2019 Indiana State Sycamores baseball team

2019 Indiana State Sycamores baseball
2019 Indiana State Sycamores baseball
MVC Tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Nashville Regional
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	43–18 (13–8 MVC)
Head coach	Mitch Hannahs (6th season);
Assistant coaches	Brian Smiley (10th season); Brad Vanderglas (3rd season); Pascal Paul (1st season);
Home stadium	Sycamore Stadium

2019 Missouri Valley Conference baseball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 24 Dallas Baptist ‍†‍‍^y	14	–	7	.667	43	–	20	.683
Illinois State ‍†‍‍^y	14	–	7	.667	36	–	26	.581
No. 23 ‍‍‡‍^y	13	–	8	.619	43	–	18	.705
Bradley ‍‍‍	11	–	10	.524	31	–	19	.620
Evansville ‍‍‍	11	–	10	.524	24	–	29	.453
Missouri State ‍‍‍	10	–	11	.476	20	–	36	.357
Valparaiso ‍‍‍	6	–	15	.286	14	–	36	.280
Southern Illinois ‍‍‍	5	–	16	.238	26	–	29	.473

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of July 16, 2019^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2019 Indiana State Sycamores baseball team represented Indiana State University during the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Sycamores played their home games at Sycamore Stadium as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. They were led by head coach Mitch Hannahs, in his 6th season at Indiana State.

Previous season

The 2018 Indiana State Sycamores baseball team notched a 29–22 (11–10) regular season record and finished tied for third in the MVC Conference standings. The Sycamores reached the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament, where they were defeated by Missouri State in the semifinals. Indiana State did not receive an at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.^[2]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Indiana State	Alma Mater
Mitch Hannahs	Head coach	6	Indiana State University (1989)
Brian Smiley	Associate head coach	10	University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2007)
Brad Vanderglas	Assistant Coach	3	Northern Kentucky University (2013)
Pascal Paul	Volunteer Assistant Coach	1	West Virginia University (2014)

Roster

2019 Indiana State Sycamores Roster^[3]

Pitchers

7 - Zach Frey - Junior
9 - Tyler Ward - Senior
10 - Evan Giles - RS Junior
15 - Austin Moralis - Junior
22 - Tristan Weaver - Junior
26 - Tyler Whitbread - Senior
27 - Ross Kramer - Junior
28 - Triston Polley - Senior
30 - Geremy Guerrero - Junior
32 - Collin Liberatore - RS Junior
35 - Jake Ridgway - Sophomore
36 - Austin Cross - Junior
37 - Tyler Grauer - Junior
38 - Max Klein - Freshman
40 - Will Buraconak - Junior

Catchers

12 - Max Wright - Junior
13 - Spencer Wiskus - Junior

Infielders

1 - Jordan Schaffer - RS Sophomore
2 - Jarrod Watkins - Senior
5 - Jake Means - Senior
6 - Clay Dungan - Senior
8 - Dominic Cusumano - Freshman
11 - Nolan Brimbury - RS Junior
18 - Joe Boyle - RS Senior
19 - Mitch Barrow - Junior
20 - Hunter Lewis - Senior
23 - Dane Tofteland - RS Senior
25 - Romero Harris - RS Senior

Outfielders

3 - Luke Fegen - Senior
16 - Brandt Nowaskie - RS Junior
17 - Roby Enriquez - Senior
21 - CJ Huntley - Senior
24 - Ellison Hanna II - Junior
29 - Nick Barrett - RS Freshman
34 - Chris Ayers - Senior

Schedule and results

2019 Indiana State Sycamores baseball game log^[4]

Regular season (36–15)

