TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads to Normal, Ill. and Duffy Bass Field this week for the 2025 Missouri Valley Baseball Championships as the Sycamores claimed the No. 8 seed in the tournament field.
 
The Sycamores will take on tournament host and No. 5 seed Illinois State in a single elimination on Tuesday afternoon with first pitch set for 2:30 p.m. ET. The game is scheduled to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Indiana State earned their way into the field by virtue of Friday afternoon's 17-3 win over the Redbirds at Bob Warn Field to claim their berth into the postseason. Indiana State (12-15) tied with Bradley (12-15) in the standings with the Braves taking the No. 7 seed after winning the season series (2-1) against the Sycamores after their series in Marion, Ill. back over May 2-4.
 
Illinois State (15-12) earned the No. 5 overall seed after finishing one game back of Southern Illinois (16-11) and UIC (16-11) in the standings. The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the double elimination bracket starting on Wednesday afternoon.
 
In Valley Play
Indiana State finished sixth overall in the MVC in team batting average (.288) following the 27-game schedule in conference play. The Sycamores were sixth in slugging (.460) and on-base percentage (.388), while adding 31 home runs and 52 doubles in league action.
 
The Sycamores' pitching staff combined for a 6.17 team ERA over 230.1 innings on the mound with a 208:137 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .275 opponent batting average. The Sycamores finished the season leading the MVC in team fielding percentage at .980.
 
Sophomore outfielder Carter Beck wrapped up the 2025 finishing sixth in the league in batting average (.368), third in hits (42), fourth in RBIs (33), and ninth in doubles (8). Jackson Taylor was also spotted throughout the Valley leaders finishing ninth in doubles (8) and second in triples (2).
 
On the mound, Gavin Morris was dominant in MVC play on the year. The senior right-hander led the Valley in ERA (1.51) by nearly a full run and a half over Belmont's Joe Ruzicka (2.98), while finishing first in opponent batting average (.165). He finished ninth in strikeouts (37), fourth in wins (4), and sixth in saves (4).
 
Breyllin Suriel finished 10th in innings pitched (40.2) and ninth in strikeouts (37), while Max McEwen was sixth in strikeouts (41) and fourth in strikeouts looking (14).
 
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).
 
Season Overall
Carlos Pena (.328) leads five Sycamores hitting above the .300 mark on the season heading into the postseason. Pena leads the Sycamores with 14 home runs and a team-high .617 slugging percentage while sitting second with 49 RBIs.
 
Carter Beck (.326) continues to connect at the plate with a rare 10 home run, 10 stolen base season. The Carnduff, Saskatchewan, Canada native leads the team in hits (73), runs (53), doubles (15) and RBIs (56), while adding 11 stolen bases.
 
Jackson Taylor (.303) and Andrew Ortiz (.311) are also hitting above the .300 mark on the season from the plate, while Alex Nevils (.333) returned to the lineup and is hitting above the mark in limited action on the year. Nick Sutherlin (.288) added his first multi-homer game over the weekend against Illinois State while starting at third base, while Keegan Garis (.282) is close to .300 in his final season with the Sycamores.
 
The Indiana State pitching staff has posted a 6.49 ERA over 457.2 innings pitched with a 377:259 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores are allowing opponents to hit .277 from the plate on the season.
 
Gavin Morris (6-3, 3.35 ERA) has been electric out of the bullpen with a 46:19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .226 opponent batting average over 53.2 innings. Jack Armstrong (3-0, 4.89 ERA), Ty Brooks (3-3, 6.04 ERA), Colby Morse (2-3, 6.68 ERA), Breyllin Suriel (0-6, 7.59 ERA), Jacob Spencer (0-3, 8.22 ERA), Aaron Moss (1-1, 8.46 ERA) and Carson Seeman (0-0, 8.07 ERA) are all in the mix for action in the tournament.
 
Postseason History
Indiana State returns to the MVC Baseball Championships for the 15th consecutive season after claiming the No. 8 seed overall in the postseason. The Sycamores in the No. 8 spot marked the lowest seed by an Indiana State team in the Valley tournament since the field was expected to at least eight teams in the 2010 season.
 
Indiana State's previous lowest seed heading into the postseason was the No. 7 seed earned back in 2025 at the tournament hosted by former MVC member Wichita State. Indiana State has won at least one tournament game since 2014 and has won at least two MVC tournament contests in all but one season since 2017 since 2017 with the lone blemish coming in 2022 (one win).
 
Indiana State last played in an elimination game to open Valley tournament play back in the 2022 season when the No. 5 Sycamores took on No. 8 Valparaiso in Springfield, Mo. Right-handed pitcher Matt Jachec carried a perfect game into the ninth inning and Keegan Watson and Luis Hernandez both homered as the Sycamores topped the Beacons, 8-0, to advance to the double elimination rounds.
 
The postseason is where Indiana State has shined over the last few years with the Sycamores advancing to the tournament championship game nearly every season since 2019 with the exception of 2022. Indiana State claimed tournament titles in both 2019 and 2023, while falling in the title games to Dallas Baptist (2021) and Evansville (2024).
 
Tournament History
Indiana State is 85-69 all-time at the Missouri Valley Baseball Championships since their first berth in the postseason in 1977. The Sycamores are 7-3 over their last 10 games in the tournament field with postseason winning records against all potential opponents in the Valley field this spring with the exception of Missouri State (6-8).
 
The Sycamores will look to become just the second No. 8 overall seed to win the MVC Tournament joining Creighton (2012) to accomplish the feat.
 
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.