INDIANA STATE BASEBALL NOTES INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

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1 INDIANA STATE BASEBALL ) GAME 41 ILLINOIS (26-12, 11-4 BIG TEN) AT INDIANA STATE (27-13, 10-3 MVC) APRIL 29, 2009 TERRE HAUTE, IND. SYCAMORE FIELD (1,500) WISU 89.7 FM 2009 SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 20 at The Citadel W, at The Citadel (1) W, 9-6 (10) 21 at The Citadel (2) W, 8-7 (11) 22 at The Citadel L, 5-4 (12) 24 ST. LOUIS W, vs. Villanova^ W, vs. Mount St. Mary s^ W, vs. St. Bonaventure^ W, 12-0 MARCH 1 vs. New York Tech^ W, INDIANA W, at Austin Peay L, at Kentucky L, at Kentucky L, at Kentucky L, EASTERN ILLINOIS W, at Memphis L, 5-6 (10) 14 at Memphis L, at Memphis W, BUTLER W, CREIGHTON* L, CREIGHTON* L, CREIGHTON* W, BALL STATE W, at Illinois State* L, at Illinois State* Canceled 29 at Illinois State* Canceled APRIL 3 at Northern Iowa* W, at Northern Iowa (1)* W, at Northern Iowa (1)* W, at Miami (Ohio) Canceled 8 at Eastern Illinois L, BRADLEY (1)* W, BRADLEY (2)* W, BRADLEY* W, at Missouri L, at Missouri L, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* W, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (1)* W, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (2)* W, MIAMI (OHIO) Canceled 22 at Indiana W, OAKLAND CITY W, vs. Southern Indiana W, vs. Oakland City W, ILLINOIS 7 p.m. MAY 1 at Wichita State* 8 p.m. 2 at Wichita State* 3 p.m. 3 at Wichita State* 2 p.m. 8 EVANSVILLE* 6 p.m. 9 EVANSVILLE* 1 p.m. 10 EVANSVILLE* 1 p.m. 12 XAVIER 6 p.m. 14 at Missouri State* 7:30 p.m. 15 at Missouri State* 7:30 p.m. 16 at Missouri State* 3:00 p.m at MVC Tournament TBA - All Times Eastern ^ At The Palm Beach Challenge (Fla.) * Denotes Missouri Valley Conference Game ILLINI: GAME DAY CENTRAL AT PITCHING PROBABLES TBA SYCAMORES: #34 Kevin Mann, Jr., LHP SETTING THE SCENE Winners of seven straight games, Indiana State (27-13, 10-3 MVC) will face off against Illinois (26-12, 11-4 Big Ten) in hopes of extending that streak to eight in a row and improving its home record to 14-2 overall. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST, with left-hander Kevin Mann (0-1) taking the mound for ISU. The Sycamores took a break from Missouri Valley Conference play last week and made it count, as they picked up four wins including a couple of shutout victories over the weekend against Southern Indiana and Oakland City. ISU began the week with a 7-4 win over Indiana on Wednesday at Sembower Field in Bloomington, Ind. With the win, the Sycamores swept the regular season series with their in-state rivals. Ryan Strausborger and Brady Shoemaker each hit home runs for ISU in the win and helped Michael Manus (2-1) pick up the win, after he allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out eight in fi ve strong innings of work on the mound. ISU then returned home to pick up a 16-5 victory over Oakland City at Sycamore Field on Friday night. The Sycamores pounded out 19 hits, including four home runs, to extend its winning streak to fi ve games. ISU starter Eric Valdez (4-2) was strong on the mound, as he allowed just two runs on fi ve hits while striking out fi ve batters in 5.1 innings of work to pick up his second straight win. Shoemaker and Ben Caple each fi nished the game with three RBI to pace the Sycamore offense. A trip to historic Bosse Field was up next for the Sycamores, as they headed to Evansville, Ind., to face off against Southern Indiana on Saturday. ISU pounded out 17 hits and ISU starter Jake Petricka shut down the Screaming Eagles lineup to secure a 10-0 shutout and extend ISU s winning streak to six in a row. Petricka (6-1) was dominant on the mound, as he allowed just fi ve hits and tied his career high with seven strikeouts while holding the Eagles scoreless through 7.2 innings. Bronco Lafrenz led the way at the plate for the Sycamores, as he fi nished 3-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI in the shut-out win. The Sycamores then put a cap on the non-conference action on Sunday, as a threerun home run off the bat of Brady Shoemaker enforced the mercy rule in a seven-inning 11-0 win for the Sycamores over Oakland City at USI Field in Evansville. ISU starter Joe Rodriguez (5-1) picked up his fi rst career shutout at ISU, after allowing just four hits in the run-shortened seven-inning contest. Rodriguez struck out two and walked one to secure ISU s fi rst complete game shutout of the season. Illinois has also been on a roll lately, having won seven out of their last 11 games including a sweep last weekend at Penn State. After their weekend sweep over the Nittany Lions, the Illini improved their season record to and jumped back into the national rankings at the No. 28 spot in Collegiate Baseball s weekly poll. 1

