Indiana State Sycamores baseball
University baseball program
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indiana State Sycamores baseball team is the NCAA Division I baseball program of Indiana State University, located in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 2024. Their first season was 1896. The Sycamores have had 12 All-Americans, 26 Major Leaguers, and more than 2,200 victories. The team's most successful season was in 1986, when the team appeared in the College World Series and finished with a record of 48–21. The Sycamores have appeared in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1995, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
| Indiana State Sycamores | |
|---|---|
 2026 Indiana State Sycamores baseball team | |
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| Founded | 1896 |
| University | Indiana State University |
| Head coach | Tracy Archuleta (2nd season) |
| Conference | Missouri Valley |
| Location | Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Home stadium | Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium (Capacity: 2,000) |
| Nickname | Sycamores |
| Colors | Royal blue and white[1] |
| College World Series appearances | |
| 1986 | |
| NCAA regional champions | |
| 1986, 2023 | |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1995, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| Missouri Valley Conference: 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986 1989, 1995, 2019, 2023 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| Missouri Valley Conference: 1982 (East Division), 1983 (East Division) 1985, 2012, 2023, 2024 Indiana Collegiate Conference: Indiana Intercollegiate Conference: Indiana College Athletic League: 1919, 1920, 1921 | |
They appeared in the NAIA Baseball World Series in 1958 and won the NAIA "Midwest" District Championship in 1964. In 2013, the 1958 team was honored on the 55th Anniversary of their appearance at the NAIA Baseball World Series.[2]
Past coaches include John Wooden, Bob Warn, former ISU and MiLB'er Paul L. Wolf,[3] Wally Marks and Mitch Hannahs. The Sycamores play their home games at Sycamore Stadium at Bob Warn Field (900).
Division I NCAA tournament results
The Sycamores have appeared in 13 NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. Their combined record is 16–26; they won the 1986 Mideast Regional and the 2023 Terre Haute Regional; they reached Regional Finals in 1989, 2019 and 2024.
| Year | Result | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Midwest Regional | 0–2 |
| 1983 | Mideast Regional | 0–2 |
| 1984 | Mideast Regional | 1–2 |
| 1986 | Mideast Regional | 3–0 |
| 1986 | College World Series | 0–2 |
| 1987 | Central Regional | 1–2 |
| 1989 | South Regional | 2–2 |
| 1995 | Midwest II Regional | 1–2 |
| 2012 | Eugene Regional | 0–2 |
| 2014 | Bloomington Regional | 0–2 |
| 2019 | Nashville Regional | 2–2 |
| 2021 | Nashville Regional | 1–2 |
| 2023 | Terre Haute Regional | 3–0 |
| 2023 | Fort Worth Super Regional | 0–2 |
| 2024 | Lexington Regional | 2–2 |
National awards (2)
All-Americans (17)
| Year | Player | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Harlan Lautenschlager, IF | NAIA |
| 1985 | John Howes, P | Baseball America |
| 1979 | Wallace Johnson, 2B | CoSIDA NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship |
| 1981 | Marty Martino, 2B | CoSIDA Academic All-American |
| 1986 | Paul Frye, OF | Collegiate Baseball |
| 1989 | Mitch Hannahs, 2B | ABCA, Baseball America |
| 1990 | Chad McDonald, 3B | ABCA, Collegiate Baseball |
| 1991 | Mike Farrell, P/1B | Collegiate Baseball |
| 1992 | John LaMar, OF | ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball |
| 1993 | Casey Whitten, P | ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball |
| 1995 | Todd Tatlock, DH | ABCA, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA |
| 1996 | Dan Olson, OF | ABCA, NCBWA |
