TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State embarks on an eight-game road trip starting Tuesday night as the Sycamores make the trek to Nashville, Tenn. and Charles Hawkins Field to take on No. 15 Vanderbilt. First pitch between the Sycamores and the Commodores is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
The Sycamores (21-22) make what has become an annual trip to Nashville coming off a tough three-game series against Murray State as Indiana State fell in two of the three games this past weekend at Bob Warn Field. The Commodores (31-13) also dropped their past weekend series in Oxford, Miss. falling in two of three games at No. 23 Ole Miss.
 
Indiana State has made the trip to Vanderbilt in five of the last seven regular seasons dating back to the 2018 season. The Sycamores' last win over the Commodores inside Hawkins Stadium came back on April 18, 2023, with the 10-2 victory.
 
Last Week
Indiana State posted a 1-3 week this past weekend as the Sycamores hosted Illinois and Murray State at Bob Warn Field over the four-game home stand. The Sycamores dropped the midweek contest to the Fighting Illini, before falling in two of three to the Racers this past weekend. The Sycamores' lone win over the Racers came on Saturday afternoon as Max McEwen went 6.0 strong innings, while Jack Armstrong closed out the final 2.0 innings in the Sycamores' 11-1 run-rule win.
 
Keegan Garis (.429), Carter Beck (.421), and Jackson Taylor (.417) all hit above .400 on the weekend pacing an Indiana State offense that hit .279 from the plate. Beck paced the Sycamores with eight hits and four RBIs over the week, while Garis had a team-high two doubles and four runs scored. Taylor connected on the walk-off single on Saturday afternoon as a part of a three-hit effort and finished with three RBIs.
 
Max McEwen (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Gavin Morris (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and Jacob Spencer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) paced the Indiana State pitching staff on the week and combined for an 11:0 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 13.0 innings on the mound. The Sycamores overall posted a team 8.45 ERA over the week with a 25:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .324 from the plate.
 
Season Overall
Carlos Pena continues to lead the Indiana State offense on the season in multiple offensive categories including batting average (.343), hits (57), triples (2), home runs (13), RBIs (47), and slugging percentage (.669). Jackson Taylor (.327), Carter Beck (.315), and Keegan Garis (.306) are also hitting above the .300 mark on the year.
 
Beck has come on strong as of late with a .432 batting average over the last 10 games with five of his 12 doubles and 13 of his 45 RBI coming over the last two weeks. Thomas Emerich (.291) leads the Sycamores with 13 doubles on the season, while Jeremy Martinez (.280) has solidified the middle of the Indiana State lineup with 11 doubles on the season.
 
Overall, the Sycamores are hitting .279 from the plate as a team with a .389 on-base percentage and .453 slugging percentage on the year.
 
Gavin Morris (5-3, 3.80 ERA) is among the team and conference leaders in a multitude of statistical categories on the season while sitting second on the team with 17 appearances on the mound. Max McEwen (6-2, 4.20 ERA) has won four consecutive starts on the bump, while Jacob Spencer (0-1, 7.65 ERA) has seen his ERA drop dramatically since returning from injury.
 
Jack Armstrong (2-0, 4.88 ERA), Ty Brooks (3-3, 6.04 ERA), and Zac Laird (0-1, 8.79 ERA) have taken on leading roles out of the bullpen on the season. Overall, Indiana State has posted a 6.09 team ERA over 370.2 innings pitched with a 313:196 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .268 opponent batting average.
 
Scouting Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt enters the midweek series with a 31-13 overall record, 22-4 mark at Charles Hawkins Field to date in the 2025 season. The Commodores home schedule has featured series wins over Saint Mary's, Xavier, Texas A&M, and Georgia, while taking midweek victories over Tennessee Tech, St. Bonaventure, Valparaiso, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and Dayton.
 
Riley Nelson (.367) leads the Vanderbilt offense on the season with team-highs in hits (55) and runs (38) while sitting second in RBIs (33). Jacob Humphrey (.314) is also hitting above the .300 mark on the year with a team-high four triples, while adding 16 stolen bases. Brodie Johnston is the team's power threat with nine home runs, while RJ Austin has a team-high 19 stolen bases.
 
Overall, Vanderbilt's lineup has featured 10 players with at least 30 starts on the year. The Commodores have hit .270 from the plate with 41 home runs and a .421 on-base percentage.
 
The strength of the Vanderbilt roster comes from the pitching staff as 19 different pitchers have combined for a 3.80 team ERA over 374.0 innings pitched. The Commodores have combined for six shutouts on the season with a 506:157 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .213 opponent batting average.
 
Series History
Vanderbilt has the 10-4 series edge over Indiana State dating back to the inaugural matchup back on March 12, 1987. The Sycamores won the first two matchups between the programs, 10-7 and 13-8, but Vanderbilt has claimed 10 of the last 12, including last season's 20-4 win on February 27, 2024, in Nashville.
 
Eleven of the 14 games have been played in Nashville with three neutral site contest coming in Port Charlotte in the 2015 season.
 
In last season's contest, Eight of Vanderbilt's nine starters in the lineup recorded hits, all nine scored runs, and seven drove in RBIs as the Commodores utilized a complete offensive effort in the win.
 
Mike Sears powered Indiana State's offense with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning for his first big fly of the season. The ball measured out to 460-feet off the bat in one of the longest home runs off the bat of a right-handed hitter at Hawkins Field.
 
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.