2 GAME BREAKDOWN TALE OF THE TAPE OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE STATISTICS CATEGORY INS ILL AVG AB R H B B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% PITCHING STATISTICS Category INS ILL ERA W-L CG 1 1 SHO/CBO 3/2 3/2 SV 4 9 IP H R ER BB SO B B 8 11 HR B/AVG WP HBP BK 6 1 SFA SHA ABOUT THE COACHES Lindsay Meggs (UCLA 93) is in his third season as the Sycamore skipper (71-71) in In his fi rst season, Meggs coached the Sycamores to a mark overall and a 7-17 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last year, the Sycamores were overall and 9-15 in the Valley playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. Meggs took the reigns of the Sycamore baseball program in 2006, coming to ISU after spending 13 seasons as head coach at California State-Chico. While there, he guided the Wildcats to two NCAA Division II National Championships and compiled an overall record of Dan Hartleb (Southern Illinois 89) is in his fourth season as head coach at Illinois (117-93) and 19th season on the Illini coaching staff. Hartleb has guided the Illini to the Big Ten Tournament in all three of his seasons at the helm, giving the Orange and Blue four consecutive postseason appearances and 10 in the last 13 years. During his time with the Illini, Hartleb has been instrumental in recruiting and developing 44 players who have signed minor league contracts, including two in 2008, four in 2007 and seven in 2005, with seven former Illini reaching the major leagues. Hartleb was an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach Richard Itch Jones for 17 years, two at Southern Illinois and 15 at Illinois. SCOUTING THE ILLINI The University of Illinois is located in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., and has an enrollment of 43,326 students. The Fighting Illini are members of the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at Illinois Field (1,500). The Illini finished with an overall record of last year and posted a conference mark of 16-15, which was good enough for fourth place in the Big Ten. Illinois is coming off a big weekend series win over Penn State. The Illini picked up a 9-2 victory at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Sunday to completed the sweep, after winning a 7-3 decision on Friday and a 9-2 decision on Saturday. It was Illinois first sweep in a Big Ten road series since After their weekend sweep over Penn State, the Illini improved their season record to and upped their Big Ten Conference record to That helped the Illini jump back into the national rankings, earning the No. 28 spot in Collegiate Baseball s weekly poll. Illinois freshman designated hitter Willie Argo was named the Big Ten Player of the Week by the conference office on Monday. Argo hit.667 (8-for-12) with three home runs, a slugging percentage, an on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) of 2.359, eight RBIs and six runs to lead Illinois to a three-game Big Ten sweep at Penn State and move into a first-place tie with Ohio State. Illinois will get a heavy dose of Missouri Valley Conference baseball this week, with a game at home on Tuesday on Southern Illinois and Wednesday s game against Indiana State at Sycamore Field. The Illini are currently 1-1 against teams from the Valley this season, with an 11-1 win over Bradley on April 7 and a 9-6 loss to Southern Illinois on April 15. HOOSIER STATE SUPREMACY HOOSIER STATE SUPREMACY With a win on Wednesday at Sembower Field against in-state rival Indiana and three wins over the weekend against Oakland City and Southern Indiana, the Sycamores improved to 7-0 against teams from the Hoosier State this season. Indiana State defeated Indiana by a score of 11-2 on March 3 at home and also defeated Division I foes Butler (23-3) and Ball State (14-6) in games at Sycamore Field. However, it would be premature to give the Sycamores the state title at this point in the season as they still have a big Missouri Valley Conference series at home against Evansville May

3 MEDIA INFORMATION QUICK FACTS Location...Terre Haute, Ind. Founded Enrollment...10,679 Nickname......Sycamores Colors...Royal Blue and White Home Facility... Sycamore Field Capacity ,500 Surface...Astro-Turf (Infi eld), Grass (Outfield) Dimensions (LF), 402 (CF), 340 (RF) Affi liation... NCAA Division I Conference...Missouri Valley President...Dr. Daniel J. Bradley Director of Athletics......Ron Prettyman Faculty Representative...Dr. Joe Sanders Athletic Department Phone...(812) Website...GoSycamores.com MEDIA RELATIONS MBB Contact...Mike Williams Offi ce Phone Cell Phone mwilliams73@isugw.indstate.edu Media Relations Fax Press Box Phone Mailing Address: Indiana State Athletics Media Relations 401 N. 4th Street Terre Haute, IN GAMEDAY SERVICES Statistical and informational materials including pre-game notes, roster cards, playby-plays, box scores and updated season statistics are provided by the ISU Athletics Media Relations Offi ce. Wireless internet and phone lines will also be made available for media use in the Sycamore Field press box. POST-GAME PROCEDURE Prior to the end of the game, Athletics Media Relations personnel will entertain interview requests. Following a 10-minute cooling off period, head coach Lindsay Meggs and selected Indiana State players will be available on the fi eld near the Sycamore dugout. INTERVIEW POLICY All requests for player interviews must be made through the Athletics Media Relations offi ce. Players have been instructed to conduct no interviews unless they have been set up in this manner. Interviews with head coach Lindsay Meggs are arranged through the Athletics Media Relations Offi ce by calling (812) It is best to arrange an interview during the morning. THEY RE GOING STREAKING Indiana State currently leads all teams in the Missouri Valley Conference with a.315 team batting average, thanks to some very consistent hitters. ISU currently has four players with hitting streaks of at least six games, led by Luke Fieser s current 15-game streak after already posting a 12-game streak earlier this season. Fieser s 15-game string ties for the team s longest of the season with Ryan Strausborger. Tyler Graham and Brady Shoemaker are currently on seven-game streaks and Nick Ciolli rounds out the group with a six-game hitting streak for the Sycamores. SHOEMAKER NAMED VALLEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK The Indiana State baseball team is in the midst of a Missouri Valley Conference title hunt and a seven-game winning streak, thanks to some strong numbers from senior outfi elder Brady Shoemaker. Shoemaker slugged the Sycamores to four wins last week and for that performance, he was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday by the league offi ce. Shoemaker put together one of the best stretches of his career last week, as he hit.500 (8-for-16) with four home runs, seven runs scored and 11 RBI in four wins for the Sycamores. The Brazil, Ind., native hit a home run in four straight games, accounted for 21 total bases and posted a slugging percentage of CALL HIM MR. CONSISTENT A consistent approach at the plate this season for Luke Fieser has turned him into one of the best hitters on the Sycamores roster and in the Missouri Valley Conference. The ISU third baseman is second on the team and in the conference with a.388 average (52-for-134) in 39 starts, thanks in part to a couple of long hitting streaks. The Woodinville, Wash., native posted a 12-game hitting streak earlier in the season and currently has a 15-game streak going. Overall, Fieser has hit safely in 31 of his last 33 games and has collected 14 multi-hit games. HOME, SWEET HOME After playing the majority of their games on the road last season, the Sycamores have made the most of their home schedule this season. ISU has posted a 13-2 record in 15 games at Sycamores Field and are hitting.345 as a team with 18 home runs and 147 runs scored. In contrast, ISU s opponents are hitting just.290 with eight home runs and 72 runs scored in Terre Haute. The Sycamores only two losses at home were to Valley foe Creighton in back-to-back losses on March THOSE ARE SOME IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS Indiana State was one of the better offensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, but their numbers this season are threatening to top last year s by a large margin. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Sycamores have posted a.315 batting average, scored 324 runs and collected 457 hits. Last season, ISU fi nished with a team average of.287, while scoring 244 runs and collecting 504 hits. The Sycamores have already topped their home run total from last season, 36, with an even 40 in MAKE IT NINE IN A ROW MAKE IT NINE IN A ROW With a 5-3 come-from-behind victory in the eighth inning over Southern Illinois on April 18 at Sycamore Field, Indiana State secured its third straight series sweep over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent for the fi rst time since the league went to the three-game series format prior to the 2005 season. ISU s nine consecutive wins in conference play is its longest streak since 1985, when the Sycamores won 12 straight games in Valley play and fi nished the season overall. 3

