TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana state is back on the road this weekend as the Sycamores head to Nashville, Tenn. and E.S. Rose Park for a three-game weekend series at Belmont over April 4-6. All three games are projected to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
The weekend series marks just the second time in program history Indiana State heads to Nashville to take on Belmont with the Bruins joining the league back in 2023. The Sycamores swept the previous series at E.S. Rose Park back in the 2023 season over the April 14-16 weekend as a part of the team's 14-game winning streak.
 
The Sycamores (14-14, 4-2) enter the weekend series sitting tied for third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings after winning weekend series against Valparaiso and at UIC. Indiana State is tied with Evansville and Illinois State, while trailing leaders Missouri State (5-1) and Southern Illinois (5-1) by one game.
 
Recapping the Midweek
Indiana State utilized timely hitting, patience at the plate, and strong relief outings from Jack Armstrong and Colby Morse to take Tuesday night's midweek contest at SIUE, 12-5.
 
The Sycamores seized control of the contest early as Indiana State had runners on base often over the opening frames. Jeremy Martinez, Jackson Taylor, and Keegan Garis all drove in runs over the first three innings, before the Indiana State hitters started to work the count against the SIUE pitching staff.
 
Indiana State drew five bases-loaded walks over the course of the contest on their way to drawing 14 walks against the Cougars' pitching staff. Eli Gipson drew a season-high four walks in the contest, while four additional Sycamores had multiple walks in the game as Indiana State steadily built a commanding lead in the game.
 
Emil Estrella drew his first collegiate start on the mound and went 2.0 innings allowing one hit and one run, while walking three and strikeout out two. He turned the ball over to Jack Armstrong (2-0) in the bottom of the third inning and the junior right-hander delivered another standout performance on the mound.
 
Pena, Weston Fulk, Garis, and Garcia all had multi-hit games on Tuesday night as the Sycamores connected on 11 hits in the win. Fulk added a pair of doubles, while four different Indiana State players recorded a stolen base.
 
Conference Play
Jackson Taylor leads the Indiana State offensive efforts over the first two conference weekend as the redshirt junior infielder is hitting at a .409 clip with a team-high nine hits, two doubles, and three stolen bases. Keegan Garis (.364), Carlos Pena (.364), and Jeremy Martinez (.353) are also hitting above the .300 mark in conference competition boosting a Sycamore offense hitting .286 overall from the plate in the MVC.
 
The Sycamores' power bats have come alive in conference competition with 23 of the team's 57 hits going for extra bases over the six games. Garis has been the major proponent of the power swing with a team-high four home runs and 12 RBIs, while Carter Beck has added a pair of home runs, two doubles, and eight RBIs. Elip Gipson has also been effective with eight RBIs in conference play while also playing solid defense. Nomar Garcia is the team leader with eight runs scored.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff remains one of the best in the Missouri Valley this year as the Sycamores sit second in conference play in ERA (4.50), while leading the Valley in opponent batting average (.237). The Sycamores are third in the conference in strikeouts (51).
 
Gavin Morris (2-0, 0.00 ERA) and Breyllin Suriel (0-1, 0.79 ERA) are among the conference ERA, opponent batting average, and strikeout leaders through the first two weekends of the season. The duo are 1-2 in opponent batting average with Morris at .103 and Suriel at .125, while Suriel leads the MVC in strikeouts with 16. Carson Seeman (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has also kept the opposition scoreless in conference play over two appearances on the mound.
 
Ty Brooks (1-0, 3.38 ERA) and Max McEwen (0-1, 8.64 ERA) have been in the weekend rotation over the first two weeks with Brooks siting second on the team in innings pitched (10.2), while McEwen is second in strikeouts (11).
 
Season Overall
Carlos Pena (.346) continues to pace the Sycamore offense at the plate as the senior infielder/outfielder leads the Sycamores in hits (36) and doubles (9), while sitting among the team leaders in RBIs (26), runs (21), and slugging percentage (.596). Jackson Taylor (.333) has seen his average climb above the .300 mark over the last few weeks, while Keegan Garis (.330) is also hitting above the .300 mark with a team-high nine home runs, 28 runs scored, and a .681 slugging percentage.
 
Eli Gipson (.284) and Carter Beck (.274) have been atop the lineup consistently throughout the course of the 2025 season. Beck is the team leader with 28 RBIs while sitting second on the team with 31 hits, while Gipson has posted a .417 on-base percentage while lining up at both shortstop and third base.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff has combined to post a 5.68 team ERA on the season over 239.1 innings played. Seventeen different arms have taken the mound combining for a 192:120 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .263 opponent batting average.
 
Jack Armstrong (2-0, 3.78 ERA) has been among the team leaders on the mound this season, while Aaron Moss (1-0, 6.19 ERA), Carson Seeman (0-0, 5.71 ERA), Colby Morse (2-1, 4.97 ERA), and Gavin Morris (4-2, 4.44 ERA) have all made multiple appearances and could be in play on the mound in the weekend.
 
Scouting Belmont
Belmont enters the week with a 10-19 record and 2-4 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play prior to their Wednesday contest against Trevecca Nazarene. The Bruins have dropped six of their last eight games including series to Illinois State and Missouri State, while picking up the wins in the middle games of both weekend series.
 
Belmont was picked tied for eighth overall in the Missouri Valley preseason coaches poll with the Bruins recording 38 total points to finish in a tie with Bradley. The Bruins did not have a player recognized on the preseason MVC All-Conference team.
 
Pete Daniel is one of three Belmont players hitting above the .300 mark on the season with a team-high .376 batting average. The Bruins' infielder paces Belmont with a team-high 41 hits and 10 doubles, while adding 11 stolen bases on the year. Ty Allen (.324) and Landon Godsey (.302) are also hitting above .300 on the season with Allen connecting on seven home runs with 30 RBIs. Mike Sprockett (.273) is the team's power bat with nine home runs on the season.
 
Joe Ruzicka (2-1, 5.34 ERA), Jake Timbes (1-3, 6.46 ERA), and Zach Hernandez (0-2, 7.82 ERA) have been among the team's primary starters over the season with Ruzicka pacing the way in innings pitched (30.1), while sitting second in strikeouts (26). The Bruins have posted a team 7.63 ERA over 236.0 innings with a 249:158 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Belmont is also allowing opponents to hit .286 from the plate.
 
Series History
Indiana State leads the all-time series against Belmont with a 9-0 record over the Bruins dating back to the inaugural contest in the 2014 season. The Sycamores have swept each of the weekend series against Belmont over the last two seasons, while adding a win in the 2023 MVC Baseball Championships.
 
The Sycamores claimed the weekend series in Nashville back in the 2023 season by scores of 2-1, 10-2, and 5-3 in the first MVC matchups between the two programs. The Sycamores are 5-0 all-time against the Bruins in Nashville.
 
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.