team with 10 RBIs, including a two-run triple in Sunday's win over Northeastern.
 
Indiana State's pitching lineup has seen a variety of arms get experience in the early going of the season as the Sycamores have posted a team 4.71 ERA over 70.2 innings. Ryan Karst, Grant Parson, and Ty Brooks have been the early weekend rotation for Indiana State, while six different relievers have made at least three appearances out of the bullpen in 2025 including Max McEwen (1-0, 4.15 ERA), Aaron Moss (0-0, 2.84 ERA), and Gavin Morris (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1 SV).
 
McEwen leads the team with 11 strikeouts over the 2025 season with three appearances of 2.0+ innings on the mound. The Sycamores have posted a team 56:33 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .263 opponent batting average on the year.
 
Scouting East Carolina
Tournament host East Carolina is in action on Wednesday afternoon against Old Dominion prior to this weekend's contests at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates have posted a 2-5 record overall and enter the week after getting swept by then-No. 6 North Carolina this past weekend in a series split between Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greenville, N.C.
 
The Pirates were tabbed first in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll for the seventh consecutive season and eight overall since joining the conference prior to the 2015 campaign. ECU collected 80 points and eight out of 10 first place votes while Wichita State and Tulane were second and third with 72 and 63 points respectively. Wichita State was awarded the other two first-place votes. Senior outfielder Ryley Johnson and sophomore LHP Ethan Norby were also selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team after earning postseason recognition on the circuit last year.
 
Early offensive leaders for ECU include Alex Peltier (.280, 2 2Bs), and Alex Bouche (.208, 2 HR), with the Pirates hitting a combined .208 from the plate on the season. The pitching staff has utilized 13 different arms on the year with Sean Jenkins, Norby, and Bradley Zayac all earning multiple starts. ECU has posted a combined 4.57 ERA with a 63:41 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech heads into the weekend with a 5-2 overall record after playing all seven opening games in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies took the opening two series against Bucknell and UNC Greensboro, and added a midweek win against ETSU to their credit heading into the weekend.
 
The Hokies were selected 12th overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason poll receiving 85 total points overall as voted on by the league's head coaches.
 
Early offensive leaders for Virginia Tech include David McCann (.480, 6 2B, 2 HR), and Sam Tackett (.455, 4 HR, 11 RBI), while Jared Davis is also hitting .478 from the plate. Overall, the Hokies are hitting .363 as a team with a .450 on-base percentage. Fifteen different VT pitchers have seen time on the mound with Logan Eisenreich, Brett Renfrow, and Grant Manning all posting at least two starts on the season. The Hokies are allowing opponents to hit .195 from the plate with an 89:33 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Scouting Kent State
Kent State enters the weekend with a 1-5 mark overall after picking up their lone win of the 2025 campaign on opening day against Eastern Kentucky. The Golden Flashes are on a five-game losing streak including getting swept this past weekend in a three-game series at Mercer.
 
The Golden Flashes have been picked second in the Mid-American Conference pre-season coaches' poll. The Flashes took home 84 points and two first place votes putting them behind Ball State who received 95 points and six first place votes.
 
Early offensive leaders for Kent State include Jake Casey (.474, 2 2B, 1 HR) and Sawyer Solitaria (.304, 2 HR) in pacing a Flashes offense that is hitting .276 as a team at the plate. Kent State's pitching has featured 13 different players combining for a team 6.80 ERA over 49.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .337 with a 43:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
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