The Indiana State baseball team hosts Missouri State in the final week of the regular season, as both sides look to claim the Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Championship. First pitch on Thursday and Friday are set for 6:30 p.m., with Saturday's series finale on Senior Day set for 1:00 p.m.

All three games can be heard live on ESPN Radio 92.7 FM with Brian Fritz calling all the action on diamond, along with an Internet feed at espnsportsradio.com. The ISU-MSU series can also be seen for free on SycamoreVision through GoSycamores.com.

Indiana State enters the weekend with a 1 ½ game lead in the MVC standings, sitting at 13-5 in league play. ISU has never won an outright regular season MVC title, earning East Division championships in 1982 and 1983 before sharing the league title with Wichita State in 1985.

Ticket prices for all three games of the series on Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium have been reduced, with single-game general admission tickets going for just $2 while single-game chairback seating at $5.

Probable Indiana State Pitching Rotation
Thursday: Dakota Bacus (Jr. -- RHP -- 6-2 -- 205 -- Moline, Ill. -- Southeastern CC)
Last Start: Scattered seven hits and three runs in eight innings at Southern Illinois on Friday
Friday: Sean Manaea (So. -- LHP -- 6-5 -- 215 -- Wanatah, Ind. -- Andrean HS)
Last Start: Struck out seven batters in 5.1 innings at SIU, allowing just two hits and two runs
Saturday: Ryan Torgerson (Jr. -- RHP -- 6-2 -- 195 -- Johnston, Iowa -- Des Moines Area CC)
Last Start: Threw a complete-game on Sunday at SIU, striking out a career-high eight batters

A Little History
This weekend's series will be the 93rd, 94th and 95th meetings between Indiana State and Missouri State, with the Bears leading the all-time series by a 56-36 margin. MSU took two out of three games when the teams met last season in Springfield, although ISU won the series 2-1 in Terre Haute back in 2010. The Bears have won six of the 10 series with the Sycamores played in Terre Haute since 1992 including four sweeps (2008, 2006, 2004 and 1994).

Scouting The Bears
Missouri State enters the weekend at 35-17 on the season, sitting 1 ½ games behind Indiana State in the MVC standings at 11-6 in league play. The Bears are 3-3 on the road in MVC play this season, dropping two out of three games at Bradley before picking up a 2-1 series win at Wichita State. Overall, MSU is 18-10 on the road and 13-8 in true road games. Senior Kevin Medrano leads the team with a .320 batting average, totaling 64 hits on the season along with a team-leading 11 stolen bases. Senior Spiker Helms tops the roster with six home runs. Thursday's starting pitcher will be redshirt sophomore Nick Petree, who has totaled outstanding numbers on the mound. For the year, Petree has a 0.58 ERA in 93.1 innings and has not allowed an earned run in six starts in conference play. The MSU right-hander has not allowed an earned run since March 2 (72.2 innings) and any runs since April 6 (38 innings).

Keeping Pace With The Past
Indiana State's 40-13 record through 53 games is the best mark in school history, sitting just ahead of the 38-14-1 record posted back in 1987, a team that went on to win 45 games and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. ISU finished the 1979 season at 41-11 after 52 games, winning the MVC Tournament that season. Indiana State's 1986 team made the program's only trip to College World Series, checking in at 38-15 through 53 games. The Sycamores last made the NCAA Tournament in 1995, going 34-19 after 53 games. Below are the next five results for the best starts in ISU history:

Through 53 Games         Game 54           Game 55           Game 56           Game 57           Game 58
2012 -- 40-12             vs. MSU           vs. MSU            vs. MSU            vs. TBA            vs. TBA
1987 -- 38-14-1            W, 9-0 AND       W, 15-6 AND       W, 6-1 SIU        W, 12-8 CU      W, 11-10 CU
1986 -- 38-15                L, 3-5 SIU         L, 2-3 SIU        W, 14-2 DPW      L, 3-4 AND        W, 5-4 AND
1990 -- 37-16              W, 13-11 EIU      W, 7-1 EIU           L, 1-6 SIU      W, 13-12 SIU      L, 6-12 SIU
1985 -- 35-18             W, 13-9 BRAD     W, 7-6 IUPUI      W, 16-2 IUPUI    W, 7-5 WKU       L, 5-6 WKU