4 AROUND THE VALLEY PRESEASON POLL No. School (First-Place Votes) Pts. 1. Missouri State (8) Creighton Wichita State (1) Southern Illinois Bradley Indiana State UNI Illinois State Evansville 17 PLAYER OF THE WEEK Brady Shoemaker, Indiana State, OF, Sr. Shoemaker put together one of the best stretches of his career last week, as he hit.500 (8-for-16) with four home runs, seven runs scored and 11 RBI in four games for the Sycamores. He hit a home run in four straight games, accounted for 21 total bases and posted a slugging percentage of PITCHER OF THE WEEK Jonas Dufek, Creighton,RHP, So. Dufek threw the best game by any Creighton pitcher in the last six years on Saturday, registering a complete-game three-hit shutout, his second of the season, after previously doing it against Southern Illinois on March 29. CONFERENCE STANDINGS MVC Overall Team Record Pct. Record Pct. Missouri State Creighton Indiana State Wichita State Illinois State Southern Illinois Evansville Northern Iowa Bradley MID-WEEK SCHEDULE Tuesday, April 28 Creighton at South Dakota State Bradley at Valparaiso Oakland City at Evansville Southern Illinois at Illinois Illinois Wesleyan at Illinois State Saint Louis at Missouri State Iowa at Northern Iowa Tabor College at Wichita State 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 29 Western Michigan at Illinois State 3 p.m. SIU-Edwardsville at Bradley 6 p.m. Creighton at Iowa 6 p.m. Illinois at Indiana State 6 p.m. Missouri at Missouri State 6:30 p.m. Southern Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois 6:30 p.m. Wichita State at Oral Roberts 7 p.m. - All Times Central SCORING RUNS AT WILL With 324 runs scored this season (8.1 runs per game), the Sycamores have had no problems scoring runs in ISU has scored 10 or more runs 14 times during the season, including a 16-5 victory against in-state foe Oakland City last Friday, a 10-0 shutout of Southern Indiana at Bosse Field on Saturday and an 11-0 mercy rule win over Oakland City on Sunday in Evansville. Last season, the Sycamores averaged 6.9 runs per contest on way to an overall record. POTENT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT The Indiana State offense has been labeled as being potent by many media members, however potent may be too light of an adjective to describe the Sycamores ability at the plate. ISU currently leads all teams in the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average (.315), slugging percentage (.471), on base percentage (.408), runs scored (324), hits (46), runs batted in (291) and total bases (683). In addition, the Sycamores rank second in doubles (85), walks (178) and home runs (40). LET S PLAY TWO Most teams dread the idea of playing a doubleheader, but Indiana State has come to love double dips this season as the Sycamores are 8-0 in doubleheader action this season. ISU started early in the year with a two wins on Saturday in its season-opening series at the Citadel (February 21) and has since posted a 6-0 record in doubleheader action in league play with wins against Northern Iowa (April 4), Bradley (April 11) and Southern Illinois (April 18) in consecutive weekends. In addition, if you fi gure in ISU s wins over Mount St. Mary s and St. Bonaventure on February 28 at the Palm Beach Classic, ISU is 10-0 when playing two games in a day this season. A DRAMATIC WIN KEEPS THE STREAK ALIVE Heading into Saturday s doubleheader against Southern Illinois at Sycamore Field, ISU had won seven straight games in Valley play and had swept its last two conference opponents. After a 10-5 win in game one, that streak went to eight games but the streak was in serious jeopardy in game two as the Sycamores trailed 3-1 in the eighth inning. However, ISU loaded the bases against SIU reliever Nathan Forer for senior catcher Bronco Lafrenz, who launched a ball over the left fi eld wall for his fi rst grand slam of the season and his team-leading seventh home run of the year to give ISU a 5-3 advantage and an eventual sweep over the Salukis. PETRICKA SHUTS DOWN THE BRAVES Sophomore Jake Petricka was stellar on the mound in game two of Saturday s doubleheader against Bradley. The right hander from Fariboult, Minn., picked up his fourth win of the season by giving up just one run on three hits while striking out three in eight innings of work against the Braves. The win was Petricka s second in a row in Valley play, tied him for the team lead in wins and helped the Sycamores to their second-straight series sweep over a Valley opponent. J-ROD PICKS UP THIRD STRAIGHT VALLEY WIN J-ROD PICKS UP THIRD STRAIGHT VALLEY WIN ISU starter Joe Rodriguez struggled in the fi rst two innings and gave up four earned runs to Bradley in the series fi nale between the two squads. However, the left-hander regained his composure and allowed just three hits over the next fi veplus innings to pick up his fourth win on the season. In all, Rodriguez pitched 7.1 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out four to move to 3-0 in three starts in Valley play. 4

