Indiana State has been picked in a poll of league head coaches to win the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference baseball title. The Sycamores are defending regular-season and tournament champions. ISU received 95 total points and eight of 10 first-place tallies in this season's poll, while Missouri State and Evansville earned the other two first-place votes. The Bears finished second in this year's poll with 89 points, while Evansville is in the No. 3 spot with 81 points.
Murray State (4th, 67 points) and Southern Illinois (5th, 63 points) are tightly bunched for the next two spots, followed by Belmont (6th, 40), Illinois State (7th, 39), UIC (8th, 34), Valparaiso (9th, 22), and Bradley (10th, 20).
The 2024 season will be the last for Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin as he wraps up an incredible 42-year career in charge of the Bears. With 1,373 career victories, Guttin enters the year ranked second among active Division I head coaches (five behind Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall) and 12th on the all-time wins list.
Evansville, meanwhile, faced Indiana State in the 2023 MVC Tournament Championship game and concluded the 2023 season with a 37-24 overall record. The 37 victories are the most at Evansville since 2006, and the Purple Aces advanced to the MVC Tournament final for the first time since 2006. The Aces will host the 2024 MVC Baseball Championship at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
Indiana State (5) and Missouri State (4) dominate the selections to the 14-player pre-season team, selected by league coaches. Murray State (2), Evansville (1), Southern Illinois (1), and Valparaiso (1) also had representation on the league's preseason unit.
ESPN has notified the Missouri Valley Conference that two ESPNU telecasts featuring three league teams will be a part of its 2024 collegiate baseball programming schedule. Southern Illinois will play host to Indiana State in an MVC contest on Sunday, April 28, that will be shown on ESPNU at 6 p.m. (CT) and Evansville will travel to Indiana State on Friday, May 10, as the Sycamores and Aces will battle in a league game that will air on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. (CT).
#1 INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Indiana State returns the bulk of the lineup and the entire bullpen from the 2023 Fort Worth Super Regional run as the Sycamores look ahead to the start of the 2024 season. ISU welcomes back MVC Tournament MOP Randal Diaz, as well as Gold Glove catcher Grant Magill to the lineup, while also returning Josue Urdaneta (2B), Mike Sears (3B), Adam Pottinger (OF), and Parker Stinson (OF) to the mix.
- Gone is the weekend rotation with all three starters moving on to professional contracts, but the Sycamores retain a breadth of talent to the bullpen headlined by closer Jared Spencer (3-2, 3.86 ERA, 7 SVs). Zach Davidson, Cam Edmonson, Cameron Holycross, and Simon Gregersen also return to lead an ISU bullpen that combined to put together an 18-7 record on the mound with a 4.03 ERA and a 268:103 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Pitching and defense were the mainstays to Indiana State’s success last season and that will look to continue this year as ISU comes off a season where the Sycamores finished third in the NCAA in fielding percentage (.983), fifth in team ERA (3.84), 10th in double plays (53), third in WHIP (1.23), and sixth in walks allowed per nine innings (3.11). Overall, Indiana State led the MVC in 11 different statistical categories on the season.
#2 MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- The 2024 season will be the last for head coach Keith Guttin as he wraps up an incredible 42-year career in charge of the Bears. With 1,373 career victories, Guttin enters the year ranked second among active Division I head coaches (five behind Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall) and 12th on the all-time wins list. Through his first 41 seasons, Guttin mentored 36 All-Americans and 21 MLB players, coached teams to a combined 21 regular-season and conference tournament championships, 12 NCAA Regionals, three Super Regionals and a College World Series appearance in 2003.
- Missouri State ranks 19th nationally over the last two seasons with 199 home runs and looks to continue that power surge this season. The Bears bring back three double-digit home run hitters from 2023, with Zack Stewart and Cody Kelly each hitting 12 dingers last year and Taeg Gollert swatting 11.
- The Bears led the MVC in strikeouts per nine innings last year at 9.28, the program’s best rate since 1970, while the team’s 517 total Ks ranked sixth in school history for a single season. Among MoState’s returning arms include 2023 first-team all-MVC selections Brandt Thompson (3.46 ERA, 84 K in 83.1 IP) and Garrett Ferguson (1.88 ERA, 6 saves, .158 opponent average). Ferguson was also a Freshman All-American. Additionally, Eric Loomis (45 K, 9 BB in 34.2 IP in 2022) returns to the bullpen after missing last year with an injury.
#3 EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- Evansville returns seven position starters and 10 pitchers from last year’s squad which posted a 37-24 overall record and advanced to the MVC Tournament final. Of the seven position starters returning, five have earned all-MVC honors at some point in their UE career, with 2022 MVC Pitcher of the Year Nick Smith headlining UE’s group of returning pitchers.
- Evansville boasts an experienced 2024 roster this year, featuring five graduate students, a fifth-year senior, and a group of five other seniors, who have combined for nine all-MVC honors during their UE careers.
- UE will face a challenging 2024 schedule this year, including 10 non-conference games against Power Five competition and four of UE’s five non-conference weekend series against teams that finished in the Top 100 in the RPI a year ago.
#4 Murray State RACERS
- Murray State is coming off a 31-28 record in the 2023 season, seeing a semifinal appearance in the team's inaugural Missouri Valley campaign.
- The Racers' key returners include Logan Bland, Taylor Howell, Dustin Mercer, and Drew Vogel. Bland and Vogel return as anchors of MSU's middle infield, with Mercer behind them as the centerpiece for Murray State's outfield. Howell returns as an option behind the plate and at first base but showcased his slugging abilities last year, leading the team with 12 home runs and bringing in 34 RBIs. Mercer (First Team) and Vogel (Second Team) were both named to the MVC's All-Conference team in 2023.