Indiana State Around The NCAA
Entering the week, Indiana State is among the nation's best in several offensive and defensive categories. Below is a look at where ISU ranks around the NCAA:

Category                ISU Rank           ISU Total               NCAA Leader / Total
Total Wins                 T-3rd                  40                        Kentucky / 41
Hit By Pitches              4th                    97                   Delaware State / 137
Win/Loss Pct.             T-7th                 .769                   Florida State / .800
Sacrifice Flies             T-7th                  33                        Kent State / 37
Hits                          T-15th                 552                        Hofstra / 610
Total Runs                  16th                  352                     Utah Valley / 438
ERA                           23rd                  3.07                 Coastal Carolina / 2.47
Runs Per Game           29th                   6.8                      Utah Valley / 8.8
Fielding Pct.                30th                  .975                     Evansville / .981
Walks Allowed P/G      31st                  2.83               Cal State Fullerton / 1.70
K-to-BB Ratio             32nd                  2.56                       Florida / 3.88

Eyes On The Prize
Since their first season in the MVC in 1977, ISU has won six tournament championships, but has never claimed an outright regular season title. ISU won the East Division of the MVC in 1982 and 1983 while tying with Wichita State in the MVC's current format back in 1985.

First Or Second
Indiana State is guaranteed to finish the regular season in either first or second place, a feat the Sycamores have not accomplished since 2009 when ISU finished second. Prior to 2009, ISU's last top-two regular season finish came back in 1998 (23-9 MVC, second place).

Receiving Votes
ISU received a season-high 28 votes this week in the USA Today / ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll, doubling their total from last week. ISU's 28 votes rank them 28th in the country. ISU moved up two spots in this week's Top 50 rankings by Perfect Game, sitting at 34th in the country. The Sycamores are the top ranked team in the MVC in both polls.

40 Wins
Indiana State's 10-4 win Southern Illinois last Sunday gave the Sycamores their 40th win of the season, the 10th time in program history that ISU has broke the 40-win barrier. ISU's 40 wins this season are their most since winning 40 games back in 1992. ISU's previous nine 40-win campaigns came in the 14 seasons between 1979 and 1992.

700
ISU leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks tied for 12th on a national scale with a .756 winning percentage this season. Since joining the MVC in 1977, only four other teams at Indiana State have finished a season with a winning percentage above .700, led by the 1979 squad's 41-11 season (.788). Indiana State's three other seasons above .700 took place in the mid-1980s, in 1983 (37-14-1, .721), 1985 (57-22, .722) and 1987 (45-18-1, .711).

Over The Century Mark
Head coach Rick Heller recorded his 100th win at Indiana State this season, as ISU topped Wichita State 6-3 on Saturday, May 5. Heller is just the fifth coach in ISU history to reach the century mark in wins in ISU blue. ISU legend Bob Warn totaled 1,070 wins from 1976-2006, while Paul Wolf (140 -- 1938-41, '56-67), Jim Rendel (129 -- 1968-75) and Wally Marks (108 -- 1929-31, '34-37, '42, '46-47, '49-55) are also in the select group.

Best Winning Percentage In The MVC
Indiana State has posted 104 wins and a .634 winning percentage under head coach Rick Heller over the past three seasons, the best winning percentage in that span among teams in the MVC. ISU is second to Wichita State (113) in overall wins, but leads the way in winning percentage due to playing 16 fewer games.

