TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back at Bob Warn Field for the final time of the 2025 season as the Sycamores host Illinois State for a three-game Missouri Valley weekend series running from May 15-17. All three games will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Indiana State will honor its 2025 baseball senior class in a pregame ceremony prior to Saturday's first pitch as the Sycamores recognize Jackson Taylor, Thomas Emerich, Zac Laird, Keegan Garis, Carlos Pena, and Gavin Morris prior to their final home game at Bob Warn Field.
 
Among the weekend promotions include Military and First Responders Day on Thursday night with all military and first responders with a valid active or retired ID receiving up to two free general admission tickets. Friday night's contest features the final set of the 2025 Indiana State baseball card giveaway. Saturday's finale will feature Senior Day, as well as Fan Appreciation Day and the return of Nine Innings of Winning with fans able to win prizes throughout the game.
 
The weekend series features postseason implications on both sides as Indiana State (11-13) sits one game ahead of Bradley (10-14) and two ahead of Evansville (9-15) for the final two positions in the 2025 MVC Baseball Championship field. Illinois State (13-11) is currently in a three-way tie with Belmont (13-11) and UIC (13-11) for the fourth seed with a chance to earn a first-round bye into the double-elimination tournament bracket.
 
In Valley Play
Indiana State is currently fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in team batting average (.286), fourth in slugging (.459) and fifth in on-base percentage (.383) through the first 24 games of conference competition. The Sycamores have also combined to sit third in team doubles (49), second in triples (6), and fourth in stolen bases (29) on the year.
 
The Sycamore pitching staff is fourth in the MVC in team ERA (5.73) over 207.1 innings on the mound. The Sycamores are third in team strikeouts (192) and fourth in opponent batting average (.266).
 
Sophomore outfielder Carter Beck enters the final weekend of the season sitting among the conference leaders in a multitude of offensive categories. The Carnduff, Saskatchewan, Canada native is sixth in the Valley in batting average (.366), third in hits (37), and fifth in RBI (28) while sitting atop the Indiana State lineup on the season.
 
Jackson Taylor and Carlos Pena also dot the season stats with Taylor among the leaders in batting average (.366), on-base percentage (.475), and triples (2), while Pena is among the tops in slugging percentage (.626), on-base percentage (.461), home runs (7), and walks (20). Nomar Garcia remains among the stolen base leaders with nine in conference play.
 
Senior right-hander Gavin Morris enters the weekend as the conference leader in ERA (1.56), third in opponent batting average (.169), third in wins (4) and sixth in saves (4) while allowing just six runs in MVC play out of the bullpen. Max McEwen is dotted throughout the rankings sitting 10th in batting average (.245), fifth in strikeouts (41), and third in wins (4).
 
Other Sycamores of note in conference competition include Andrew Ortiz (.371) and Zack Henderson (.353) both hitting above .350 in league play while splitting duties in right field.
 
Grant Parson (1-2, 6.06 ERA) has returned to the weekend rotation with starts over the last three weeks.  Breyllin Suriel (0-3, 5.15 ERA) has six starts in league play including a strong Friday night outing at Missouri State, while Ty Brooks (1-1, 6.43 ERA) and Jack Armstrong (1-0, 5.06 ERA) have also drawn starts in conference play this year.
 
Season Overall
Carlos Pena (.335) leads four Sycamores hitting above the .300 mark on the season heading into the final three games of the regular season. Pena leads the Sycamores with 14 home runs and a team-high .639 slugging percentage while sitting second with 49 RBIs.
 
Carter Beck (.322) continues to connect at the plate and recently became the first Sycamore in 25 years to post 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in the same season since Clint Barmes (2000). Beck leads the team in hits (68), runs (49), doubles (14) and RBIs (51), while adding 11 stolen bases.
 
Jackson Taylor (.311) and Andrew Ortiz (.311) are also hitting above the .300 mark on the season from the plate, while Zack Henderson (.297), Keegan Garis (.291), and Thomas Emerich (.277) are among the leaders in the everyday lineup.
 
Jorge Cartagena and Alex Nevils both made waves this past week. Cartagena homered twice in the series against Missouri State and doubling against Tennessee. Nevils drew the Sunday start at Missouri State after connecting on a pinch-hit double on Saturday night that raised his season batting average to .286 on the year.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff has posted a 6.29 ERA over 434.2 innings pitched with a 361:242 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores are allowing opponents to hit .273 from the plate on the season.
 
Gavin Morris (6-3, 3.42 ERA) has been electric out of the bullpen with a 45:19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .230 opponent batting average over 52.2 innings. Jack Armstrong (2-0, 5.18 ERA), Ty Brooks (3-3, 6.27 ERA), Colby Morse (2-3, 6.34 ERA), Breyllin Suriel (0-5, 6.39 ERA), Jacob Spencer (0-3, 9.47 ERA), Aaron Moss (1-0, 8.02 ERA) and Carson Seeman (0-0, 6.75 ERA) are all in the mix for action this weekend against the Redbirds.
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State heads into the weekend series with a 24-25 overall record, 13-11 mark in Missouri Valley play, to remain in the hunt for a top-four seed at the MVC Baseball Championships. The Redbirds boast series wins over Belmont (2-1), Murray State (2-1), Valparaiso (2-1), Evansville (3-0), and UIC (2-1) on the season to help bolster their claims for a top bid at the tournament held in Normal, Ill. at Duffy Bass Field.
 
The Redbirds were voted fourth overall in the MVC Preseason Coaches poll by the league's head coaches. Illinois State received 72 total points with Judah Morris (1B), Kyle Gibson (3B), and Daniel Pacella (OF) all receiving preseason All-Conference recognition.
 
Pacella (.359) leads the Illinois State offense on the year in a multitude of categories including hits (71), doubles (17), home runs (17), RBIs (53), and runs scored (50). Daniel Contreras (.313) and Gibson (.305) are also hitting above the .300 mark on the year, while Morris (.295) is second on the team with 16 home runs. Shai Robinson is also a name to watch over the weekend with a .280 batting average and 10 home runs on the year.
 
The Illinois State pitching staff has posted a 6.17 team ERA over 417.0 innings on the season. The Redbirds have posted a345:218 strikeout-to-walk ratio and allowed opponents to hit .284 from the plate on the season. Tyrelle Chadwick (4-2, 4.25 ERA), Tanner Perry (4-4, 5.62 ERA), Thomas Harper (3-2, 5.72 ERA) and Carter Monke (4-5, 6.62 ERA) are all around double-digit starts on the season, while Joe Husak (0-3, 5.61 ERA, 7 SV) is the relief ace out of the bullpen.
 
Series History
Indiana State holds the 114-78 all-time edge over Illinois State with the series leaning heavily toward the Sycamores over the last few seasons. Indiana State has won the last five series against the Redbirds dating back to the 2019 season, including winning five of the last six games played in Terre Haute.
 
Last season, Illinois State claimed the series opener on April 19, 2024, in Normal, Ill. as Daniel Pacella connected on the walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Redbirds rallied back despite the Sycamores utilizing fourth-inning home runs off the bats of Dominic Listi, Parker Stinson, and Mike Sears to claim the series opener.
 
Indiana State jumped ahead early in Saturday's contest with six runs over the first four innings with Grant Magill driving in three RBIs, while Brennyn Cutts went 7.0 strong innings of two-hit baseball on the mound in the 10-1 win.
 
The Sycamores closed out the series with Luke Hayden's 7.0-inning, 11-strikeout complete game with Magill and Randal Diaz both homering in the run-rule shortened victory.
 
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.