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TERRE HAUTE REGIONAL CENTRAL
Indiana State (42-15) will start the NCAA Tournament this weekend in the Terre Haute Regional as the No. 14 overall seeded Sycamores welcome Iowa (42-14), North Carolina (35-22), and Wright State (39-21) to Bob Warn Field over the June 2-5 weekend.
The Sycamores earned the No. 14 overall seed and will open against Wright State, in a first-round matchup on Friday, June 2, at 1 PM (ET) on ESPN+. The other first round game in the Terre Haute regional features Iowa and North Carolina at 7 PM ET on ACCN.
Indiana State is 11-22 all-time in NCAA postseason play in school history. The Sycamores have made 12 trips to the postseason (1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1995, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2023).
The Sycamores made a trip to the College World Series in 1986 after going 3-0 to win the Mideast Regional.
Terre Haute Regional Preview
MVC TV's Shane Dennis and D1baseball.com's Joe Healy break down the Terre Haute Regional.
Dominant Stretch
Indiana State has been dominant going 34-4 over its last 38 games dating back to the start of Valley play back on March 25. The Sycamores have not lost a non-conference game since March 21 with midweek wins against Indiana, at Purdue, at Vanderbilt, against Illinois, and against Ball State. ISU nearly posted a perfect month in April going 16-1 overall with key non-conference wins against Indiana and at Vanderbilt during the stretch.
NCAA Success
The Missouri Valley Conference has had tremendous success in the NCAA Baseball Championship over the years. The 10 current MVC members own five College World Series appearances (Bradley, twice; Indiana State, once; Missouri State, once; and Southern Illinois, once) and an additional two Super Regional appearances (Missouri State in 2015 & 2017).
Valley Hosting History
The Valley will host a NCAA Regional for the fifth time since the current format was adopted in 1999. Indiana State hosting marks the first for the league since the 2015 season when both DBU and Missouri State hosted a regional.
MVC NCAA Regional Hosts (Since 2000)
Year Team RPI (at selection)
2023 Indiana State 9
2015 DBU 2
2015 Missouri State 7
2007 Wichita State 20
2002 Wichita State 17
Two of the previous four Valley hosts won the regional and advanced to Super Regional play.
MVC Hosting Regional Results
Year Team Record
2023 Indiana State ?
2015 DBU 3-2 (lost to VCU)
2015 Missouri State 3-0 (lost in Supers)
2007 Wichita State 4-1 (lost in Supers)
2002 Wichita State 1-2 (lost to Oral Roberts)
Elite Company
The Valley is one of just six conferences to earn a host spot in this year’s NCAA tournament field. The Valley joins the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Sun Belt as conferences with a regional host.
Breakdown of Hosts by Conference
SEC 8 (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt)
ACC 4 [Clemson, Miami (Florida), Virginia, Wake Forest]
Big 12 1 (Oklahoma State)
Pac-12 1 (Stanford)
MVC 1 (Indiana State)
Sun Belt 1 (Coastal Carolina)
Fenl0000ng
Indiana State’s Connor Fenlong had a historic month of May. The senior starting pitcher tossed three complete game shutouts during the month and has a total of four complete game shutouts since April 23. The four complete game shutouts lead the nation by two and he is the first pitcher since Navy’s Noah Song in 2018 to toss four complete game shutouts in a single season.
Fenlong also became the first Valley pitcher since 1983 to toss four complete game shutouts in a single season.
Most MVC Shutouts Single Season (Since 1976)
6 Bryan Oelkers, Wichita State 1982
5 Jim Ridenour, Indiana State 1977
4 Erik Sonberg, Wichita State 1983
4 Don Heinkel, Wichita State 1982
4 Connor Fenlong, Indiana State 2023
Typically Multi-Bid League
Since the 1981 season (42 seasons), the MVC placed multiple teams into the NCAA Tournament 27 times (64%). On seven occasions (1990, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2015, 2019) the MVC has put three teams into the NCAA field. This year marks the first since 2016 that The Valley only placed one team in the field.
Solid vs. the B1G
Valley teams finished 18-18 vs. the Big Ten this season. Indiana State was 5-4 vs. the B1G and 6-8 overall vs. Power Five opponents, while UIC was 5-4 vs. Power Five teams and 5-1 vs. the B1G. Overall, Valley teams finished 23-47 vs. Power Five opponents this year.
Indiana State led The Valley with six wins vs. Power Five Opponents, going 6-8 overall. The Sycamores had wins over Vanderbilt, Indiana, Illinois (twice) and Purdue (twice).
MVC Super Regional History
The Missouri Valley Conference has made six appearances in the NCAA Super Regionals since the format was adopted in 1999. 2017 marked Missouri State’s third appearance in the Supers, while DBU boasts the Valley’s most recent appearance in 2021.
Year School Opponent Result
2003 Missouri State Ohio State W, 2-0
2007 Wichita State UC Irvine L, 0-2
2008 Wichita State Florida State L, 1-2
2015 Missouri State Arkansas L, 1-2
2017 Missouri State TCU L, 0-2
2021 DBU Virginia L, 1-2
MVC In College World Series
MVC programs have made a total of 19 appearances in the College World Series. Current members account for five of those appearances. Missouri State made the league’s last appearance in 2003, falling to Rice and Miami (FL) in Omaha. The current CWS appearance drought for the Valley is the longest in the league’s history since the event was first held in 1947.
Year Team Rec. in CWS
2003 Missouri State 0-2
1996 Wichita State 0-2
1993 Wichita State 3-1 (Runner Up)
1992 Wichita State 0-2
1991 Wichita State 3-1 (Runner Up)
Creighton 2-2
1989 Wichita State 5-1(National Champs)
1988 Wichita State 2-2
1986 Indiana State 0-2
1982 Wichita State 3-2 (Runner Up)
1977 So. Illinois 3-2
1971 Tulsa 3-2
1969 Tulsa 3-2 (Runner Up)
1965 Saint Louis 2-2
1956 Bradley 2-2
1955 Oklahoma A&M 3-2
1954 Oklahoma A&M 2-2
1953 Houston 0-2
1950 Bradley 0-2