February (7–1)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
February 15	6:00 pm		at Jacksonville*	John Sessions Stadium • Jacksonville, FL	W 7–1	Guerrero (1–0)	Santana (0–1)	–	342	1–0	–	Stats Story
February 16	2:00 pm		at Jacksonville*	John Sessions Stadium • Jacksonville, FL	W 13–7	Liberatore (1–0)	Palmer (0–1)	–	274	2–0	–	Stats Story
February 17	1:00 pm		at Jacksonville*	John Sessions Stadium • Jacksonville, FL	W 8–3	Buraconak (1–0)	Jones (0–1)	Ridgway (1)	217	3–0	–	Stats Story
February 22	4:00 pm		at UNC Wilmington*	Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	W 1–0	Polley (1–0)	Gesell (0–2)	Grauer (1)	803	4–0	–	Stats Story
February 23	10:00 am		Marshall*	Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	W 4–1	Liberatore (2–0)	Knight (0–1)	Ward (1)		5–0	–	Stats Story
February 24	10:00 am		Iona*	Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	W 10–0	Whitbread (1–0)	Untracht (0–1)	–		6–0	–	Stats Story
February 26	4:00 pm	ESPN+	at Western Carolina*	Hennon Stadium • Cullowhee, NC	W 8–4	Cross (1–0)	McColloch (1–1)	Ridgway (2)	494	7–0	–	Stats Story
February 27	4:00 pm	ESPN+	at Western Carolina*	Hennon Stadium • Cullowhee, NC	L 9–10	Therrian (1–0)	Giles (0–1)	Corn (1)	387	7–1	–	Stats Story

March (14–3)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
March 1	2:00 pm		Austin Peay*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 8–1	Polley (2–0)	Vial (0–1)	–	428	8–1	–	Stats Story
March 2	1:00 pm		Austin Peay*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 3–2¹⁰	Ward (1–0)	Martinez (0–1)	–	387	9–1	–	Stats Story
March 8	6:00 pm		at Mercer*	Claude Smith Field • Macon, GA	W 12–7	Polley (3–0)	Gipson (2–2)	Ridgway (3)	369	10–1	–	Stats Story
March 9	2:00 pm		at Mercer*	Claude Smith Field • Macon, GA	W 7–3	Liberatore (3–0)	Hall (2–2)	Ward (2)	677	11–1	–	Stats Story
March 10	12:00 pm		at Mercer*	Claude Smith Field • Macon, GA	W 9–4	Whitbread (2–0)	Graveno (1–2)	Ridgway (4)	352	12–1	–	Stats Story
March 13	4:00 pm	ESPN+	Purdue*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 4–3	Cross (2–0)	Peterson (1–3)	Grauer (2)	653	13–1	–	Stats Story
March 16	1:00 pm		The Citadel*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 5–1	Polley (4–0)	Connolly (2–2)	–		14–1	–	Stats Story
March 16	4:30 pm		The Citadel*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 4–2	Liberatore (4–0)	Merritt (2–3)	–	789	15–1	–	Stats Story
March 17	1:00 pm	ESPN+	The Citadel*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 8–0	Whitbread (3–0)	Spence (2–2)	–	345	16–1	–	Stats Story
March 19	4:00 pm	ESPN+	Indiana*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	L 14–15	Scott (1–0)	Grauer (0–1)	Lloyd (3)	1,108	16–2	–	Stats Story
March 22	7:00 pm		Rutgers*	City of Palms Park • Fort Myers, FL	W 3–1	Grauer (1–1)	Brito (3–2)	–	263	17–2	–	Stats Story
March 23	6:00 pm		Rutgers*	City of Palms Park • Fort Myers, FL	W 7–5	Giles (1–1)	Gerace (0–3)	Ward (3)	242	18–2	–	Stats Story
March 24	1:00 pm		Rutgers*	City of Palms Park • Fort Myers, FL	W 4–3	Whitbread (4–0)	Parkinson (0–1)	Grauer (3)	178	19–2	–	Stats Story
March 26	6:00 pm	ESPN+	#23 Illinois*	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 3–1	Ridgway (1–0)	Harris (1–1)	Ward (4)	685	20–2	–	Stats Story
March 29	4:00 pm	ESPN3	at Missouri State	Hammons Field • Springfield, MO	L 5–6¹¹	Sechler (2–2)	Grauer (1–2)	–	165	20–3	0–1	Stats Story
March 31	1:00 pm	ESPN3	at Missouri State	Hammons Field • Springfield, MO	L 5–6¹¹	Juenger (1–2)	Guerrero (1–1)	–		20–4	0–2	Stats Story
March 31	4:00 pm	ESPN3	at Missouri State	Hammons Field • Springfield, MO	W 12–0⁷	Whitbread (5–0)	Cruikshank (0–1)	–	1,003	21–4	1–2	Stats Story

