Life in the Valley

For 17 innings Saturday, the Impossible Dream was real.

For 17 innings, there was reason to think Evansville might just defeat mighty Indiana State not once but twice, and earn a long-awaited trip to the NCAA Tournament.

And then, in inning number 18, Indiana State RF Parker Stinson, the 9th-place hitter in the Sycamores’ order, made all of the Sycamores’ dreams come true and in the process, turned 17 innings of hope, fire, and vim into a nightmare.

Stinson’s 3-run double in the top of the 9th inning in Saturday’s second game broke open a 2-0 game and Indiana State went on to defeat the Purple Aces, 6-0, to capture the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship, completing a 4-1 run through the tournament, a 28-4 record against Valley opponents this season, and lifted the Sycamores to 42-15 on this magical season.

Randal Diaz singled home Stinson with the 4th run of Indiana State’s decisive inning, and he had 3 hits in the game. Diaz and Adam Pottinger both homered and stole a base. Diaz was later named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Without the likes of Matt Jachec, Connor Fenlong, and Lane Miller, Indiana State got a combined 6-hit shutout from Simon Gregersen and Cam Edmonson. They walked 2 and struck out 14.

The tourney title should help lock up a regional hosting opportunity for Indiana State, in what would be a first for the program. One potential host stealer, North Carolina, lost in the ACC semifinals on Saturday, and another, Boston College, was taken out Friday in Durham. Combined with early losses in the SEC Tournament by Kentucky and Tennessee, it seems hard to fathom how Indiana State won’t at least be the 16th overall seed come the release of the bracket during Monday’s selection show.

They’ll be no continuance to Evansville’s postseason, but the fact that there were 2 games Saturday instead of 1 were the result of one of the most iconic moments in program history in Saturday’s opener.

For just about all of the 1,598 in attendance and anyone watching on ESPN+, Indiana State was a sure bet to wrap up the Valley championship in the opener, leading 5-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs and no Purple Aces on base. Mighty Casey was about to strike out, there was to be no joy in Mudville, and Indiana State’s championship t-shirts were being sorted.

Until they weren’t. Brendan Hord walked. Ben Stuart singled. Eric Roberts worked his way through an 8-pitch at-bat against Sycamores closer Jared Spencer and walked. Suddenly, the bases were loaded.

Next up? Chase Hug, who stepped up to the plate and did this …

The dramatic Hug grand slam set Twitter aflame on what was an absolutely wild Saturday all around the nation in college baseball, and was a reminder of why we love what is the greatest sport in the world.

But in the end, the day and the tournament and the season all belong to Indiana State, and rightfully so. The Sycamores have been the unquestioned #1 team in the MVC all season and nothing this weekend changed that. They can take Sunday and see how action around the rest of the country plays out, before Monday’s Selection Show answers the question as to whether the Sycamores will host.

Evansville ended its season with a 37-24 record, the most wins UE has posted since 2006, according to the school.