Down in the Valley

WICHITA, Kan. — ISU’s finale in the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament defines anti-climax. Neither team has anything to play for, it’s the ultimate who cares-style game.

ISU coach Lindsay Meggs fought that notion off yesterday, however, when he said player’s roles were on the line. I think what Meggs was trying to get across is that the way ISU ended the season was unacceptable and that he wants the team to show that it has some fight left in it.

Given that, ISU hasn’t changed its lineup much. Brian Ramirez is playing second base and Joe Meggs is the DH, those are the only changes from the usual starting lineup. Jake Petricka is pitching.

Eleven seniors (Pascual Del Real, Ramirez, Cole Standridge, Brady Shoemaker, David Gurbach, Bronco Lafrenz, Brian Jett, Matt Shelton, Brendon Smith, Michael Manus and Chris Dougherty) wrap up their Sycamore careers today.

Others — Ryan Strausborger, Nick Ciolli, Petricka, Joe Rodriguez — might be making their last appearances too, as they are draft eligible.

I’ll be giving scoring updates only today given that the game doesn’t carry a lot of weight as far as the Sycamores’ fate is concerned.

[] Brian Jett cranked a two-run home run to left-center. Sycamores are in front. Incidentally, ISU broke its five-game streak of allowing a run in the first inning as Petricka blanked the Salukis. End of 2nd, ISU 2-0.

[] Ciolli cranked another home run to center. ISU showing the offensive verve they missing in the last six losses. End of 3rd, ISU 3-0.

[] SIU has rallied. An error by Ramirez to leadoff hitter Scott Elmendorf got the Salukis going. SIU eventually loaded the bases and a two-run single by Aaron Roberts, a RBI double by Tyler Bullock, a RBI on a groundout and a RBI single by Tony Lepore ignited the SIU rally. Middle of 4th, SIU 5-3.

[] SIU scored again. A bloop single by Mark Kelly added to the Saluki lead. Middle of 5th, SIU 6-3.

[] Strausborger just went deep to left, the ball landing in a tree behind the scoreboard. ISU had subsequent runners in scoring position, but couldn’t cash in. End of 5th, SIU 6-4.

[] SIU cancelled out Strausborger’s home run with a titanic Bullock blast to left-center. The Salukis added more on a Chris Murphy RBI double. That was it for Petricka, who was pulled for Michael Manus. He promptly gave up another RBI double, this time by Scott Elmendorf. A RBI single by Kelly tacked on more. The meltdown continues. Middle of 6th, SIU 10-4.

[] Jett went deep again with a home run pulled down the left field line. ISU needs a lot more. End of 6th, SIU 10-5.

[] ISU got on the board in the eighth on a Luke Fieser sacrifice fly. The Sycamores loaded the bases, but the rally petered out on a pop out. End of 8th, SIU 10-6.

[] ISU went down in the ninth. Game over, season over on a down note. Final, SIU 10-6.

WICHITA, Kan. — Hello again from Eck Stadium. Indiana State has a lot of disappointment to shake off after Wednesday’s epic meltdown, but the Sycamores have no choice if they hope to stay alive.

The equation is simple … ISU must beat Illinois State today. If they don’t they’re eliminated from championship game contention.

If they do beat the Redbirds, ISU needs Creighton to beat Wichita State tonight. If the Shockers win, ISU is eliminated regardless of what they do in this game.

Illinois State has ace Ryan Camp on the hill. In an exposure of problems with the pod system, the Redbirds started a pitcher on Wednesday that didn’t have a single start all season, essentially sacrificing its “crossover” game against Missouri State to set its rotation for the teams (ISU, Wichita State) in its pod.

Can’t blame Illinois State for doing it, it was the right move given how their schedule laid out, but the Valley needs to tweak this system so you don’t have teams conceding games.

With UNI gone next year, perhaps all eight teams should go to the tournament, that way there would be no crossover games to sacrifice, given that each pod would have four teams instead of three.

ISU won’t start Jake Petricka, they elected to go with Joe Rodriguez. Petricka will presumably go tomorrow against Southern Illinois.

Missouri State took care of business with a 8-4 victory over Southern Illinois. If Creighton loses to Wichita State tonight, the Bears will be in the championship game.

Almost time to play ball.

