The Indiana State baseball team plays their final nonconference game of the season on Tuesday, traveling to West Lafayette to face No. 18 Purdue from Lambert Field at 4:00 p.m.

The game can be heard live online at GoSycamores.com with Brian Fritz calling all the action on the diamond. ISU's game with Purdue will not be carried on ESPN Radio 92.7 FM locally in Terre Haute due to scheduled programming at the station.

Indiana State (40-12) and Purdue (39-10) will combine for 79 wins on the season when the Sycamores and Boilermakers meet on Tuesday, the most combined wins in a matchup in country this season. Tuesday's game will also be the final one for PU's Lambert Field.

Probable Indiana State Starting Pitcher
Tuesday: Kyle Rupe (Fr. -- RHP -- 6-1 -- 185 -- Indianapolis, Ind. -- Perry Meridian HS)
Last Start: Scattered six hits and one run in 4.2 innings at SIUE last Wednesday, striking out one batter

A Little History
Tuesday's game will be the 63rd meeting between Indiana State and Purdue, with the Sycamores leading the all-time series by a 33-27-2 margin. ISU and PU have not met since the 2007 season, when the Sycamores won 12-7 in West Lafayette on May 9. The teams have played 10 times since 1999, splitting those 10 games with each side winning twice on the road. The Sycamore and Boilermakers have played six common opponents this season, in: Ball State, Illinois, Illinois State, Notre Dame, UIC and Wichita State -- ISU went 9-2 against those opponents while PU went 10-2.

Scouting The Boilermakers
Purdue enters Tuesday's game at 39-10 on the season, earning at least a share of the Big Ten championship with a series win over Michigan this past weekend. The Boilermakers sit at 16-5 in Big Ten play, claiming their first conference championship since 1909. Purdue's 39 wins this season are the school record, surpassing the 37 games won by PU in 2011 and 1986. As a team, Purdue ranks fifth nationally in batting average (.322) and seventh in total hits (568). Tuesday's game will be the final game played at Lambert Field in West Lafayette, as Purdue will play at Alexander Field in 2013 which is currently under construction.

Keeping Pace With The Past
Indiana State's 40-12 record through 52 games is the second best mark in school history, sitting one game behind the 1979 squad's 41-11 record. ISU started 38-14 in 1986, winning 48 games and making the program's only trip to the College World Series. The Sycamores tallied 37 wins through 52 games in 1987, making a NCAA Regional appearance that season. The Sycamores last made the NCAA Tournament in 1995, going 34-18 through 52 games. Below are the next five results for the best starts in ISU history:

Through 52 Games        Game 53           Game 54           Game 55           Game 56           Game 57
1979 -- 41-11            Finished the season 41-11 overall, falling in the NCAA Tournament to Hawaii and Oklahoma
2012 -- 40-12               at PU             vs. MSU           vs. MSU           vs. MSU           vs. TBA
1986 -- 38-14               L, 1-2 SIU         L, 3-5 SIU         L, 2-3 SIU       W, 14-2 DPW      L, 3-4 AND
1987 -- 37-14-1           W, 5-4 SIU        W, 9-0 AND      W, 15-6 AND       W, 6-1 SIU        W, 12-8 CU
1990 -- 36-16              W, 3-2 BUT      W, 13-11 EIU      W, 7-1 EIU         L, 1-6 SIU       W, 13-12 SIU

Indiana State Around The NCAA
Entering last 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

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 ranks 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 seasons came in the 14 seasons between 1979 and 1992.

700
ISU leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks tied for seventh on a national scale with a .769 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 .638 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 (112) in overall wins, but leads the way in winning percentage due to playing 16 fewer games.

Eyes On The Prize
Since their first season in the MVC in 1977, Indiana State has won six conference tournament championships, but has never claimed an outright regular season championship. ISU won the East Division in 1982 and 1983 while tying with Wichita State in 1985.

Around The Country
Indiana State is tied for the second most wins in the country after last weekend, trailing only Kentucky's 41 wins on a national scale. ISU enters the week tied with Florida State and Central Florida with 40 wins this season.

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 62-6 over the past three seasons, including a 28-3 mark this season. When opponents score four runs or more, ISU holds a 42-53 record.

Midweek Action
Indiana State is 10-1 in midweek games this season, with their only loss coming at Indiana on April 11. As a team, ISU is hitting .327 (143-for-437) in midweek games and averaging 10.1 runs per game. Senior Kyle Burnam leads the team with 20 hits and 16 RBIs in midweek games, while junior Jeremy Lucas has scored 17 runs and tallied 14 runs batted in.

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 six games, hitting .346 with four doubles and two home runs during that span.

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 229-87 (+142) over the first five innings of their 52 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.

Scoring First
The Sycamores have scored the first run in 35 of their 52 games this season, tallying a 30-5 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.

Moving Up The Record Book
Senior Kyle Burnam has been a four-year starter since coming to Indiana State from Marshall High School in 2009. Over his career, Burnam has drawn 115 walks, ranking sixth in ISU history and one behind Chad Zaucha (116 -- 1998-2001) for fifth place. The ISU senior has also totaled 233 hits in 207 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 .359 (70-for-195) batting average, also topping the roster with nine home runs, 50 runs scored, 112 total bases and a .574 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 15-9.

Getting To The Seventh
Under head coach Rick Heller, Indiana State is 73-10 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 two teams in the conference to do so. ISU ranks second in batting average (.296), second in ERA (3.07) and fourth in fielding percentage (.975). Wichita State also checks 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 week at 40-12 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 12-7 against teams in the RPI Top 100.

Freshman At The Top
Freshman Landon Curry leads Indiana State with 14 stolen bases this season, ranking tied for 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 nine 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 6-3 in extra-inning games this season.

Close Games
In Indiana State's 12 losses this season, six have come by just a single run with five of those six coming in walk-off fashion for the opposition. ISU is 10-6 this season in one-run games.

Allowing Big Innings
Under head coach Rick Heller, the Sycamores are 68-16 when the team does not allow a three-run inning during a game. When Indiana State does allow at least three runs to be scored in one inning during a game, ISU holds a 36-43 record.

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 closes out the regular season this week, when the Sycamores host the Missouri State Bears for three games at Bob Warn Field. The series starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday and a 1:00 p.m. series finale on Saturday. ISU will also honor their 10 seniors before Saturday's game.