April (11–5)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
April 3	6:00 pm	BTN+	at Purdue*	Alexander Field • West Lafayette, IN	W 4–3	Ward (2–0)	Johnson (0–2)	Grauer (4)	1,430	22–4	–	Stats Story
April 5	6:35 pm	BTN+	at Michigan State*	John H. Kobs Field • East Lansing, MI	L 0–1¹⁰	Diaz (1–3)	Ward (2–1)	–	1,654	22–5	–	Stats Story
April 6	4:00 pm	BTN+	at Michigan State*	John H. Kobs Field • East Lansing, MI	W 2–1	Liberatore (5–0)	Tyranski (0–6)	Grauer (5)	1,536	23–5	–	Stats Story
April 7	1:00 pm	BTN+	at Michigan State*	John H. Kobs Field • East Lansing, MI	L 0–6	Sleeman (2–1)	Whitbread (4–1)	–	1,438	23–6	–	Stats Story
April 9	5:00 pm		at #27 Michigan*	Ray Fisher Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	W 8–7¹⁰	Ward (3–1)	Weiss (2–2)	Grauer (6)	442	24–6	–	Stats Story
April 10	5:00 pm	BTN+	at #27 Michigan*	Ray Fisher Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	L 4–6⁶	Weisenburger (1–0)	Klein (0–1)	–	369	24–7	–	Stats Story
April 12	6:30 pm	ESPN+	Valparaiso	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 13–2⁷	Polley (5–0)	Tieman (2–6)	–	560	25–7	2–2	Stats Story
April 13	1:00 pm		Valparaiso	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 8–0	Liberatore (6–0)	Fields (2–4)	–		26–7	3–2	Stats Story
April 13	4:00 pm		Valparaiso	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 11–5	Ward (4–1)	Rhodehouse (1–1)	–	898	27–7	4–2	Stats Story
April 16	7:30 pm	SECN+	at #6 Vanderbilt*	Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN	L 1–7	Hickman (5–0)	Guerrero (1–2)	–	2,810	27–8	–	Stats Story
April 20	6:00 pm	ESPN+	at Evansville	Charles H. Braun Stadium • Evansville, IN	L 2–6	Lukas (5–3)	Cross (2–1)	Parks (5)	227	27–9	4–3	Stats Story
April 21	1:00 pm	ESPN+	at Evansville	Charles H. Braun Stadium • Evansville, IN	W 8–2	Liberatore (7–0)	Croner (5–4)	–		28–9	5–3	Stats Story
April 21	4:00 pm	ESPN+	at Evansville	Charles H. Braun Stadium • Evansville, IN	W 6–4	Grauer (2–2)	Parks (1–2)	–	228	29–9	6–3	Stats Story
April 26	6:30 pm	ESPN3	Southern Illinois	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 6–3	Polley (6–0)	Hiser (3–3)	–	678	30–9	7–3	Stats Story
April 27	12:00 pm	ESPN3	Southern Illinois	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 7–2	Liberatore (8–0)	Givens (3–6)	–	632	31–9	8–3	Stats Story
April 28	1:00 pm	ESPN3	Southern Illinois	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 7–4	Ward (5–1)	Yeager (2–2)	Grauer (7)	567	32–9	9–3	Stats Story

May (4–6)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
May 1	7:00 pm	BTN+	at Illinois*	Illinois Field • Champaign, IL	L 2–5	Sefcik (2–1)	Klein (0–2)	Acton (15)	613	32–10	–	Stats Story
May 3	6:00 pm	ESPN+	at Illinois State	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	L 3–4	Headrick (6–3)	Grauer (2–3)	–	316	32–11	9–4	Stats Story
May 4	3:00 pm	ESPN+	at Illinois State	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 13–1	Liberatore (9–0)	Lindgren (4–4)	–	554	33–11	10–4	Stats Story
May 5	2:00 pm	ESPN+	at Illinois State	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 6–1	Whitbread (6–1)	Walker (3–7)	Ward (5)	368	34–11	11–4	Stats Story
May 10	7:30 pm		at Dallas Baptist	Horner Ballpark • Dallas, TX	L 2–12⁸	Martinson (7–3)	Polley (6–1)	–	828	34–12	11–5	Stats Story
May 11	9:30 pm	ESPNU	at Dallas Baptist	Horner Ballpark • Dallas, TX	L 1–8	Johnson (8–2)	Liberatore (9–1)	–	801	34–13	11–6	Stats Story
May 12	3:00 pm		at Dallas Baptist	Horner Ballpark • Dallas, TX	L 3–7	Carraway (4–1)	Whitbread (6–2)	Hines (3)	686	34–14	11–7	Stats Story
May 16	6:30 pm	ESPN+	Bradley	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	L 5–9	Cook (5–1)	Ward (5–2)	–	456	34–15	11–8	Stats Story
May 17	6:30 pm	ESPN+	Bradley	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 12–8	Liberatore (10–1)	Olson (1–2)	–	428	35–15	12–8	Stats Story
May 18	2:00 pm	ESPN+	Bradley	Sycamore Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	W 10–2	Whitbread (7–2)	Lund (5–4)	–	540	36–15	13–8	Stats Story