5 SEASON AWARDS MISSOURI VALLEY Bronco Lafrenz MVC Player of the Week (3/26) Brady Shoemaker MVC Player of the Week (4/27) HANDLING THE BAT WITH EASE Junior second baseman Ryan Strausborger set the table for the Sycamores at the top of the lineup against Northern Iowa, as the ISU leadoff man hit.571 (8-for- 14) with a triple and fi ve runs scored in a three-game sweep over the Panthers. The Osceola, Ind., native also added a walk and accounted for 10 total bases while fi nished 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Most of that damage was done in Saturday s doubleheader sweep over the Panthers, when he fi nished 6-for-10 with four runs scored and three stolen bases. GET OUT YOUR BROOMS Weekend sweeps on the road in Missouri Valley Conference play are hard to come by for any team and before the team s weekend sweep at UNI, it had been a while since the Sycamores achieved that feat. The last time ISU picked up a conference road sweep was in 2005, when the Sycamores picked up three wins at Missouri State from April The sweep for ISU was its fi rst since last season, when the team won its last three games of the year in a weekend sweep over Illinois State. With sweep over Bradley and Southern Illinois at home, the Sycamores have now extended their streak to three-straight series sweeps. WHAT CAN T HE DO? Senior Brady Shoemaker continues to be a threat in the middle of the lineup for the Sycamores, as he hit.455 (5-for-11) with a double, triple, home run and four RBI in a weekend sweep over at UNI. Shoemaker also scored seven runs, was walked fi ve times, stole two bases and accounted for 11 total bases on way to a.625 onbase percentage against the Panthers. STRONG ARMING THE COMPETITION The Sycamores have been getting the job done at the plate all season with their.311 team batting average. However, it was a trio of strong pitching performances at UNI that made the difference for the Sycamores. All three Sycamore starters earned wins against the Panthers and the ISU pitching staff allowed just eight runs in the threegame weekend sweep. Junior Eric Valdez kicked off the series with a 12-strikeout performance in Friday s 9-3 victory, while sophomore Jake Petricka allowed just two runs in game a 13-4 win in game one on Saturday. Junior Joe Rodriguez guaranteed the weekend sweep with a dominating 1-run effort in 8.1 innings in game two on Saturday to secure the team s fi rst road sweep since MULTI-HOMER GAME FOR SHOEMAKER The wind was blowing out at Sycamore Field, but Brady Shoemaker s two home runs hit would have cleared the fences no matter how much wind there was against Ball State. The senior slugger from Brazil, Ind., hit two home runs against the Cardinals and fi nished the game with four RBI to lead the way for the Sycamores. It was Shoemaker s second multi-home run game in his two-year career at ISU, with the other coming against Illinois State on May 17 at Sycamore Field when he launched three home runs and accounted for 10 RBI against the Redbirds in the season fi nale. THE LAUNCHING PAD THE LAUNCHING PAD Sycamore Field turned into a launching pad, as the Sycamores hit a season-high four home runs against Ball State. Senior Brady Shoemaker led the way with two home runs and four RBI against the Cardinals, while senior Brian Jett hit his team-leading fi fth long ball of the season as well. Junior Tyler Graham also got into the act, as he hit the fi rst home run of his career in an Indiana State uniform to cap off the power display in the victory for the Sycamores. 5

