Ashley Dickerson
GoSycamores.com
Week Schedule
Tuesday: vs. Nebraska - 4:00 pm
Wednesday: vs. Nebraska - 4:00 pm
Probable Pitchers
Saturday: TBD
Sunday: TBD
Summing It Up
Indiana State Baseball (13-7) is coming off of a 11-7 win over No.13 N.C. State on Wednesday, and a series win over Siena College The Sycamores out-slugged N.C. State, tallying 16 hits in game two, as the team collected a total of 24 hits in the midweek split. Indiana State now owns two wins over ranked opponents, including one over then No. 22 Oklahoma State on March 6. The Sycamores took both games in the double header with Siena on Saturday for the team's home opener. Indiana State scored a total of 22 runs on the Saint, winning game one 10-3 and game two 12-3.
Owen's Offense
Junior Hunter Owen is currently on a seven-game hitting streak as he hit his first home run of the 2016 season on March 12 against Davidson, while going 7-for-12 on the weekend with six RBIs and a hit by pitch. The junior collected four hits against No.13 N.C. State while driving in three runs. Throughout the year, Owen has played and started in every game, tallying 33 hits, 20 runs scored, seven doubles, and 22 RBIs. Owen recently held a seven-game hitting streak and has had a hit in 18 of the overall 20 games played. Owen continues to produce at the plate as he leads the Sycamores in multiple offensive categories. Owen headlines the runs category with 20, hits with 33, doubles with seven, and RBIs with 22.
Kaden Connects
Senior Kaden Moore currently leads the Sycamore offense, swinging a .403 batting average. Moore posted a .500 average over the Spring Break swing, driving in six RBIs and scoring four runs. Moore was 4-for-5 in game two against Siena on Saturday, leading the Sycamores to a 12-3 victory.
Immediate Impact
Clay Dungan is currently on a seven-game hitting streak for the Sycamores. The freshman from Yorktown, Indiana has stepped up for the Sycamores as the middle of the lineup guy. Dungan's 4-for-5 performance against No. 13 N.C. State lead the Sycamores to an 11-7 win on Wednesday afternoon. Over the Spring Break timeframe, Dungan hit .476 and hit two triples while posting a .714 slugging percentage. Accompanying Dungan is freshman Chris Ayers who has started five games, playing in eight, inking a .348 average with three doubles. Ayers hit his first career home run in his 2-for-4 effort against Siena on March 19.
Peterson Back On Top
Senior Daniel Peterson has been battling injury after injury since the 2013 season. This year, Peterson (4-1) has made six appearances while starting in four. His start against Dartmouth was his first since the 2013 season, and he threw seven complete innings while striking out nine, walking one, and only allowing three hits. Peterson earned the win in shutout manor. Peterson earned his fourth win in the home opener over Siena, disking out eight strikeouts. Peterson leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 35.
Big Ten On Deck
Indiana State will begin a stretch of Big Ten competition starting this Tuesday and Wednesday with a two-game home series with Nebraska, and will return to Bob Warn Field for an in-state rivalry match with the Indiana Hoosiers. That three-game series will continue on Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington.
A Little History
The Sycamores met with Nebraska for the first time last season. Nebraska won the series as they took both games from the Sycamores.
Scouting The Competition
Nebraska comes into the series with an 11-7 record with wins over ranked Long Beach State and over MVC foe Wichita State. The Huskers have six multi home run games entering Tuesday, including three home run game against Tulane. The Huskers own two sweeps this season over Northern Colorado and Loyola Marymount. Key players: Scott Schreiber - named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of
the week on 3/14 after hitting .571 with 4 HRs, 2 doubles, 11 RBIs and 6 runs scored the previous week. Ben Miller - enters Tuesday with a team-high .380 batting average, with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs. He has a team-high 10 multi-hit games in 2016, including a pair of three-hit performances. Husker Ryan Boldt is hitting .308 (24-for-78) with seven multi-hit games, including five games with three-hits. Zack Engelken - getting the start on Wednesday, Engelken carries a 10.50 ERA and is 0-1 on the season. Engelken has pitched 6 complete innings with 5 hits 7 runs 8 walks and 11 strikeouts.
MVC Weekly Honors
Indiana State swept the Missouri Valley Conference honors for the week of March 14 with senior Daniel Peterson being named pitcher of the week, while junior Hunter Owen was named player of the week. The recognition marked the second consecutive week the Sycamores earned pitcher of the week honors. After a standout appearance in game three against ranked Oklahoma State, LHP Justin Hill, and Sycamore newcomer, earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors for week three of the season. Hill allowed just two hits in 7.2 innings on the mound, improved himself to 2-0 on the mound, and led the Sycamores to their second shutout win this season.
The Sycamores will begin play on Tuesday and Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Both games can be followed on live stats or via live stream on GoSycamores.com
