Indiana State remains in the top 25 heading into this week's slate of games. The Sycamores are No. 20 in the NCBWA Top 25, No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and check in at No. 24 in both the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America polls.
Indiana State won its 16th-consecutive MVC series with the 7-2 win over the Salukis on Sunday and lead the conference standings at 14-4. Evansville is second in the MVC at 12-6 and UIC follows closely behind at 11-7. The quartet of Belmont, Illinois State, Murray State and Southern Illinois are in a four-way tie for fourth place at 9-9.
Four of the five home teams this weekend captured the series over their opponents while three of the five games on Sunday were used to determine the series victor, including a walk-off home run blasted by Belmont's Brodey Heaton to give the Bruins the series over Bradley.
Sunday in the Valley featured a combined 94 runs across the five games, including a league-high 20 runs scratched across by Valparaiso in a shut out at UIC. The 20 runs scored by the Beacons marked the most in a conference game this season and the second-most in an outing by an MVC team in 2024. The 20 runs were Valpo's most in a league game since joining the MVC and the 20-run margin of victory was the team's most since April 2, 2010, a 26-5 win over Chicago State. It also marked Valpo's most lopsided shutout since beating Lewis 20-0 on April 15, 2004.
Indiana State checks in at No. 10 in the latest NCAA Division I baseball RPI report. The Sycamores are one of just two non-Power 5 programs inside the top 10 and one of four inside the top 20. UIC (No. 68) and Murray State (No. 75) join Indiana State in the top 75.
As a team, Evansville ranks second in the nation behind Austin Peay (117) with 115 doubles, averaging the fourth-most in NCAA Division I at 2.67 per game. The Purple Aces are the only team in the league with more than 100 doubles and are one of just 18 in the country in triple digits in the category.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, Mark Shallenberger of Evansville, leads the league in batting average (.389), on-base percentage (.535) and slugging percentage (.720) heading into week 12 of the season. He's been hit by 21 pitches this season - the fifth most in NCAA Division I - and currently ranks sixth all-time in the Valley for his career (53).
Missouri State leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 79 homers this season. Sophomore Zack Stewart has accounted for a league-high 18 of the 79 that have left the yard this season for the Bears. Only 17 players in NCAA Division I have hit more long balls than Stewart in 2024.
Indiana State's pitching staff continues to shine, leading the Missouri Valley Conference with the 13th-best ERA in the country at 4.07. The Sycamores are the only team in the league, and just one of 32 in the nation, averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings sitting at 10.4. Right-handed pitcher Brennyn Cutts has a conference-best 2.41 ERA in 59.2 innings of work.
Belmont BRUINS
- Mason Landers went 7-for-15 in the series against Bradley over the weekend as the Bruins picked up the series win against the Braves. Landers started the series with a 4-for-4 performance on Friday. The senior third baseman hit three home runs and drove in five runs. His 17 home runs rank second in the MVC.
- Brodey Heaton was the walk-off hero in Belmont’s 6-5 ten-inning win on Sunday. Heaton’s solo shot to left and fourth RBI of the series helped Belmont pick up the series win.
- Jack Rando had three doubles and scored four runs over the weekend.
- Joe Ruzicka pitched his best game of the season on Sunday. The sophomore tossed seven shutout innings and struck out a career-high nine batters. He allowed just four hits and walked one.
BRADLEY BRAVES
- Bradley used a two-RBI double by Jack Lincoln to jump out in front of Belmont, and eventually secure the win over the Bruins, in game two of the series on Saturday.
- Saturday's outing by Lincoln marked the first start of the year, and just the second appearance, for the redshirt sophomore after missing the entirety of the 2023 season due to injury.
- Noah Edders is one of just two in the MVC with 12 starts on the mound this season, which is tied for the fifth-most in the country. In two appearances last week, Edders struck out 12 in 11.0 innings of work, including 10 at Belmont on Saturday. In the win over the Bruins, Edders reached 100 strikeouts for his career.
- The Braves recorded back-to-back multi-homer games in the three-game set at Belmont and have nine multi-home run outings this season.
- In Saturday's 4-3 win, Beau Durbin and Logan Delgad each left the yard while Durbin and Michael Mylo each recorded a homer in the series finale on Sunday.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- Freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman improved to 6-1 on Friday night with a complete-game, four-hit, 4-1, victory over Missouri State.
- Deverman currently is tied for second among NCAA Division I freshmen in mound victories with six, while being tied for third among NCAA freshmen in winning percentage at .857 (6-1). Deverman is currently second in the Valley in wins with six, and he is tied for the league-lead in victories in MVC play with a perfect 4-0 Valley record.
- Heading into this week of competition, the Purple Aces are second in the country with 115 doubles, averaging 2.67 per game. Evansville is the only team in the league with more than 100 doubles and one of just 18 programs in triple digits in the category.
- Graduate Mark Shallenberger currently leads the MVC in batting average (.389), slugging percentage (.720) and on-base percentage (.535). He's also listed in the top 50 nationally as one of the toughest players to strike out.
UIC FLAMES
- The Flames remain in the top 70 in the RPI rankings after winning three of four games last week.
- UIC has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, boasting a 16-3 record at Curtis Granderson Stadium this year.
- In their second season in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Flames earned their 11th conference victory nearly a month earlier than they did in the 2023 season (May 13).
- Brandon Bak was very sharp in UIC’s 3-2 win over Valparaiso on Saturday, pitching six strong innings and surrendering just two earned runs. The sophomore struck out nine Beacon hitters on the day and did not walk a single batter in the victory.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Illinois State senior Erik Kubiatowicz is now tied for 6th-most pitching appearances in program history with 82 after pitching 0.2 innings on Saturday.
