Ashley Dickerson
GoSycamores.com
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Indiana State Baseball (3-1, 0-0 MVC) is headed for warmer weathePr in Port Charlotte, Fla. for a five-game weekend with match-ups against Iowa (0-3, 0-0 Big Ten), Boston College (4-0, 0-0 ACC), Chicago State (1-2, 0-0 WAC), Dartmouth (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League), and Villanova (0-3, 0-0 Big East. The Sycamores will play at the North Charlotte Regional Park as part of the Snowbird Baseball Classic.
Week Schedule
Friday: vs. Iowa (2:00 p.m.)
Saturday: vs. Boston College (2:00 p.m.) vs. Chicago State (5:30 p.m.)
Sunday: vs. Dartmouth (12:00 p.m.)
Monday: vs. Villanova (12:00 p.m.)
*All times EST.
Probable Pitchers for Opponents
Friday: RHP Tyler Peyton (Iowa)
Saturday: RHP Mike King (Boston College) / TBD (Chicago State)
Sunday: TBD (Dartmouth)
Monday: RHP Jonathan Rosero (Villanova)
A Little History
Vs. Iowa - Never met
Vs. Boston College - Never met
Vs. Chicago State - 4-0 / 3-11-1994
Vs. Dartmouth - Never met
Vs. Villanova - 1-0 / 2-27-2009
Scouting The Competition
Iowa - After opening weekend, the Hawkeyes are 0-3, losing all three of their series with MVC powerhouse, No. 31 Dallas Baptist. The Hawks finsihed last season with an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament and a 41-18 season overall. Iowa was picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten Conference for the 2016 season.
Boston College - The Eagles have started their season 4-0 for the first time since 2009. The starters for the Eagles did not give up one run over the course of four games, while the pitching staff as a whole only gave up two on the weekend. Offensively, Boston College ranks 11th in the NCAA in walks, one spot behind the Sycamores who rank 10th with 24 total walks. Hailing from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the BC Eagles hoist a tough conference schedule including games against No. 8 NC State. The Sycamores have never met with Eagles on the baseball field.
Chicago State - The Cougars are coming off of a 1-2 weekend against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Dartmouth - This weekend will mark the first weekend of play for the Ivy League school. This will be the first time that ISU has met with DC on the baseball field.
Villanova - The Wildcats opened their season at No. 12 Houston where they went 0-3, losing 13-1, 4-0, and 10-3. Junior Todd Czinege has proven to be a tough out thus far as he went 4-for-4 with a triple, home run, two runs scored and two runs batted in in the final game of the series with Houston.
Competition is Key
This season the Sycamores have raised their game to be competitive with some of the top teams in the country. The club is looking forward to playing 10 teams who were ranked top 50 in RPI last season. Among those opponents slated for the Sycamores this season are six 2015 Regional teams (Dallas Baptist, Oklahoma State, Bradley, NC State, Iowa, and Indiana) and two Super Regional teams (Missouri State and Illinois).
Last Time Out
The Sycamores are coming off of a 3-1 weekend in Litte Rock, Ark. where they played two games against Oral Roberts and two against Little Rock. The Sycamores produced in all aspects of the game, sporting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (top in the MVC) over the first four games. Offensively, the Sycamores produced in every slot of the order, but leading the Sycamores was seniors Kaden Moore and Andy Young as well as junior Hunter Owen. Moore finished the weekend 7-for-15 with seven RBIs. Young was walked nine times, went 5-for-1, scored five times, and had three RBIs. Owen posted seven hits on the weekend while scoring six times and punching in four runs.
Familiar Territory
Iowa head coach Rick Heller is set to face his former Indiana State club this Friday. Heller boasted a strong four-year run (2009-13) at Indiana State. He led the Sycamores to their first outright Missouri Valley Conference championship in school history and back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995 during the record-setting 2012 season. Indiana State finished 41-19, including a 14-7 record in conference play to claim the regular season crown and earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The 41 wins were the most for the program since 1991.
Comfy Conway
Austin Conway emerged as the ISU closer for the 2015 season after Ryan Keaffaber transitioned to a starter. Conway made the most appearances out of the ISU bullpen, working in 27 of the 51 contests last season. Conway earned a team-high seven saves and a 4-1 record in 49.0 innings. Conway was second on the team with 51 punch outs, and held opponents to a .178 batting average.
Keaffaber's Transition
Ryan Keaffaber transitioned from one of the premier closers in college baseball, to a formidable starter for the Sycamores in the 2015 season. After being named to the National College Baseball Writers of America's Stopper of the Year watch list prior to last season, Keaffaber proved to be a tough out for more than a couple of innings. Keaffaber finished the 2015 season with a solid 2.73 ERA. Keaffaber took a no-hitter to the eighth inning against Arkansas-Little Rock on April 26th, and on April 11th struck out a career-high eight against Southern Illinois.
They Went Yard
ISU hit 31 home runs during the 2015 season, surpassing the 2014 season's total by 17. The 31 team home runs are the most since the 2012 season when nine Sycamores combined to hit 35 dingers.
Preseason All-MVC
Senior Andy Young was named Preseason All-MVC at the utility spot and was the lone Sycamore to receive the honors for the 2016 season. Young finished 2015 season sporting a .296 batting average while tallying 60 hits, 31 runs, 7 home runs, 42 RBI, and honorable mention All-MVC honors in 2015. This year's Sycamore squad has been tabbed to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference, receiving 28 points.
The Mighty MVC
Last season, the MVC sent three teams (Bradley, Dallas Baptist, Missouri State) to the NCAA Regional tournament. Of the three teams, Missouri State advanced to the Arkansas Super Regional where their season ended after coming up short to the Razorbacks. “This is a strong league, and we'll have to take care of business on the field,” head coach Mitch Hannahs said after learning of the team's fifth place selection. Missouri State was picked to win the conference tallying 60 points, while Dallas Baptist was a close second earning 56 points.
Deep-Rooted Defense
The 2016 season staple will revolve around the squad's overall depth. Compared to the last couple of years, the Sycamores will not be boasting a stand-out guy on the mound. This season is about depth and consistency for the hurlers who will be headlined by junior left-handed pitcher Ryan Keaffaber who was a 2015 MVC Scholar Athlete honorable mention and closer, Austin Conway who finished the season with a 2.26 ERA. The Sycamores also return key position players who will compete to be among the top defenses in the nation. Throughout four games, the Sycamores remain perfect in the field with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Brain Games
This fall, the boys in blue were honored for their achievements in the classroom. The team posted a 3.17 GPA for the fall semester that landed them on the top-spot among all Indiana State men's teams.
Fresh Faces
While the Sycamores return a few familiar faces, the team has also welcomed a total of 20 new faces to the 2016 roster. Of the 20 new-to-ISU guys, 10 are freshman while 10 have garnered experience from other collegiate ball clubs.
Following Suit
Last season marked the 7th winning season in a row for the Indiana State Baseball club. This year's team hopes to improve the streak to eight and would mark coach Hannah's third winning season in a row at the helm.