[] Needless to say, the “crowd” isn’t anything like the one ISU played in front of last night. There might be 100-150 people here.

[] ISU had runners on first and third in the first, but couldn’t cash in. Camp is pretty good for Illinois State. Middle of 1st, no score.

[] Another poor start for ISU’s pitching staff. A leadoff walk by Collin Salzenstein was followed by a Tyler McNeely single. Mike Stalowy hit five foul balls off Rodridguez before he singled to right, scoring Salzenstein. Rodriguez retired the next two Redbirds, but Anthony Ruffolo doubled to right, scoring two more runs. Rodridguez got out of it at the next at-bat, but he threw over 30 pitches in the half-inning.

ISU’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the last week or so. End of 1st, Illinois State 3-0.

[] ISU had runners at first and second with one out, but Ben Ferrell hit into a double play to end the second.

Meanwhile, Illinois State is rolling. Leadoff hitter Gabe DeMarco crushed a solo home run off the middle of the scoreboard in left field.

With one out, Salzenstein singled and McNeely reached on a Luke Fieser error as he tried to get the ball out of his glove to turn a double play.

Illinois State loaded the bases, but Rodriguez just barely worked out of it. Ryan Court missed what would have been a bases-clearing double by less than a foot, when his liner down the right field line went foul.

ISU finishing in second place is great progress, but the way ISU has finished the season is really disappointing. This game isn’t finished yet, but it feels like it is. End of 2nd, Illinois State 4-0.

[] ISU goes 1-2-3 in the third on just eight pitches. Illinois State went 1-2-3 too. End of 3rd, Illinois State 4-0.

[] Nick Ciolli led off with a single, but Bronco Lafrenz then hit into a 6-4-3 double play. That was it for the fourth.

Meanwhile, No. 9 hitter Cole Marty hit a triple to right-center that could just as easily been an error as it glanced off Kyle Burnam’s glove. Marty scored on a sacrifice fly by Salzenstein. End of 4th, Illinois State 5-0.

[] ISU is on the board. Brian Ramirez was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, and Ryan Strausborger knocked him in with a bloop single to center. ISU eventually loaded the bases, but Ciolli grounded out to second. Middle of 5th, Illinois State 5-1.

[] ISU messed up another rundown as the tag was missed on what would have been a 3-6-1 pickoff. Everything that can go wrong is for ISU.

Illinois State subsequently walked, then Ruffolo reached on a would-be sacrifice when Rodriguez waited too long to throw. Lindsay Meggs then removed Rodriguez for Brendon Smith.

Smith got ISU out of trouble by inducing a double play. End of 5th, Illinois State 6-1.

[] Brian Jett gave ISU some life in the sixth with a two-run home run to the Coleman Pavilion in center field. Smith then worked a 1-2-3 Illinois State half. The Sycamores have some hope. End of 6th, Illinois State 6-3.

[] The top of ISU’s order went 1-2-3 in the seventh. It might be the last chance they get.

Illinois State has tacked on another run in the seventh on a one-out RBI single by Matt Mirabal.

The Sycamores’ demise has not been fun to watch no matter your rooting interest. This game has been a drawn-out exercise in slow. End of 7th, Illinois State 7-3.

[] ISU goes 1-2-3 in the eighth. The ship is sinking. Illinois State threatened, but didn’t score in the eighth off Smith and Kevin Mann. Last chance for ISU coming up. End of 8th, Illinois State 7-3.

[] No dice for ISU. They go 1-2-3. The Sycamores are eliminated from championship game contention. The losing streak is now at six. Final, Illinois State 7-3.

Incidentally, Wichita State’s starting pitcher tonight is Terre Haute native Max Hutson.

WICHITA, Kan. — Hello from Kansas. It’s about an hour before game time and the weather here is perfect. It’s about 75 degrees and there’s not a cloud in the sky.

I was in transit to Wichita on Tuesday, so I didn’t get to write about Lindsay Meggs winning MVC Coach of the Year. It’s not a surprise, but it’s still an honor for the third-year coach.

Thoughts go out to those who were affected by the fire that destroyed Terry Modesitt’s building in Terre Haute on Tuesday. This hit very close to home for me as my wife worked in the building at Conley Real Estate Appraisals. As many know, owner Brian Conley is a former ISU football player and ISU athletics supporter, not to mention a very good guy. Best of luck to him and everyone else affected by the fire.

