Life in the Valley

Indiana State carries The Valley flag further south tonight when it takes on the No. 22 Miami in Coral Gables at 6 p.m. ACC Network Extra (ESPN+). The Sycamores come into tonight’s contest fresh off an 8-7 win over Florida Gulf Coast yesterday that boosted ISU’s record to 2-1. But the Sycamores step in class tonight against a program that has won 4 College World Series titles (the last was in 2001).

But Indiana State has more than just history and program legacy to go up against tonight. These Hurricanes can mash. Miami has already hit 11 homers in its first 4 games. The ‘Canes are off to a 3-1 start, slugging .547 as a team. Miami was surprised at home by Penn State in its season opener, 9-5, before defeating the Nittany Lions, 10-2 and 3-2, to clinch the weekend series. Last night, the Hurricanes mauled Stetson, 11-2.

Zach Levenson leads the Miami Lumber Company with 3 homers, but 7 different Hurricanes have already gone deep this season. Yohandy Morales is another Miami hitter to watch – he leads the Hurricanes with 7 RBIs, has a .353 average, and is slugging .765 thanks to 2 homers and a double. Miami is hitting .270 as a team with a .937 team OPS.

This Miami power vs. Indiana State’s pitching will be the key matchup of the game. Sycamore pitchers have only allowed 1 homer so far in 3 games. If Miami does go yard, the Sycamores also have a decent chance of keeping the blasts to solo homers, since Indiana State pitchers have only walked 8 batters in 28 2/3 innings this season – to go with 32 strikeouts for a 4:1 strikeout/walk ratio.

But even if the pitchers succeed tonight, the Sycamores are going to have to find some more success at the plate. Indiana State enters tonight’s game hitting just .194 as a team with a poor team OPS of just .673. Indiana State has just 19 hits through 3 games, though 11 of those have gone for extra bases.

One scary statistic concerning tonight’s matchup for the Sycamores might be their struggles to make contact. Indiana State batters are striking out on average nearly 10 times per game. Miami pitchers have fanned 45 batters through 4 games (11.25/game). Putting the ball in play and getting runners moving (ISU is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts) will be key to a potential upset (ISU is a +195 underdog at DraftKings) tonight. Josue Urdaneta (1.343 OPS to lead the team) will look to stay hot on that front. He’s hitting .500 (5-for-10) so far with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Luis Hernandez and Grant Magill are both sitting at .300 on the season so far for the Sycamores.

But, in an early season that hasn’t been too friendly to Valley teams (15-23 so far total), tonight presents an opportunity to score a win over a top-25 opponent that will put some respect on both Indiana State’s record and the conference, as well.

ELSEWHERE: There’s only one other game involving Valley teams tonight and that will be played in Tulsa, Okla., as Missouri State visits Oral Roberts. The Bears are coming off a 1-2 weekend on the road against a good Cal Poly ball club. ORU is perfect on the season after notching a 4-game weekend series sweep over Northern Illinois, including a 16-2 win on Friday.

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