6 BY THE NUMBERS MULTIPLE HIT GAMES Tot 21 Shoemaker, Brady Strausborger, Ryan Ciolli, Nick Fieser, Luke Lafrenz, Bronco Graham, Tyler Burnam, Kyle Jett, Brian Del Real, Pascual Meggs, Joe Ramirez, Brian Kraemer, Koby Ferrell, Ben TEAM MULTIPLE RBI GAMES Tot 20 Ciolli, Nick Lafrenz, Bronco Jett, Brian Graham, Tyler Shoemaker, Brady Burnam, Kyle Fieser, Luke Strausborger, Ryan Del Real, Pascual Meggs, Joe Kraemer, Koby Ramirez, Brian Ferrell, Ben Caple, Ben TEAM HITTING STREAKS Longest Current 11 Fieser, Luke Strausborger, Ryan Ciolli, Nick Graham, Tyler Shoemaker, Brady Burnam, Kyle Meggs, Joe Lafrenz, Bronco Ferrell, Ben Del Real, Pascual 3-5 Ramirez, Brian Jett, Brian Kraemer, Koby 2-37 Colucci, Tony 2-7 Standridge, Cole 1-38 King, Jeff 1-8 Caple, Ben 1 1 RODRIGUEZ BECOMES THE STOPPER ISU starter Joe Rodriguez stepped up when his team needed him the most and picked up a win on Sunday against Creighton to help the Sycamores avoid a series sweep. The Middletown, N.Y., native allowed just three earned runs and scattered nine hits in seven inning of work to pick up his second win of the season for the Sycamores and earn a win for his team in the series fi nale. LAFRENZ GOES DEEP... AGAIN Coming off a week where he hit three home runs and drove in seven runs on way to being named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, catcher Bronco Lafrenz picked up right where he left off in last Friday s Valley season opener against the Creighton Bluejays. With the Sycamores trailing by three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lafrenz came up with two runners on base and hit a long fl y ball to right fi eld that continued to carry in the wind over wall for a three-run home run. It was Lafrenz s teamleading fi fth of the season and his fi fth in six games. IS THAT SCORE RIGHT? One look at the scoreboard at Sycamore Field in the team s win over Butler and one might wonder if their eyes were playing tricks on them. One look would show a 12 put on the board in the bottom of the fi rst inning and by the end of the game the score read The 12 runs in the fi rst inning, the 23 runs on the day and the 24 hits were all game highs for ISU this season. However, the 23 runs surrendered to the Sycamores were not a season high for Butler, as the Bulldogs had previously given up 24 runs to UNLV earlier in the year. MAKE IT A DOZEN The Sycamores have been scoring nearly nine runs a game during the season but they eclipsed that mark against Butler in just the fi rst inning. ISU exploded for 12 runs on 10 hits in the bottom of the fi rst against the Bulldogs to put the game out of reach early. Brady Shoemaker, Tyler Graham, and Luke Fieser all picked up RBI singles to start the inning before Pascual Del Real struck the big blow with a three-run triple to make the score 6-0 at the time. Joe Meggs then picked up a RBI on a single up the middle that scored Del Real from third and Shoemaker later tacked on two more RBI with another single to make the score Fieser capped off the hitting barrage with a RBI single to left fi eld with two outs in the inning. EVERYBODY CHIPS IN Every member of the ISU starting lineup chipped in with at least one hit in the team s 23-3 rout over Butler. Third baseman Luke Fieser led the way with four hits, while Joe Meggs, Ryan Strausborger and Brady Shoemaker each added three hits each for the Sycamores. The feat was in jeopardy until the eighth inning as Brian Jett headed into his at bat 0-for-5 to that point. However, Jett launched a two-run home run over the right fi eld wall to pick up his fi rst hit of the game and his fourth home run of the season. LUCKY 13 FOR VALDEZ LUCKY 13 FOR VALDEZ Junior starter Eric Valdez dominated St. Bonaventure at the Palm Beach Classic on way to picking up his fi rst win in a Sycamore uniform. The right-hander from Kearny, N.J., threw seven innings and gave up just one walk and three hits while striking out 13 St. Bonaventure hitters. He also induced six ground ball outs in the win for the Sycamores as he helped them improve to 7-1 on the season at the time. 6

7 NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Yr.-Exp. Hometown (Previous School) 1 Pascual Del Real INF R/R Sr.-1L Santa Cruz, Calif. (Cabrillo College) 3 Kyle Burnam OF L/L Fr.-HS Marshall, Ill. (Marshall HS) 5 Brian Ramirez INF L/R Sr.-1L Redlands, Calif. (El Camino CC) 7 Cole Standridge OF R/R Sr.-1L Flower Mound, Texas (New Mexico JC) 8 Ben Caple OF R/R Jr.-1L San Diego, Calif. (Palomar JC) 9 Tyler Graham C/DH L/R Jr.-TR Strafford, Ontario, Canada (Kaskaskia CC) 11 Luke Fieser 3B R/R Jr.-TR Woodinville, Wash. (Columbia Basin CC) 13 Ryan Strausborger 2B/OF R/R Jr.-2L Osceola, Ind. (Elkhart Memorial HS) 15 Ben Ferrell SS R/R Jr.-TR Denver, Colo. (Hutchinson CC) 17 Jake Petricka RHP R/R So.-TR Fariboult, Minn. (Iowa Western CC) 20 Nick Ciolli OF L/R Jr.-2L Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute North HS) 21 Brady Shoemaker OF R/R Sr.-1L Brazil, Ind. (Olney Central JC) 23 Eric Valdez RHP R/R Jr.-TR Kearny, N.J. (Clarendon CC) 25 Joe Meggs C/1B R/R Fr.-HS Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute North HS) 26 Scott Harlan RHP R/R Jr.-TR Yuba City, Calif. (Cosumnes River CC) 27 Koby Kraemer INF R/R Fr.-HS Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute South HS) 28 David Gurbach RHP R/R Sr.-1L Aliso Viejo, Calif. (Cerritos College) 30 Bronco Lafrenz C R/R Sr.-1L Sioux City, Iowa (Marshalltown CC) 32 Brian Jett 1B L/L Sr.-1L Hamilton, Ohio (Olney Central JC) 33 Matt Shelton RHP R/R Sr.-3L Loves Park, Ill. (Harlem HS) 34 Kevin Mann LHP L/L Jr.-TR Jackson Center, Ohio (Wabash Valley CC) 35 Matt Bayes LHP L/L Fr.-HS Austin, Ind. (Austin HS) 36 Mark Conover RHP R/R Fr.-HS Brownsburg, Ind. (Brownsburg HS) 37 Tony Colucci INF L/R Fr.-RS Schaumburg, Ill. (Conant HS) 38 Jeff King INF R/R Fr.-HS Brownsburg, Ind. (Brownsburg HS) 39 Cordell Greene RHP R/R Fr.-HS Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove HS) 42 Joe Rodriguez LHP L/L Jr.-TR Middletown, N.Y. (Clarendon CC) 44 Brandon Dorsett RHP R/R Fr.-HS Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute North HS) 45 Brendon Smith RHP R/R Sr.-1L New Haven, Ind. (Lincoln Trail JC) 48 Michael Manus LHP L/L Sr.-1L Greensburg, Ind. (Lincoln Trail JC) 55 Chris Dougherty RHP R/R Sr.-1L Camby, Ind. (Olney Central JC) RS Bryan Chestnut INF R/R So.-HS West Terre Haute, Ind. (West Vigo HS) RS Brett Merkely RHP R/R Jr.-RS Ferdinand, Ind. (Forest Park HS) COACHING STAFF 4 Lindsay Meggs Head Coach (UCLA 85) 24 Tyler Herbst Assistant Coach (Lincoln Memorial 00) 31 T.J. Merritt Assistant Coach (San Diego 05) 29 Casey DeGroote Volunteer Assistant Coach (Indiana State 09) 7