- Sophomore Luke Lawrence currently rides a 27-game on base streak, the longest by a Redbird this season, heading into this week's slate of games.
- Illinois State concludes a five-game road trip with a midweek contest at Iowa on Tuesday before hosting Western Illinois on Wednesday in Normal.
- Luke Lawrence batted .533 and reached safely nine times in 20 plate appearances over four games last week, with a double and home run for a .600 slugging percentage. Lawrence went 2-for-3 Tuesday against Northwestern along with two walks as he reached base four times in five plate appearances. Lawrence finished 6-for-12 over the weekend at Murray State including 3-for-4 in the series finale with two RBI, a solo home run, and four on-base appearances.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Indiana State’s lineup has accomplished something that hasn’t been done since the 1987 season with four players connecting on double-digit home runs so far in 2024. Mike Sears leads the way with 15 home runs and has a pair of two-homer games so far in the season. Luis Hernandez connected on his 12th homer of the year on Sunday to sit second on the team, while Parker Stinson has 11 through the first 40 games. Randal Diaz became the fourth player to hit the double-digit mark on Friday night with his 10th blast of the year.
- The Sycamores are one of just two teams in the Valley this year to have four players in double-digits this season.
- Brennyn Cutts (6-1, 2.45 ERA) and Luke Hayden (6-1, 2.79 ERA) are a big reason why Indiana State has not lost an MVC series this season as the starting pitching duo are both undefeated in conference competition this year.
- Cutts has posted four consecutive quality starts with one of the best starting lines in the country over the month of April posting a 3-0 record with 0.96 ERA over 28.0 innings, including a 25:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit just .099 from the plate.
- Hayden (3-0, 2.13 ERA) has nearly matched his teammate over 25.1 innings with a 27:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio over four starts.
- The two pitchers headline an Indiana State pitching staff that leads the Valley with a team 4.07 ERA while posting a 402:132 strikeout-to-walk ratio allowing opponents to hit .236 from the plate.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Missouri State hit two grand slams Sunday at Evansville, the third time the Bears have launched two slams in a game in the last four seasons.
- Cody Kelly and Zack Stewart accounted for the big swings as part of a six-homer day that lifted MSU to 79 on the season, tying the No. 10 season total in school history.
- For Stewart, his 18th round-tripper moved him into a tie for 17th on MSU’s single-season list and made him the 20th Bear to hit 30 in a career.
- Kelly slashed .357/1.071/.500 with four extra-base hits and 10 RBI for the Bears in four games last week. Kelly began the week by driving in three runs and scoring twice with a double and home run Tuesday at Missouri. He walked in Friday’s game at Evansville, then blasted a three-run homer Saturday against the Aces. Sunday, the senior hit his first career grand slam in the Bears’ 19-8 win, driving in a career-high four runs, scoring twice and stealing a base in a 2-for-5 effort.
Murray State RACERS
- The Racers went 3-1 last week securing their first conference series win at home this season.
- With their midweek win on Tuesday over Bellarmine, Murray State is now 4-2 in midweek games played at home.
- After Drew Vogel and Taylor Howell blasted their 14th home runs of the year, the Racers are one of five schools in Division I to have at least three players hit 14 home runs or more.
- Murray State’s six home runs as a team against Illinois State on Sunday was the sixth time the Racers hit at least six homers in a single game and the first time they have reached the feat since the 2022 season.
- Vogel belted five of his six extra-base hits last week for home runs while scoring seven runs, driving in eight RBIs and recording an OPS of 1.603 with 22 total bases.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Saluki right-hander Aidan Foeller ranks among the nation's best in strikeouts with 79 on the year to lead the MVC and rank 33rd nationally. Foeller also owns a 13.09 strikeouts per nine innings mark which is 23rd-best in the country.
- Southern Illinois is 64-74 on stolen base attempts this season, ranking first in the MVC. Ten players have multiple stolen bases led by Mathieu Vallee who is 13-for-14. Jake Allgeyer is 11-for-11 on steals while Hesston Gray is 9-of-10.
- The Salukis have shown patience at the plate, ranking tops in the MVC and 21st nationally after drawing 248 walks in 44 games (5.64 walks per game). SIU has nine players that have earned 10 or more walks led by Jake Allgeyer's 37 free passes.
- Foeller matched a career-high in strikeouts with 12 during Sunday's series finale with No. 25 Indiana State. After allowing three early runs, the Nesbit, Mississippi, native went on to retire 11 of the next 12 batters he faced, including six on punchouts. Foeller went 6.2 innings in the loss as the Sycamores broke through late to spoil his outing.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valpo drilled eight home runs - the program's most in a single game on record and in at least two decades - en route to a 20-0, seven-inning victory at UIC on Sunday.
- The 20 runs were Valpo's most in a league game since joining the Missouri Valley Conference and the 20-run margin of victory was the team's most since April 2, 2010, a 26-5 win over Chicago State. This marked Valpo's most lopsided shutout since beating Lewis 20-0 on April 15, 2004.
- The team now has 54 home runs this season, the fourth most in single-season program history and the squad's highest single-season total since 2001.
- Brady Renfro went 8-for-15 (.533 average) in four games this week, scoring six times and driving in eight runs. He slugged a home run and posted an on-base percentage of .600 and a slugging percentage of .733 in a week that also included a walk and three hit by pitches. He had a sac fly and stolen a base while also owning a perfect fielding percentage this week.