Postseason (7–3)

MVC tournament (5–1)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
May 22	7:30 pm	ESPN+	(4) Evansville	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 7–0	Polley (7–1)	Lukas (5–6)	–		37–15	–	Stats Story
May 23	8:00 pm	ESPN+	at (2) Illinois State	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	L 7–10	Anderson (3–0)	Ward (5–3)	Gilmore (11)	694	37–16	–	Stats Story
May 24	12:00 pm	ESPN+	(8) Southern Illinois	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 4–1	Whitbread (8–2)	Steidl (3–4)	Guerrero (1)		38–16	–	Stats Story
May 24	10:00 pm	ESPN+	at (2) Illinois State	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 10–6	Ward (6–3)	Wicklund (4–4)	–		39–16	–	Stats Story
May 25	3:00 pm	ESPN+	(1) Dallas Baptist	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 9–5	Moralis (1–0)	Reeves (1–1)	Grauer (8)		40–16	–	Stats Story
May 25	7:15 pm	ESPN+	(1) Dallas Baptist	(3)	Duffy Bass Field • Normal, IL	W 16–3⁸	Ridgway (2–0)	Towns (2–2)	–	326	41–16	–	Stats Story

NCAA tournament (2–2)

Date	Time (ET)	TV	Opponent	Rank	Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall	MVC
May 31	1:00 pm	ESPN3	(3) McNeese State	(2)	Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN	W 6–5	Polley (8–1)	McLemore (1–1)	Grauer (9)	3,248	42–16	–	Stats Story
June 1	7:00 pm	ESPN3	at (1) Vanderbilt	(2)	Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN	L 5–8	Rocker (9–5)	Liberatore (10–2)	Eder (3)	3,626	42–17	–	Stats Story
June 2	3:00 pm	ESPN3	(4) Ohio State	(2)	Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN	W 10–5	Whitbread (9–2)	Smith (7–5)	Ridgway (5)	3,289	43–17	–	Stats Story
June 2	9:00 pm	ESPN3	at (1) Vanderbilt	(2)	Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN	L 1–12	Hickman (8–0)	Guerrero (1–3)	–	3,626	43–18	–	Stats Story

Legend: = Win = Loss Bold = Indiana State team member

"#" represents ranking. All rankings from Collegiate Baseball on the date of the contest.
"()" represents postseason seeding in the MVC Tournament or NCAA Regional, respectively.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
Coaches'^[5]	—	—*		RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV*	RV*	RV
Baseball America^[6]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	25	25*	25*	—
Collegiate Baseball^^[7]	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	30	—	—	—
NCBWA†^[8]	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	28	28*	28*	30
D1Baseball^[9]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	23*	23*	23

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

^ "Missouri Valley Conference baseball standings, teams, and schedules". D1Baseball. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
^ "2018 Baseball Schedule". Indiana State Sycamores. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
^ "2019 Baseball Roster". Indiana State Sycamores. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
^ "2020 Baseball Schedule". Oklahoma Sooners. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
^ "NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023.
^ Baseball America College: Top 25
^ NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
^ NCBWA Division I poll
^ D1Baseball poll

[1] "Missouri Valley Conference baseball standings, teams, and schedules". D1Baseball. Retrieved June 4, 2019.

[2] "2018 Baseball Schedule". Indiana State Sycamores. Retrieved March 5, 2020.

[roster-3] "2019 Baseball Roster". Indiana State Sycamores. Retrieved March 5, 2020.

[schedule-4] "2020 Baseball Schedule". Oklahoma Sooners. Retrieved February 20, 2020.

[5] "NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023.

[6] Baseball America College: Top 25

[CBNPoll-7] NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

[8] NCBWA Division I poll

[9] D1Baseball poll

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