8 2009 OVERALL STATISTICS Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld% 21 Shoemaker, Brady Fieser, Luke Ciolli, Nick Strausborger, Rya Graham, Tyler Lafrenz, Bronco Burnam, Kyle Jett, Brian Ferrell, Ben Colucci, Tony Meggs, Joe Ramirez, Brian Del Real, Pascual Kraemer, Koby King, Jeff Caple, Ben Standridge, Cole Totals Opponents LOB - Team (364), Opp (336). DPs turned - Team (30), Opp (29). IBB - Team (10), Shoemaker 3, Graham 2, Jett 2, Lafrenz 1, Fieser 1, Strausborger 1, Opp (18). Picked off - Fieser 2, Strausborger 2, Del Real 1, Lafrenz 1, Jett 1, Shoemaker 1, Graham 1. (All games Sorted by Earned run avg) Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sfa sha 33 Shelton, Matt / Petricka, Jacob / Valdez, Eric / Manus, Michael / Rodriguez, Joe / Harlan, Scott / Bayes, Matt / Mann, Kevin / Greene, Cordell / Smith, Brendon / Gurbach, David / Dougherty, Chris / Dorsett, Brandon / Conover, Mark / Totals / Opponents / PB - Team (4), Lafrenz 3, Meggs 1, Opp (12). Pickoffs - Team (7), Lafrenz 4, Mann 1, Greene 1, Rodriguez 1, Opp (7). SBA/ATT - Lafrenz (26-36), Rodriguez (8-9), Valdez (3-8), Petricka (6-8), Graham (5-6), Greene (4-5), Manus (3-5), Mann (3-3), Meggs (2-2), Gurbach (1-2), Bayes (1-2), Dougherty (2-2), Harlan (1-1), Smith (1-1). 8

9 2009 CONFERENCE ONLY STATISTICS Record: 10-3 Home: 7-2 Away: 3-1 Valley: 10-3 Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po a e fld% 21 Shoemaker, Brady Fieser, Luke Strausborger, Rya Burnam, Kyle Ciolli, Nick Meggs, Joe Lafrenz, Bronco Graham, Tyler Del Real, Pascual Standridge, Cole Ferrell, Ben Kraemer, Koby Jett, Brian Ramirez, Brian Caple, Ben Totals Opponents LOB - Team (110), Opp (109). DPs turned - Team (9), Opp (11). IBB - Team (3), Shoemaker 2, Lafrenz 1, Opp (4). Picked off - Graham 1, Shoemaker 1. (Valley games only Sorted by Earned run avg) Player era w-l app gs cg sho sv ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr b/avg wp hp bk sfa sha 35 Bayes, Matt / Shelton, Matt / Petricka, Jacob / Rodriguez, Joe / Harlan, Scott / Mann, Kevin / Valdez, Eric / Smith, Brendon / Gurbach, David / Totals / Opponents / PB - Team (1), Lafrenz 1, Opp (5). Pickoffs - Team (0), Opp (2). SBA/ATT - Lafrenz (9-13), Rodriguez (6-7), Petricka (3-4), Valdez (0-3). 9