Two games are already in the books. No. 4-seeded Creighton broke out of its slump and defeated No. 5 Southern Illinois 5-1 in today’s opening game. The Bluejays scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth as the Salukis managed just five hits off Creighton starter Jeremy Hauer, who went the distance.

No.6 seed Illinois State gave top-seeded Missouri State an almighty scare, but the Bears rallied for a 9-6 victory. Down 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Missouri State loaded the bases with no outs and Daniel Torrente crushed a grand slam to left field for a dramatic save of the Bears’ bacon.

Wichita State second baseman Will Baez is questionable after he suffered a sprained ankle on Monday. Baez will DH for the Shockers.

ISU is using its regular right-handed lineup against Wichita State ace Tim Kelley. ISU will see Illinois State Friday starter Ryan Camp on Thursday as the pod format has not been kind to the Sycamores.

In essence, this is win-or-else for ISU. If they lose, they’d have to win out and Wichita State would have to lose out. Not a very likely scenario. On the other hand, if ISU wins, it would need just one win in its final two games to clinch a spot in Saturday’s championship game.

It’s a crosswind at Eck Stadium, with the wind blowing out to left. Play ball.

[] I’m a horrible judge of crowds, but it’s safe to say that the crowd ISU is playing in front of is the largest they’ve seen in the Valley thus far, their last trip to Wichita excepted, of course.

[] Disaster for ISU right off the bat.

Third baseman Luke Fieser made a great stab to rob Tyler Grimes of a base hit during Wichita State’s first at-bat, but Cody Lassley followed with a single to left, followed by a Baez walk. Valdez bore down and struck out cleanup hitter Clinton McKeever looking, but then walked Chris O’Brien on four pitches to load the bases.

It set up Ryan Jones, who lined an 0-2 pitch just over the right field fence for a grand slam. Valdez retired the next batter, but the damage is done. It’s the second game in a row where Valdez got battered in the first inning, he gave up five in the first at Missouri State. Middle of 1st, WSU 4-0.

[] ISU loaded the bases in the first. Kyle Burnam got an infield single, while Nick Ciolli singled to center and Fieser to right. But with two outs, Tyler Graham flew out to center, extinguishing the ISU threat. End of 1st, WSU 4-0.

[] WSU went 1-2-3 in the second and ISU got off the mat. With one out, Brian Jett was hit by a pitch and Ben Ferrell doubled down the left field line. Ryan Strausborger followed with a grounder in the hole to short. The senior hustled and beat the throw for a single. Jett would have scored anyway, but the base hit was due to Strausborger’s hustle.

ISU eventually loaded the bases and Ciolli hit a harmless grounder to shortstop Tyler Grimes. However, Grimes throw to first drew first baseman Clinton McKeever off the bag and Ciolli got into first just in time as Ferrell scored. Fieser followed with a ground out, but ISU has a more manageable deficit. End of 2nd, WSU 4-2.

[] Unlike the Missouri State series, ISU has wiped out its early deficit. With one out, Bronco Lafrenz was hit by a pitch, Jett singled to right and Ferrell walked. After Strausborger struck out, Burnam hit a pill up the middle. It struck pitcher Tim Kelley’s leg and richocheted into left field, scoring both Lafrenz and Jett to tie the game. ISU ran itself out of the inning during Shoemaker’s at-bat when Burnam was caught stealing, but it’s a whole new ballgame. End of 3rd, 4-4.

[] Valdez has settled down nicely for ISU. He’s retired 10 straight Shockers and is finding the zone with much more consistency. Every inning he pitches saves ISU’s bullpen. He’s struck out three batters. ISU went 1-2-3 for the first time in its half. End of 4th, 4-4.

[] It’s hard to discern the strike zone for both teams.

[] WSU’s Ryan Engrav led off with single to break up Valdez’s string of retired batters, but that’s all the Shockers got in the fifth.

[] ISU got hard-nosed in the fifth and took the lead. Tyler Graham led off with a walk and eventually went to third on a wild pitch and groundout. Jett was then hit for the second time.

Ferrell hit a tailor-made double play ball to short, but Jett slid in hard and took out WSU second baseman Chance Sossamon, allowing Ferrell to reach on the fielder’s choice and Graham to score. End of 5th, ISU 5-4.