| 2014 | Ryan Keaffaber, SP | Louisville Slugger |
| 2016 | Tyler Ward, SP | Louisville Slugger |
| 2021 | Geremy Guerrero, SP | ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com, NCBWA |
| 2022 | Randal Diaz, 3B | Collegiate Baseball |
| 2023 | Connor Fenlong, SP | ABCA, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com, NCBWA |
Most Valuable Player
Conference (reg. season)
- 2012 Jeremy Lucas, C Missouri Valley Conference
- 2023 Connor Fenlong, RHP Missouri Valley Conference
- 2023 Grant Magill, C Missouri Valley Conference
Conference Tournament (6)
- 1979 Wallace Johnson, 2B Missouri Valley Conference
- 1986 Dave Travis, DH Missouri Valley Conference
- 1989 Larry Russell, OF Missouri Valley Conference
- 1995 Jeff Leaman, 3B/P Missouri Valley Conference
- 2019 Chris Ayers, OF/DH Missouri Valley Conference
- 2023 Randal Diaz, IF Missouri Valley Conference
All-Conference (113)
Only players selected for the conference first team are displayed; for second team and honorable mention, please consult the Indiana State baseball media guide at www.gosycamores.com
All-Indiana Collegiate Conference (35)
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All-Missouri Valley Conference (87)
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Conference specialty (12)
Pitcher of the Year (2)
- Geremy Guerrero – 2021
- Connor Fenlong – 2023
Defensive Player of the Year (3)
- Tyler Wampler – 2014
- Jake Means – 2019
- Grant Magill – 2023
MVC Newcomer of the Year (5)
- Rich Angell – 1998
- Clint Barmes – 2000
- Tim Brewer – 2005
- Collin Liberatore – 2019
- Aaron Beck – 2021
MVC Freshman of the Year (2)
- Mitch Stetter – 2000
- Ryan Keaffaber – 2014
Career leaders
Batting average
| Name | Average |
|---|---|
| Larry Bird* (1979) | .500 |
| Todd Tatlock (1994–95) | .423 |
| Wallace Johnson (1977–79) | .422 |
| Rob Barker (1981–83) | .399 |
| Pete Piskol (1978–82) | .396 |
| Paul Frye (1984–86) | .383 |
- Bird appeared in one game for the baseball team, going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI.[7]
Hits
| Name | Hits |
|---|---|
| Bob Zeihen* (1985–88) | 290 |
| Mitch Hannahs (1986–89) | 274 |
| Steve Ruckman (1990–93) | 257 |
| Dan Roman (1984–87) | 253 |
| Pete Piskol (1978–82) | 250 |
- Bob Zeihen holds the National NCAA career record for triples (32)[8]
HRs
| Name | HRs |
|---|---|
| Boi Rodriguez (1985–87) | 48 |
| Dan Frye (1989–92) | 39 |
| Mike Eberle (1984–87) | 37 |
| Tyler Thompson (1995–98) | 32 |
| Dan Olson (1994–96) | 30 |
Wins
| Name | Wins |
|---|---|
| Mike Gardiner (1984–87) | 30 |
| John Howes (1982–86) | 29 |
| Mike Farrell (1988–91) | 27 |
| Casey Whitten (1991–93) | 27 |
| Paul Quizner (1983–86) | 25 |
| Blaine Ilsley (1983–85) | 25 |
| Randy Keaffaber (1990–93) | 25 |
| Brad Finken (1994–97) | 25 |
ERA
| Name | ERA |
|---|---|
| Jim Ridenour (1977–78) | 3.03 |
| Casey Whitten (1991–93) | 3.04 |
| Dave Thomas (1977–78) | 3.09 |
| Blaise Ilsley (1983–85) | 3.20 |
| Jim Rasmussen (1977–78) | 3.32 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Strikeouts |
|---|---|
| Casey Whitten (1991–93) | 299 |
| Mike Gardiner (1983–86) | 296 |
| Brad Finken (1994–97) | 275 |
| Blake Ilsley (1983–85) | 274 |
| Mitch Stetter (2000–03) | 254 |
Sycamores in MLB
While long-time baseball great Tommy John is an alumnus of Indiana State; he did not play baseball for the Sycamores as he attended classes around his professional baseball schedule. Future New York Yankees-great, Don Mattingly, declined his baseball scholarship from Coach Bob Warn after he was drafted by the New York Yankees.
Bill Hayes had 2 "cups-of-coffee" in the majors but would go on to a long career as a minor league manager before beginning a 15-year coaching career with the San Francisco Giants, winning 3 World Series Championships (2010, 2012, 2014); in December 2014, he was named first base coach for the Giants.[9] Long-time college basketball coach Ron Felling was a 2-year letterman for the Sycamores.