10 2009 GAME RESULTS Date Opponent Score Inns Overall Valley Pitcher of record Attend Time Feb 20, 2009 at The Citadel W Harlan (W 1-0) 712 3:49 Feb 21, 2009 at The Citadel W 9-6 (10) Shelton (W 1-0) - 3:39 Feb 21, 2009 at The Citadel W 8-7 (11) Shelton (W 2-0) :04 Feb 22, 2009 at The Citadel L 4-5 (12) Harlan (L 1-1) 427 3:54 Feb 24, 2009 ST. LOUIS W Smith (W 1-0) 233 3:03 Feb 27, 2009 vs Villanova W Manus (W 1-0) 137 2:47 Feb 28, 2009 vs Mount St. Mary's W Petricka (W 1-0) 0 - Feb 28, 2009 vs St. Bonaventure W Valdez (W 1-0) 0 - Mar 01, 2009 vs New York Tech W Rodriguez (W 1-0) 0 - Mar 03, 2009 INDIANA W Gurbach (W 1-0) 243 2:57 Mar 04, 2009 at Austin Peay L Bayes (L 0-1) 203 2:53 Mar 06, 2009 at #29 Kentucky L Manus (L 1-1) :00 Mar 07, 2009 at #29 Kentucky L Valdez (L 1-1) :37 Mar 08, 2009 at #29 Kentucky L Shelton (L 2-1) :14 Mar 10, 2009 EASTERN ILLINOIS W Shelton (W 3-1) 172 3:51 Mar 13, 2009 at Memphis L 5-6 (10) Greene (L 0-1) 231 3:25 Mar 14, 2009 at Memphis L Rodriguez (L 1-1) 274 2:55 Mar 15, 2009 at Memphis W Petricka (W 2-0) 218 3:07 Mar 18, 2009 BUTLER W Greene (W 1-1) 268 2:38 * Mar 20, 2009 CREIGHTON L Smith (L 1-1) 237 3:10 * Mar 21, 2009 CREIGHTON L Petricka (L 2-1) 269 3:20 * Mar 22, 2009 CREIGHTON W Rodriguez (W 2-1) 207 2:26 Mar 25, 2009 BALL STATE W Greene (W 2-1) 216 2:38 * Mar 27, 2009 at Illinois State L Valdez (L 1-2) 178 2:54 * Apr 3, 2009 at UNI W Valdez (W 2-2) 423 3:01 * Apr 4, 2009 at UNI W Petricka (W 3-1) - 3:24 * Apr 4, 2009 at UNI W Rodriguez (W 3-1) 231 3:10 Apr 08, 2009 at Eastern Illinois L Mann (L 0-1) 129 3:36 * Apr 11, 2009 BRADLEY W Harlan (W 2-1) 0 3:09 * Apr 11, 2009 BRADLEY W Petricka (W 4-1) 278 2:51 * Apr 12, 2009 BRADLEY W Rodriguez (W 4-1) 185 2:09 Apr 14, 2009 at Missouri L Gurbach (L 1-1) 371 3:13 Apr 15, 2009 at Missouri L Greene (L 2-2) 414 2:56 * Apr 17, 2009 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W Valdez (W 3-2) 311 2:10 1* Apr 18, 2009 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W Petricka (W 5-1) 0 2:31 2* Apr 18, 2009 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W Shelton (W 4-1) 287 2:28 Apr 22, 2009 at Indiana W Manus (W 2-1) 418 2:48 Apr 24, 2009 OAKLAND CITY W Valdez (W 4-2) 173 2:49 Apr 25, 2009 vs Southern Indiana W Petricka (W 6-1) 512 2:20 Apr 26, 2009 vs Oakland City W Rodriguez (W 5-1) 125 2:12 () extra inning game 10

11 2009 GAMES SUMMARY Score by innings EX Total Indiana State Opponents Record when... Overall Conference 10-3 Non-Conference Home games 13-2 Away games 8-11 Neutral site 6-0 Day games Night games 5-2 vs Left starter 6-8 vs Right starter Run games Run games Run games 17-9 Extra innings 2-2 Shutouts 3-1 Scoring 0-2 runs runs runs runs 15-0 Opponent 0-2 runs runs runs runs 0-6 Scored in 1st inning 14-2 Opp. scored in 1st 6-6 Scores first 22-4 Opp. scores first 5-9 After 6 leading trailing tied 2-2 After 7 leading trailing tied 2-1 After 8 leading trailing tied 1-1 Hit 0 home runs home run home runs 8-1 Opponent 0 home runs home run HRs 4-2 Made 0 errors error errors 6-5 Opp. made 0 errors error errors 12-3 Out-hit opponent 21-0 Out-hit by opponent 3-13 Hits are tied 3-0 Record when team scores: Runs W-L Record when opponent scores: Runs W-L Record when leading after: Inn W-L Record when trailing after: Inn W-L Record when tied after: Inn W-L Current winning streak: 7 Longest winning streak: 7 Longest losing streak: 4 Home attendance : 3079 ( 15 dates avg = 205 ) Away attendance : ( 23 dates avg = 493 ) Total attendance: ( 38 dates avg = 379 ) 11

12 2009 TEAM BATTING GAME BY GAME Date Opponent ab r h rbi 2b 3b hr bb ibb sb cs hbp sac sf gdp k po a e avg Feb 20 at The Citadel Feb 21 at The Citadel Feb 21 at The Citadel Feb 22 at The Citadel Feb 24 St. Louis Feb 27 vs Villanova Feb 28 vs Mount St. Mary's Feb 28 vs St. Bonaventure Mar 01 vs New York Tech Mar 03 Indiana Mar 04 at Austin Peay Mar 06 at Kentucky Mar 07 at Kentucky Mar 08 at Kentucky Mar 10 Eastern Illinois Mar 13 at Memphis Mar 14 at Memphis Mar 15 at Memphis Mar 18 Butler *Mar 20 Creighton *Mar 21 Creighton *Mar 22 Creighton Mar 25 Ball State *Mar 27 at Illinois State *Apr 3 at UNI *Apr 4 at UNI *Apr 4 at UNI Apr 08 at Eastern Illinois *Apr 11 Bradley *Apr 11 Bradley *Apr 12 Bradley Apr 14 at Missouri Apr 15 at Missouri *Apr 17 Southern Illinois *Apr 18 Southern Illinois *Apr 18 Southern Illinois Apr 22 at Indiana Apr 24 Oakland City Apr 25 vs Southern Indiana Apr 26 vs Oakland City Totals

