Life in the Valley

Here’s a whip around to all 10 teams and how they did over the weekend and what faces them this week.

Belmont (18-15, 5-4, t-3rd): The Bruins had a great introduction to live in The Valley, winning 5 of their first 6 games to grab a share of 1st place. But the weekend visit to then co-leaders Southern Illinois didn’t go well, as the Bruins were swept. Sam Kirkpatrick continues to lead the Bruins with a .325 average and he’s got 40 hits for the season. But Belmont is struggling offensively as a team, hitting just .253 with 27 homers. But out of the bullpen, Will Pryor has been a bright spot – going 3-0 in 11 appearances (10 in relief) with just 7 walks in 33 2/3 innings to go with 35 strikeouts. Pryor owns a 1.13 WHIP. Belmont is at Austin Peay on Tuesday before another tough weekend as Indiana State comes to Nashville for 3.

Bradley (10-17, 3-6, t-7th): Like Belmont, the Braves suffered a road sweep over the weekend, dropping all 3 at Missouri State, including a 14-10 loss in the finale. Connor O’Brien homered in that game as part of a 4-hit day with 3 RBIs. O’Brien leads Bradley with 9 HRs and 31 RBIs, while Ryan Vogel’s average still hovers above .400 at .402. Vogel (1.042) and Logan Delgado (1.033) both have 1.000+ OPS. Connor Langrell has 7 saves in 11 appearances. Bradley hosts SIU-Edwardsville on Tuesday and then hosts Valparaiso for 3 this weekend.

Evansville (19-12, 5-4, t-3rd): UE suffered a 6-1 loss in the series opener vs. Valpo, but came back to take the series with 9-8 and 4-3 wins. Brent Widder had 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs in the 9-8 win, while Eric Roberts’ tremendous season continued in the final game of the series, as he hit a solo walkoff homer. Roberts now has 13 homers and 10 steals to go with 38 RBIs. He and Chase Hug have combined to score 67 runs this season. Evansville’s 3 main starters – Donovan Schultz, Nick Smith, and Tyler Denu, have struck out 116 in 118 combined innings. UE is at Western Kentucky on Tuesday before traveling to Murray State for 3 this weekend.

Indiana State (18-12, 8-1, t-1st): The Sycamores, 28th this week in the RPI rankings on D1Baseball.com, swept 3 low-scoring games from visiting Illinois State to run their winning streak to 6 games. Matt Jachec, who was named MVC Pitcher of the Week, tossed a 5-hit complete-game shutout in the opener, just the 2nd CG SHO of the season in The Valley. Jachec walked none and struck out 6 in the 119-pitch effort. He is 3-2 on the season with a 3.74 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He’s fanned 46 and walked just 9. Mike Sears has joined the double-digit home run club now with 10. Indiana State visits Purdue Tuesday before going to Belmont this weekend.

Illinois-Chicago (13-14, 3-6, t-7th): Wins by 6-1 and 12-1 allowed UIC to take 2 of 3 at Murray State over the weekend. Brandon Bak went 7 2/3 innings in the 6-1, series-opening win, with 7 strikeouts. It was Bak’s first win of the season. Carson Roberts went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, a triple, and a sacrifice fly in the 12-1 victory to wrap up the series. Roberts (.318), A.J. Henkle (.329), and Charlie Szykowny (.333) are all hitting above .300 for the Flames. UIC is at Northwestern on Tuesday before taking on Missouri State at home this weekend.

Illinois State (10-16, 2-7, t-9th): The Redbirds were swept in Terre Haute by Indiana State, scoring just 6 runs in the 3 losses. Illinois State has only hit 24 homers this season in 26 games. Daniel Pacella has a third of those to lead the team. Shaydon Kubo and Adrian Flores are tied for the team lead in hitting at .313. Despite not getting the win in the opener, pitcher Derek Salata now has 53 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings with a 2.50 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Illinois State hosts Illinois, which it beat in Champaign-Urbana on April 4, on Tuesday, then hosts Murray State this weekend.

Missouri State (16-14, 5-4, t-3rd): The Bears scored 27 runs in their weekend sweep of Bradley – a shade more than half of them coming in the 14-10 win to wrap up the series. In that game, Taeg Gollert hit not one, but TWO grand slams to lead the offensive onslaught. He connected in the 1st and 9th innings, the latter winning the game. Gollert now has 6 homers and 25 RBIs, part of an MSU offense that has bashed 45 homers this season. Spencer Nivens (.350-9-28 this season) was named MVC Player of the Week. Zack Stewart leads the Bears with 31 RBIs. Starter Brandt Thompson has fanned 56 in 48 1/3 innings. The Bears host Missouri Tuesday and then go to UIC this weekend.

Murray State (16-16, 4-5, 6th): Despite dropping 2 of 3 to UIC over the weekend, the Racers have still won 6 of their last 9 games. In their 6-4 victory over the Flames, Riley Hawthorne tripled and had a sac fly, driving in 3 runs. Bryce Valero produced another good starting pitching performance in the win, going 6 innings and allowing 1 earned run and 6 hits with 8 strikeouts. Valero only walked 1. Valero has a 2.15 ERA in 37 2/3 innings, with 48 strikeouts to just 14 walks. Murray State pitchers have allowed just 16 homers all season. Murray State hosts Alabama A&M on Tuesday and then goes to Illinois State this weekend.

Southern Illinois (19-13, 8-1, t-1st): With their sweep of Belmont over the weekend, the Salukis have now won 5 games in a row and are one of the hottest teams in the country with 11 victories in their last 12 games. Nathan Bandy leads a quartet of SIU hitters with averages above .300. Bandy (.384), Pier-Olivier Boucher (.365), and Cole Christman (.333) all also have an OPS over 1.000, while Ryan Rodriguez (.304) has 8 doubles and 5 homers. SIU has bashed 48 homers in 32 games, while allowing just 24. The Salukis are hitting a robust .289 as a team. Starter Ben Chapman has racked up 35 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings. The Salukis host SEMO Tuesday, then host old rivals Evansville this weekend.

Valparaiso (10-14, 2-7, t-9th): Things looked bright for the Beacons when they captured the opening game of their series at Evansville, 6-1. Nolan Tucker homered and drove in 2 runs, while Kyle Schmack had 2 hits, including a homer. Starter Griffin McCluskey earned his second victory of the season by going 7 1/3 innings and allowing just 1 run on 4 hits with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. He threw 102 pitches before Grant Jablonski came on for his 1st save of the season. But Valpo dropped the next 2 games, including a 9-8 decision that saw the Beacons score 5 runs in the 9th inning only to fall 1 run short of tying the game. Valpo is at Purdue-Fort Wayne on Tuesday and then continues conference play this weekend at Bradley.