TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues the eight-game road trip this weekend as the Sycamores head to Marion, Ill. and Mt. Dew Park for a Missouri Valley weekend series against Bradley over May 2-4.
 
Friday's first pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET with Saturday slated to start at 3 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. in Marion. There will not be an ESPN+ broadcast, but the games will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend. All general admission tickets into the facility will be $10 (cash or card).
 
Indiana State (21-23, 9-9) enters the weekend siting in a three-way tie for fifth overall in the conference standings with both Belmont and UIC. The trio sit one game back of Illinois State (10-8) and one game ahead of Evansville (8-10) with three weekends to play in the regular season. Missouri State (13-5) continues to lead the conference standings heading into the weekend. Bradley (9-31, 5-13) enters sitting three games back of Evansville for the final spot in the 2025 MVC Baseball Championships.
 
Season Overall
Carlos Pena (.337) leads four Indiana State lineup regulars hitting above .300 on the season heading into the home stretch of 2025. The Sycamore outfielder/designated hitter is tied for the team lead in hits (57), third on the team in runs scored (36), while leading Indiana State in both home runs (13) and RBIs (47).
 
Jackson Taylor (.325) has reached base safely in 24 of the last 25 games with a .443 on-base percentage, while Carter Beck (.313) is on a 14-game hitting streak and leads the Sycamores with 43 runs scored and is tied with Pena with 57 hits on the season. Keegan Garis (.305) and Thomas Emerich (.299) have also been among the Indiana State mainstays in the lineup on the season with Garis second on the team with nine home runs, while Emerich is tied for the team lead with 13 doubles.
 
Emerich has seen a marked rise over the last two weeks as the graduate student is hitting at a .425 clip with a team-high 17 hits over a 10-game period. Beck (.386) has also seen hit numbers rise on the year with 17 hits and 10 runs scored, while also driving in 10 runs over the same span. Zack Henderson (.467) and Andrew Ortiz (.389) have also been among the team hitting leaders over the same stretch while splitting time in right field.
 
Overall, Indiana State is connecting at a .279 clip at the plate for the season with a .388 on-base percentage and .450 slugging percentage.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff welcomed the return of Grant Parson (1-3, 4.01 ERA) to the weekend rotation over the last two weeks and the sophomore right-hander has joined Max McEwen (6-2, 4.20 ERA) to provide a strong 1-2 punch. McEwen leads the Sycamores in innings pitched (55.2) and strikeouts (62), while sitting second on the team with a .213 opponent batting average.
 
Gavin Morris (5-3, 3.80 ERA) and Jack Armstrong (2-0, 4.88 ERA) lead an Indiana State bullpen that has featured 18 different pitchers that have seen time on the mound this season. The Sycamores have combined for a 6.06 team ERA over 378.2 innings pitched with a 321:199 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
In the Valley
The Sycamores continue to hover around the .300 team batting average mark in Missouri Valley play as Indiana State is hitting .296 from the plate as a team on the year. Andrew Ortiz (.462) and Zack Henderson (.462) are the team leaders at the plate in conference play while splitting time in right field. Ortiz has a pair of home runs, while Henderson has a pair of doubles on the year.
 
Jackson Taylor (.403) leads the Sycamore lineup regulars in conference competition with 25 hits and 16 runs scored, while adding six doubles at the plate. Carter Beck (.342) has a team-high 26 hits with 22 RBIs, while Carlos Pena (.324) has an Indiana State-high six home runs to go with 16 RBIs at the plate. Jeremy Martinez (.323), Thomas Emerich (.321), and Keegan Garis (.292) are also among the Indiana State hitting leaders in Missouri Valley play.
 
Max McEwen (4-1, 4.54 ERA) and Gavin Morris (3-1, 1.46 ERA) are the Indiana State pitching leaders in Valley play with the Sycamore duo sitting among the conference leaders in ERA, opponent batting average, strikeouts, and wins on the season. McEwen has won each of his last four starts in Missouri Valley play, while Morris has posted 13 strikeouts over his last 8.1 innings of work.
 
Overall, the Indiana State pitching staff has posted a 5.38 team ERA sitting second overall in the MVC in the category. The Sycamores are tied for the MVC lead in strikeouts (153) with the third-lowest walk rate at 80. Breyllin Suriel (0-2, 4.67 ERA), Ty Brooks (1-1, 5.88 ERA), and Grant Parson (0-1, 4.15 ERA) have all seen solid action on the mound in Valley competition and are expected to be in play this weekend.
 
Scouting Bradley
Bradley enters the weekend dropping four of their last five contests after sweeping Illinois State back over the April 17-19 weekend. The Braves fell in two of three against UIC last weekend, before falling in midweek contests at both Illinois and Western Illinois to drop to 9-31 overall on the season. The Braves are 5-13 overall in MVC play.
 
Bradley entered the conference season voted tied for eighth overall in the MVC Preseason Coaches Poll receiving 39 total points to equal Belmont in the standings. Outfielder Bobby Atkinson was honored on the preseason All-MVC team as voted on by the league's head coaches.
 
Atkinson continues to pace the Bradley offense on the season with a team-best .342 batting average with highs in hits (50), runs (32), and doubles (14). Atkinson has added 28 RBIs and a team-best .455 on-base percentage on the year. Slugger Timmy O'Brien (.255) paces the Bradley offense and the MVC with a league-high 16 home runs on the season.
 
The BU pitching staff has combined for an 8.96 team ERA over 340.2 innings with a 306:261 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents are hitting .320 from the plate against the Bradley staff on the season.
 
Series History
Indiana State has the 97-65 all-time series edge against Bradley dating back to the inaugural contest on April 21, 1906. The series has swung heavily in favor of the Sycamores over the last few seasons with Indiana State sweeping in both 2023 and 2024. The Braves have won two of the last three series as the host institution including taking two of three in both 2018 and 2022.
 
The Sycamores claimed all three wins in 2024 against the Braves at Bob Warn Field by run-rule with Indiana State winning 14-2 (8), 11-1 (7), and 17-6 (8). The series finale was notable with Adam Pottinger and Luis Hernandez both hitting grand slams in the 10-run eighth-inning, with Hernandez's shot the walk-off home run to secure the series sweep.
 
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.