TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads to Murray, Ky. and Johnny Reagan Stadium for the 2026 Missouri Valley Baseball Championships as the Sycamores hold the No. 2 overall seed in the six-team tournament field held over May 20-23.
 
The Sycamores hold a first-round bye after finishing in the top two over the regular season and will take on a to-be-determined opponent on Thursday, May 21, with first pitch set for 4 p.m. ET. The double-elimination tournament will culminate in the championship game being played on Saturday, May 23. All Indiana State games will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Sycamores Earn No. 2 Overall Seed

• Indiana State Baseball won seven of the eight Missouri Valley baseball weekend series on their way to claiming the No. 2 overall seed at the MVC Baseball Championships.
• The Sycamores topped Bradley, Valparaiso, UIC, Illinois State, Evansville, Southern Illinois, and Murray State, winning all seven series by 2-1 margins.
• Indiana State's lone series loss came in the season finale dropping the final two games to Belmont to fall 1-2.
• Indiana State (15-9) ended one game behind UIC (16-8) in the regular season standings, while holding the tiebreaker over Murray State (15-9) to claim the No. 2 seed and first-round bye. 

Sycamores All-Time at MVC Baseball Championships

• Indiana State holds an all-time 81-66 mark at the Missouri Valley Baseball Tournament Championships dating back to 1977.
• The Sycamores have won eight MVC Baseball Tournaments over program history. The eight championships came in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 2019, and 2023.
• Indiana State has winning records against all five teams in the 2026 Tournament Field in the postseason including Evansville (8-6), Illinois State (11-5), Murray State (1-0), Southern Illinois (16-6), and UIC (2-0).
• The MVC Baseball Championships have never been held in Murray, Ky.

Season Spotlight

• The Indiana State offense features a variety of players sitting among the tops in the Missouri Valley in multiple offensive categories heading into the postseason.
• Mason Roell (.372) is currently second in the Valley in batting average, third in on-base percentage (.486), and fourth overall in slugging percentage at .647. He has posted 22 extra-base hits over the 2026 season with 11 doubles and 10 home runs to go with a triple.
• Carter Beck finished the regular season as the Valley leader in RBIs with 56 and runs scored with 60, while sitting third in the conference in home runs (14) and second in total extra-base hits (33).
• The Sycamores have three athletes in the top seven in runs batted in with Carter Beck (56, 1st), Nick Sutherlin (53, 3rd), Mason Roell (47, 6th), Caden Miller (46, 7th) among the Valley leaders.
• Emil Estrella is also among the tops in the conference sitting second overall with 20 stolen bases to go with a .311 batting average and nine home runs, while also sitting ninth with 42 RBIs.
• The Sycamores lead the Missouri Valley in a number of team offensive categories including doubles (120), scoring (405), home runs (68), extra-base hits (202), walks (254), and defensive double plays (48). Indiana State is also third in on-base percentage (0.385) and second in slugging percentage (.465).
• Overall, the Sycamores' pitching staff have pitched a Valley-high 490.1 innings on the year resulting in a 6.04 ERA with a 430:292 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Seven different Sycamore pitchers have made at least 15 appearances on the mound this season. 

Sycamores in Valley Play

• The Indiana State offense remains the standard in the Missouri Valley this season with a .316 batting average with the team second in the league in doubles (53), while leading the conference with 36 home runs and 94 extra-base hits.
• The Sycamores have added a league-high 191 runs scored, while sitting second overall with 38 stolen bases.
• On the mound, Indiana State is fourth overall in the conference in team ERA (4.76) over 211.2 innings sitting sixth in total strikeouts (179).
• The Sycamores have two players inside the top six in batting average in conference play including Mason Roell (.395, 5th) and Carter Beck (.379, 6th).
• Carter Beck and Mason Roell tied for the MVC lead in home runs in Valley play with eight apiece.
• Carter Beck leads the Valley with 30 RBIs in conference games while adding 14 extra-base hits. He also leads the MVC in total runs scored with 29.
• Emil Estrella is first in the conference with 10 stolen bases, while Carter Beck and Nomar Garcia both finished with seven stolen bases in MVC play.
• The Indiana State pitching rotation features two of the top arms in the Missouri Valley with Spencer Johnsen (1-0, 2.30 ERA) and Ryan Karst (3-0, 2.34 ERA) both sitting inside the top four in the conference in ERA.
• Ryan Karst finished the regular season as the Valley's overall leader in WHIP at 1.02.
• Carson Seeman is currently tied for first in the conference in wins in Valley play with a 4-0 record over eight appearances and 20.2 innings pitched. The right-handed reliever has posted a 22:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

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.