13 2009 TEAM PITCHING GAME BY GAME Date Opponent ip h r er bb so 2b 3b hr wp bk hbp dp ibb score w-l sv era Feb 20 at The Citadel Feb 21 at The Citadel Feb 21 at The Citadel Feb 22 at The Citadel Feb 24 St. Louis Feb 27 vs Villanova Feb 28 vs Mount St. Mary's Feb 28 vs St. Bonaventure Mar 01 vs New York Tech Mar 03 Indiana Mar 04 at Austin Peay Mar 06 at Kentucky Mar 07 at Kentucky Mar 08 at Kentucky Mar 10 Eastern Illinois Mar 13 at Memphis Mar 14 at Memphis Mar 15 at Memphis Mar 18 Butler *Mar 20 Creighton *Mar 21 Creighton *Mar 22 Creighton Mar 25 Ball State *Mar 27 at Illinois State *Apr 3 at UNI *Apr 4 at UNI *Apr 4 at UNI Apr 08 at Eastern Illinois *Apr 11 Bradley *Apr 11 Bradley *Apr 12 Bradley Apr 14 at Missouri Apr 15 at Missouri *Apr 17 Southern Illinois *Apr 18 Southern Illinois *Apr 18 Southern Illinois Apr 22 at Indiana Apr 24 Oakland City Apr 25 vs Southern Indiana Apr 26 vs Oakland City Totals

14 2009 TEAM GAME HIGHS At bats: 48 - vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) Runs scored: 23 - vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) Hits: 24 - vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) RBIs: 19 - vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) Doubles: 5 - (5 times ) Triples: 1 - (11 times ) Home runs: 4 - vs Ball State (Mar 25, 2009) 4 - vs Oakland City (Apr 24, 2009) Total bases: 36 - vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) 36 - vs Oakland City (Apr 24, 2009) Walks: 11 - vs The Citadel (Feb 22, 2009) Strikeouts: 10 - (4 times ) Sac hits: 3 - vs Bradley (Apr 12, 2009) Sac flies: 2 - vs Bradley (Apr 11, 2009) 2 - vs Oakland City (Apr 26, 2009) Stolen bases: 5 - vs UNI (Apr 4, 2009) Hit by pitch: 6 - vs The Citadel (Feb 21, 2009) Caught stealing: 3 - vs Eastern Illinois (Mar 10, 2009) Runners LOB: 14 - vs The Citadel (Feb 21, 2009) 14 - vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Hit into DP: 4 - vs Creighton (Mar 22, 2009) Fielding Putouts: 35 - vs The Citadel (Feb 22, 2009) Assists: 21 - vs The Citadel (Feb 22, 2009) Errors: 3 - vs Eastern Illinois (Mar 10, 2009) 3 - vs Creighton (Mar 21, 2009) Passed balls: 1 - (4 times ) DPs turned: 2 - (7 times ) Pitching Innings pitched: vs The Citadel (Feb 22, 2009) Runs allowed: 25 - vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Earned runs: 19 - vs Memphis (Mar 14, 2009) Walks allowed: 10 - vs Missouri (Apr 14, 2009) Strikeouts: 16 - vs St. Bonaventure (Feb 28, 2009) Hits allowed: 21 - vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Doubles allowed: 6 - vs Missouri (Apr 14, 2009) Triples allowed: 1 - (8 times ) Homers allowed: 7 - vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Wild pitches: 3 - vs The Citadel (Feb 20, 2009) 3 - vs Kentucky (Mar 06, 2009) 3 - vs Missouri (Apr 14, 2009) Hit batters: 3 - vs Kentucky (Mar 08, 2009) 3 - vs Creighton (Mar 21, 2009) 3 - vs Indiana (Apr 22, 2009) 14

15 2009 INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS At bats: 7 - Burnam, Kyle vs The Citadel (Feb 21, 2009) Runs scored: 4 - Strausborger, Ryan vs Bradley (Apr 11, 2009) Hits: 4 - (7 times ) RBIs: 6 - Shoemaker, Brady vs Butler (Mar 18, 2009) Doubles: 2 - (4 times ) Triples: 1 - (11 times ) Home runs: 2 - Shoemaker, Brady vs Ball State (Mar 25, 2009) Total bases: 8 - Shoemaker, Brady vs Ball State (Mar 25, 2009) 8 - Shoemaker, Brady vs Southern Illinois (Apr 17, 2009) Walks: 4 - Burnam, Kyle vs Southern Illinois (Apr 18, 2009) Strikeouts: 4 - Jett, Brian vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Sac hits: 2 - Ferrell, Ben vs Bradley (Apr 12, 2009) Sac flies: 2 - Ciolli, Nick vs Bradley (Apr 11, 2009) Stolen bases: 2 - (6 times ) Hit by pitch: 3 - Fieser, Luke vs The Citadel (Feb 21, 2009) Caught stealing: 2 - Burnam, Kyle vs Eastern Illinois (Mar 10, 2009) Runners LOB: 6 - Lafrenz, Bronco vs Eastern Illinois (Apr 08, 2009) Fielding Putouts: 16 - Jett, Brian vs Southern Illinois (Apr 17, 2009) Assists: 7 - Fieser, Luke vs Southern Illinois (Apr 17, 2009) Errors: 1 - (37 times ) Passed balls: 1 - (4 times ) Pitching Innings pitched: Rodriguez, Joe vs UNI (Apr 4, 2009) Valdez, Eric vs Southern Illinois (Apr 17, 2009) Runs allowed: 10 - Rodriguez, Joe vs Memphis (Mar 14, 2009) 10 - Valdez, Eric vs Illinois State (Mar 27, 2009) Earned runs: 10 - Valdez, Eric vs Illinois State (Mar 27, 2009) Walks allowed: 6 - Rodriguez, Joe vs UNI (Apr 4, 2009) Strikeouts: 13 - Valdez, Eric vs St. Bonaventure (Feb 28, 2009) Hits allowed: 13 - Valdez, Eric vs Illinois State (Mar 27, 2009) Doubles allowed: 4 - Valdez, Eric vs Illinois State (Mar 27, 2009) Triples allowed: 1 - (8 times ) Homers allowed: 2 - (4 times ) Wild pitches: 2 - (6 times ) Hit batters: 2 - (7 times ) 15