- Bryce Valero, Cade Vernon, and Jacob Pennington return as the Racers' key rotation pitching starters. The trio combined for 214 strikeouts in 225 innings pitched with Valero leading the team with a 4.02 ERA, ranking the sixth-lowest in the conference last year. Pennington was among the MVC's leaders in opposing batting average and innings pitched. Valero and Vernon each finished the season among the MVC's top 10 in strikeouts; Vernon recorded the seventh-most with 75 and Valero in ninth with 71.
#5 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- With a bevy of new faces on the roster, Southern Illinois will look to several key returners for leadership this season. The Salukis return starters Matt Schark (1B), Steven Loden (2B), Cole Christman (C) as well as outfielders Nathan Bandy and Bennett Eltoft to the lineup.
- Like in previous seasons, the Salukis will have over 20 new pieces as the season begins with the roster consisting of just 18 seniors and 17 juniors.
- A major piece of the returning pitching staff will be right-hander Jake Combs. A Second Team All-MVC selection a year ago, Combs led the team in ERA with a 2.97 mark in 63.2 innings across 16 appearances, including 15 starts. In conference play, Combs held opponents to a 2.01 ERA in 31.1 innings.
#6 Belmont BRUINS
- Belmont returns all of their starting lineup and 92% of their at-bats from last year featuring seven seniors, led by first baseman Brodey Heaton, Mason Landers, and Sam Slaughter. Landers, who started in all 60 games for Belmont in 2023, led the team with a .277 batting average, 12 home runs and 118 total bases. Heaton’s 44 RBIs, 10 home runs, and power will make him a staple in the lineup.
- Despite losing their ace Andy Bean, Belmont’s pitching staff brings experience and matured firepower into the 2024 season. The Bruins will see 85% of their inning and strikeout totals return this season. The rotation will feature Dominic Baratta, Jordan Zuger, Joe Ruzicka, and Will Pryor.
- Ethan Harden and Jett Thielke will anchor Belmont’s bullpen. The duo combined for 10 saves and 100 strikeouts last season. Other key arms include Caleb Guisewite, Jake Timbes, and Simon Tesh.
#7 ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Illinois State returns the heart of the order that hit .270 (sixth-best in MVC) from the plate in 2023. Highlighting the returners include All-Conference selections Auggie Rasmussen (.315) and Daniel Pacella (.307), while Luke Lawrence (.319) and Noah Rabin (.292) are expected to be back in the lineup this year for ISU.
- Overall, the Redbird offense returns 86% of the team’s hits, 85% of the team's at-bats, and 88% of the team’s RBIs from last season. The Redbirds also return a total of 46 home runs, including nine players with multiple HRs, from the 2023 squad.
- Conversely, Illinois State returns 39% of its innings pitched from 2023, anchored by returning senior Cameron Mabee. The Temecula, Calif. native pitched 52.1 innings in 2023, making 14 appearances for the ‘Birds. Mabee was top-10 across all MVC pitchers last season in earned runs allowed (35), runs allowed (40), triples allowed (1), and led the MVC in walks allowed with 16 in 2023.
#8 UIC FLAMES
- In their second season in the Missouri Valley Conference, UIC will look to build on an inaugural season in 2023 in which it went 13-14 in Valley play, earning a six seed in the Championship, and taking down the seventh-seeded Belmont Bruins before being bounced by the top-two seeds on Wednesday and Thursday.
- Entering his third season at the helm of the Flames’ program, head coach Sean McDermott welcomes 15 new faces to Chicago in 2024. The Flames will look to incorporate these new additions in a road-heavy schedule this season, as UIC will play five of its nine MVC series on the road in 2024.
- Kentucky transfer Kendall Ewell (Calumet City, Ill./Marist) highlights a talented transfer class for UIC, as the graduate transfer was a Golden Spikes Award National Semifinalist at Eastern Kentucky in 2022. Ewell was drafted out of high school by the Colorado Rockies in 2019, and he batted .361 with 14 home runs in 2022 with the Colonels.
#9 VALPARAISO BEACONS
- A veteran group, Valpo features 16 seniors and nine juniors on its roster. The team had just four seniors last year and none in 2022. The 16 seniors mark the team's highest total in the last 20 years.
- Valpo is coming off its first 20-win season since 2017 and its highest overall win total, MVC win total (10), overall winning percentage (.426) and MVC winning percentage (.370) since joining The Valley prior to the 2018 campaign.
- The Beacons are led by junior outfielder Ryan Maka, who earned 2023 All-MVC First Team status by ranking second in the conference in batting average at .345. His batting average jumped nearly 100 points after he hit .250 as a freshman.
#10 BRADLEY BRAVES
- The D1Baseball Missouri Valley Season Preview was released this past week and Bradley was well represented in top MVC prospects. Bradley had three prospects in the top 20 of the top MVC prospects in the 2024 draft. RHP Jacob Kisting was named the third-highest Valley prospect, while RHP Noah Edders and OF Ryan Vogel were named 17th and 19th, respectively.
- Vogel returns to lead the Braves offense from the top of the order. One of the more dynamic players in the MVC, Vogel slashed .382/.459/.571 with six homers and 20 stolen bases.
- The Bradley Baseball season starts on Feb. 16 when the Braves go on the road to face Western Kentucky for a weekend series. The home opener is on Mar. 26 when Bradley plays Lindenwood at Dozer Park at 6 PM.