Three Runs Or Less
The three-run plateau has been the breaking point for the Sycamores under head coach Rick Heller the last three seasons. When ISU has allowed three runs or less to their opponents, the team is 62-7 over the past three seasons, including a 28-4 mark this season. When opponents score four runs or more, ISU holds a 42-53 record.

Weekend Success
Indiana State has come away winners on 12 consecutive weekends, dating back to their four-game sweep of the 2012 Bulldog Classic in Huntsville, Alabama, from Feb. 24-26. Below is a look at the last 12 weekends for the Sycamores.

Feb. 24-26, Bulldog Classic - 4-0                         Apr. 6-8, at Creighton - 2-1
Mar. 3-4, at Eastern Kentucky - 2-1                     Apr. 13-15, at Bradley - 2-1
Mar. 9-11, vs. UT Martin - 3-0                             Apr. 20-22, vs. Dallas Baptist - 2-1
Mar. 15-18, Irish Classic - 4-0                             Apr. 27-29, vs. Nebraska Omaha - 2-1
Mar. 23-25, at Evansville - 2-1                            May 4-6, vs. Wichita State - 2-1
Mar. 30-Apr. 1, vs. Illinois State - 2-1                  May 11-13, at Southern Illinois - 3-0

Ort Named MVC Player Of The Week
Junior Rob Ort led Indiana State with four doubles and seven runs batted in last week and has been named the MVC's Player of The Week as announced by the league office. Ort went 2-for-4 on Wednesday at SIUE, giving ISU a lead in the seventh inning with a bases-clearing three-run double. The ISU junior picked up two hits on both Friday and Saturday at Southern Illinois, tallying three doubles and two RBIs as ISU won their 12th consecutive series. Ort drove in two runs as ISU completed their first MVC series sweep since 2009, hitting his team-leading seventh sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Ort has totaled 11 runs batted in over Indiana State's last seven games, hitting four doubles and two home runs during that span.

Around The Country
Indiana State is tied for the third most wins in the country heading into Thursday's game, trailing only Kentucky and Florida by one game. ISU enters the weekend tied with Baylor, LSU, Purdue and Central Florida with 40 wins this season.

Triple Play
ISU turned a triple play on Sunday against Southern Illinois as Koby Kraemer, Jordan Pearson, Jeremy Lucas, Ryan Torgerson and Jon Hedges combined for a 5-4-2-1-3 triple play in the first inning. ISU last completed a triple play in 2009, when the Sycamores turned one on May 15, 2009, at Missouri State when Dallas Hord lined into 6-4-3 triple play in the first inning. ISU's fielders in 2009 were Ben Ferrell at short, Kraemer at second and Joe Meggs at first.

Early Runs
The Sycamores have dominated the early innings this season, outscoring their opponents 230-87 (+143) over the first five innings of their 53 games. In the first inning alone, Indiana State has a 39-run advantage, scoring 57 runs to their opposition's 18.

Ouch!
Indiana State enters the week ranking fourth on a national scale in hit by pitches, breaking the school record this season by totaling 97 HBPs. ISU also tied a school record for single-game HBPs on Tuesday, March 13, against SIU Edwardsville, as the Sycamores were hit by seven pitches during the game. ISU was also hit by seven pitches twice during the 2008 season, on March 15 at the College of Charleston and on May 13 against Miami (Ohio).

MVC Series Wins
The Sycamores have opened Missouri Valley Conference play with six straight series wins, sweeping Southern Illinois this past weekend after taking two out of three games over Evansville, Illinois State, Creighton, Bradley and Wichita State. This season's start marks the first time that Indiana State has ever posted six straight series wins to begin a league season. ISU is also the only team in the conference this season that has not lost a league series.

Moving Up The Record Book
Senior Kyle Burnam has been a four-year starter since coming to ISU in 2009. Over his career, Burnam has drawn 116 walks, ranking tied for fifth in ISU history with Chad Zaucha (1998-2001) and needing one more to tie Bob Zeihen (1985-88) for fourth. The ISU senior has also totaled 233 hits in 208 games played, needing 20 more hits to enter the top five in ISU history.

