VALPARAISO, Ind. – Nick Sutherlin homered and drove in six RBIs, while Mason Roell (twice) and Carter Beck also left the ballpark as Indiana State powered its way past Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field with the 18-2, seven-inning win.
 
Sutherlin sparked the Indiana State (12-13, 3-1) offense with a three-run home run in the top of the first inning and added a two-run double in the third to put the Sycamores on the scoreboard early. Roell added his first homer of the day with a two-run shot scoring Sutherlin in the third and then connected on a three-run blast in the fourth inning to give Indiana State the 12-0 lead.
 
Beck added a two-run home run of his own in the top of the fifth inning to add to the offense, while Emil Esterlla, Caden Miller, and John Curl also drove in runs as Indiana State did not let up against Valparaiso (6-15, 0-4) in claiming the Missouri Valley series opening win.
 
The Indiana State offense came in support of another strong outing from Ty Brooks (5-0) as the sophomore right-hander was masterful over 6.0 innings of work. Brooks surrendered just three hits while striking out six, needing just 75 pitches before turning the ball over to the bullpen for the final inning.
 
Joey Valentine and Trevor Fenters worked the seventh as Valparaiso scored two runs on Brayden Pleau's two-run single before shutting down the Beacons to close out the game.
 
Ten different Indiana State players combined for 18 hits on Saturday afternoon with Andrew Ortiz, Carter Beck, and Nick Sutherlin all recorded three-hit games. Mason Roell and Nomar Garcia both added multi-hit contests in the win.
 
Case Sullivan had two of Valparaiso's five hits in the loss, including a double down the left field line in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
Adam Guazzo (1-3) took the loss on the mound allowing two hits and three runs over 2.0 innings in the start. Justin Bultemeier, Cayden Ray, joe Sieber, and Dylan Immel went the remaining 5.0 innings on Saturday afternoon.
 
How They Scored

• Indiana State took the early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Nick Sutherlin followed walks issued to both Emil Estrella and Caden Miller with a three-run home run over the wall in right center to put the Sycamores ahead.
• Nick Sutherlin put the Sycamores back on the board in the top of the third with a two-run double to center scoring Carter Beck and Andrew Ortiz, before Mason Roell drilled a two-run home run over the left field wall to put Indiana State ahead 7-0.
• The Sycamores put five runs across the plate in the top of the fourth inning as Carter Beck doubled home Nomar Garcia and Emil Estrella's RBI grounder scored Andrew Ortiz, before Mason Roell connected on a three-run home run over the left field wall to make it a 12-0 Indiana State lead.
• Carter Beck added to the home run parade in the top of the fifth inning with a two-run homer to right center and Nick Sutherlin added an RBI single through the left side of the infield scoring Emil Estrella to put Indiana State ahead 15-0.
• The Sycamores added to the lead in the top of the sixth as Caden Miller connected on a two-run double to center, before John Curl's RBI single to right field capped the Indiana State scoring with an 18-0 lead.
• Valparaiso scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on Brayden Pleau's RBI single bringing home Gavin Bennett and Louie Kegerreis to provide the final 18-2 scoring margin.

News and Notes

• Mason Roell recorded his first collegiate multi-homer game on Saturday afternoon as the sophomore third baseman connected on a pair of home runs in the win over Valparaiso.
• Mason Roell's two-homer game marked the fifth time an Indiana State player has hit at least two home runs in the same game in the 2026 season and first since Emil Estrella hit a pair of grand slams on March 22 against Bradley.
• Nick Sutherlin's six RBIs on Saturday afternoon was one off his season-high of seven set on March 16, 2026.
• Nick Sutherlin (6) and Mason Roell (5) both drove in at least five runs on Saturday afternoon marking the fifth and sixth times an Indiana State player has recorded at least five RBIs in the same game in the 2026 season.
• Jaxon Sparks recorded his first collegiate hit on Saturday afternoon as the freshman outfielder singled in the top of the third inning.
• The first six batters in the Indiana State lineup on Saturday afternoon combined to go 13-for-21 with seven extra-base hits, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.
• Andrew Ortiz recorded his third consecutive three-hit game on Saturday afternoon.
• Carter Beck extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games as the junior outfielder recorded his seventh multi-hit game in a row after going 3-for-4 from the plate.
• Ty Brooks turned in a dominant start on the mound going 6.0 shutout innings to record his seventh start of 5.0+ innings in the 2026 season.
• Ty Brooks lowered his team-leading ERA down to 2.00, while the three hits he allowed lowered is opponent batting average down to .165.
• Joey Valentine made his 2026 Indiana State debut on the mound in relief in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• Indiana State has scored double-digit runs in six consecutive games against Valparaiso at Emory G. Bauer Field dating back to April 10, 2022.
• The Sycamores' 18-2 win over the Beacons marked the largest margin of victory by an Indiana State team over Valparaiso in program history dating back to the inaugural contest between the two scores in 1948. 

Up Next
Indiana State and Valparaiso continue the weekend series tomorrowafternoon at 2 p.m. ET at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend.
 
Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now
Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood.
 
Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed.
 
The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold.
 
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.