In addition, basketball legend Larry Bird appeared in two games for the Sycamores, in the spring of 1979, following the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Indiana State has placed over 75 Sycamores in the minors, of which 27 have reached the major leagues or Negro major leagues. They are by order of appearance:
Major League Baseball All-Stars
| Year | Name | Position | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Junius “Rainey” Bibbs | INF | Cincinnati Tigers | |
| 1968 | Tommy John | SP | Chicago White Sox | |
| 1978 | Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| 1979 | New York Yankees | |||
| 1980 |
Coaching leaders
| Years | Coach (Alma Mater) | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–2006 | Bob Warn (Southern Illinois) | 1,070 | 745 | 5 | .598 | 1986 College World Series, 7 NCAA bids, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995 Conference Titles |
| 2014–2024 | Mitch Hannahs (Indiana State) | 355 | 214 | 1 | .624 | 5 NCAA bids; 2023, 2024 Conference Titles |
| 1938–1941, 1956–1967 | Paul Wolf (Indiana State) | 140 | 113 | 5 | .552 | 1958 NAIA World Series, 4-time Coach of the Year, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1966 Conference Titles |
| 2010–2013 | Rick Heller (Upper Iowa) | 132 | 96 | 0 | .583 | 2012 NCAA tournament, 2012 MVC Coach of the Year |
| 1968–1975 | Jim Rendel (Earlham, {Ind.}) | 129 | 141 | 0 | .478 | |
| 1929–1931, 1934–1937, 1942, 1946–1947, 1949–1955 | Wally Marks (Chicago) | 108 | 81 | 2 | .571 | 1930, 1946, 1948, 1949 Conference Titles |
| 2007–2009 | Lindsay Meggs (UCLA) | 77 | 79 | 0 | .493 | 2009 Coach of the Year |
| 1924–1928 | Art Strum (Wisconsin-LaCrosse) | 41 | 16 | 0 | .719 | 1924 Conference Title |
| 1918–1923 | Birch Bayh (Indiana State) | 40 | 13 | 1 | .750 | 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923 Conference Titles |
| 1913–1917 | Alfred Westphal (unknown) | 24 | 24 | 1 | .500 | |
| 1932–1933 | Jack Hannah (unknown) | 18 | 8 | 0 | .692 | |
| 1948 | John Wooden (Purdue), (Indiana State)* | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | |
| 1912 | Bert Wiggins (unknown) | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | |
| 1910 | Jesse A. Wood (Indiana State) | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | |
| 1896–1909; 1911; 1918; 1944 | Others | 50 | 59 | 0 | .460 | |
| 1896–present | All-time | 2,189 | 1,595 | 15 | .578 |
- - John Wooden was a graduate student while he coached the baseball team
Coaching honors
Conference Coach of the Year (10)
Hall(s) of Fame
- 1985 - Wallace Johnson (player) - Indiana State University Hall of Fame [13]
- 1987 – Paul Wolf (coach) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[14]
- 1988 – Don Jennings (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[15]
- 1989 – Howard Sharpe (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[16]
- 1990 – Bob Warn (coach) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[17]
- 2000 – Bob Warn (coach) – Iowa Western Hall of Fame[13]
- 2002 - Junius "Rainey" Bibbs (player) - Indiana State University Hall of Fame[18]
- 2002 – 1986 Baseball Team (team) – Indiana State University Hall of Fame[19]
- 2002 – Bob Warn (coach) – Indiana State University Hall of Fame[13]
- 2002 – Paul Gries (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[20]
- 2003 – Bob Warn (coach) – American Baseball Coach's Association[13]
- 2007 – Brian Dorsett (player) – Indiana State University Hall of Fame[21]
- 2008 – Brian Dorsett (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[22]
- 2011 – Junius "Rainey" Bibbs (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[23]
- 2014 - Lou Giovanini (coach) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[24]
- 2020 - Clint Barmes (player) – Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame[24]
- 2021 - Sean Manaea (player) – Indiana State University Hall of Fame[13]
- 2022 - Steve Ruckman (player) - Frontier League Hall of Fame[25][26]