Lucas Named To Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Junior Jeremy Lucas was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List earlier this season, an award presented to the nation's top collegiate catcher. Lucas leads Indiana State with a .357 (71-for-199) batting average, also topping the roster with nine home runs, 50 runs scored, 113 total bases and a .568 slugging percentage. The Johnny Bench Award is awarded based on athletic ability, sportsmanship, team leadership and character.

Double-Digit Hits
ISU has recorded at least 10 hits in a game 28 times this season, going 25-3 when posting double-digit hits. Indiana State's only losses when tallying 10 hits have come in walk-off wins for their opponents (at Eastern Kentucky on March 3, at Indiana on April 11 and at Bradley on April 14). When ISU has under 10 hits this season, they are 15-10.

Scoring First
The Sycamores have scored the first run in 36 of their 53 games this season, tallying a 30-6 record when putting a run on the scoreboard first. ISU has also scored in the first inning in 24 of their games, going 21-3 this season when plating a run in the first.

Getting To The Seventh
Under head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 73-11 in games that they hold a lead heading into the seventh inning. When the Sycamores have trailed after the sixth inning, ISU is 14-42.

Above Average
Indiana State ranks above the league average in batting, pitching and fielding, one of just three teams in the conference to do so. ISU ranks second in batting average (.295), second in ERA (3.03) and fourth in fielding percentage (.975). Missouri State and Wichita State also check in above the league average in all three categories. The MVC averages this season are .275 at the plate, 3.76 on the mound and .971 in the field.

Winning Ways
Indiana State secured a winning season with their series win over Dallas Baptist and enters the weekend at 40-13 overall. The Sycamores have now tallied four straight winning seasons and three straight under third-year head coach Rick Heller. ISU's last run of four consecutive winning seasons came from 2000-03.

Against The Best
The Sycamores are 5-2 this season against teams from the 2011 NCAA Tournament field, winning two out of three games in series against Creighton and Dallas Baptist and picking up a midweek win over Illinois. ISU is also 12-8 against teams in the RPI Top 100.

Freshman At The Top
Freshman Landon Curry leads Indiana State with 15 stolen bases this season, ranking sixth in the MVC. The last time that a freshman led the Sycamores in steals was back in 1985 when Bob Zeihen picked up 16 in his rookie season.

Free Baseball
Indiana State has played 10 extra-inning games this season, including a stretch of five out of nine games from April 3-17. ISU's longest game this season came on Tuesday, April 17, when ISU and Valparaiso played 16 innings on Bob Warn Field before ISU came away with a 2-1 win. The Sycamores are 6-4 in extra-inning games this season.

Close Games
In Indiana State's 13 losses this season, seven have come by just a single run with six of those seven coming in walk-off fashion for the opposition. ISU is 10-7 this season in one-run games.

ISU Ties NCAA Record For Runners Left On Base
The Sycamores tied a NCAA record on Tuesday, April 17, against Valparaiso, as Indiana State left 24 runners on base in their 2-1 victory in 16 innings. San Diego State (vs. Hawaii, April 22, 1994 in 15 innings) and Harvard (vs. Holy Cross, April 15, 1987 in 13 innings) also stranded 24 runners. ISU (24) and Valparaiso (17) combined to leave 41 runners on the base, two short of the NCAA record of 43 held San Diego State (24) and Hawaii (19) from their game in 1994.

Eight Times This Season
The Sycamores have recorded eight shutouts this season, their highest total since blanking opponents nine times during both the 1985 and 1983 seasons. The school record for shutouts in a single season is 10, set by the 1977 squad.

On To The Next One...
Indiana State heads to the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament next week, beginning on Tuesday, May 22, from Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo. Indiana State is guaranteed to finish as either the #1 or #2 seed for the upcoming tournament and will open their postseason run at 1:30 p.m. (ET).