[] WSU goes 1-2-3 in the sixth. Jett, who’s playing outstanding, just made a diving stab on a Chris O’Brien shot down the line and slid into the bag feet-first to get the out. Middle of 6th, ISU 5-4.

[] ISU has knocked Kelley out of the game in the sixth. Burnam led off with a single to center. Shoemaker worked a 3-2 count, and with Burnam running slapped a double into the left-center gap. Burnam scored to pad ISU’s lead. WSU removed Kelley for Remington Johnson. There’s no one out.

ISU tacked on another run on a Fieser single. ISU is in the driver’s seat for now. End of 6th, ISU 7-4.

[] Jones just struck again for the Shockers. He hit a solo bomb to center field to give the Shockers a boost. Fieser then fielded a Bret Bascue chopper behind third base and did a poor Brooks Robinson imitation, throwing the ball into the seats, allowing Bascue to go to second. Engrav followed with a single to right, scoring Bascue, and suddenly, the Shockers are right back in it.

That’s it for Valdez. Michael Manus has entered the game in relief. He retired Taylor Brown, but then Fieser and Ferrell got hung up on a grounder by Grimes. Terrible mental error by ISU that put Shockers at first and second with one out.

ISU bailed itself out when Cody Lassley hit a sharp liner to Strausborger, who quickly threw to first to double Grimes up. Huge play ISU needed badly as it retains its lead. Middle of 7th, ISU 7-6.

[] Strausborger reached on an infield single, but that’s all ISU got in the seventh. End of 7th, ISU 7-6.

[] Baez led the eighth off with a walk, followed by a free pass to McKeever as Manus has missed the zone outside. Manus threw one ball to Chris O’Brien and Meggs saw enough. Matt Shelton has entered the game to try and snuff out the Shocker threat.

It didn’t happen. O’Brien hit Shelton’s first pitch to left for a single, scoring pinch runner Andrew Letourneau. It’s tied.

It’s not tied now. Jones hit a sharp single to center, scoring McKeever. Wichita State leads 8-7 and there’s still no one out. Shelton is struggling badly.

The floodgates are officially open on Shelton. A wild pitch scored O’Brien and allowed Shockers to go to second and third. Engrav then singled to center, scoring both. It’s now 11-7 with no outs and Shelton is gone, lifted for Cordell Greene.

Greene hit the first batter and WSU loaded the bases again. Scott Harlan has entered the game to face .169-hitting Andrew Letourneau, who promptly singled to center, scoring two more runs. The last run was a play at the plate, and ISU seemed to get the raw end of a bad call.

More salt, more wounds. A single by McKeever made it 14-7. Folks … there’s still only one out.

ISU finally extricated itself, retiring two Shockers. Total nightmare for the Sycamores as WSU scored eight runs. Middle of 8th, WSU 14-7.

[] ISU still hasn’t awoken from this bad dream. After a fruitless ISU eighth, Bascue just hit a solo bomb to center to make it 15-7.

Game ended a while ago. Total meltdown by ISU’s bullpen has the Sycamores in an untenable spot.

The Missouri Valley Conference announced its all-conference baseball teams today.

No Sycamores got the big honors, which might be perceived as a slight towards Brady Shoemaker, who was one of the finalists for Player of the Year. I can understand, however, Missouri State’s Brayden Drake was certainly worthy and did nothing to harm his cause with an outstanding series against the Sycamores last weekend.

Four Sycamores made the First Team: Shoemaker, Ryan Strausborger, Nick Ciolli and Joe Rodriguez … all deserving. Three more — Bronco Lafrenz, Jake Petricka and Matt Shelton — made the Second Team. Luke Fieser and Tyler Graham were honorable mention.

Fieser being honorable mention is the only major injustice in my opinion. I can understand why Drake beat him out at First Team third base, but Fieser should have been on the second team.

Here are the teams and honors:

First Team
Name, School Yr. Pos. Hometown
Clint McKeever, Wichita State Jr. 1B Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma State)
Kevin Medrano, Missouri State Fr. 2B Lee’s Summit, Mo. (Lee’s Summit North)
Elliot Soto, Creighton So. SS Algonquin, Ill. (Dundee Crown)
Brayden Drake, Missouri State Sr. 3B Webb City, Mo. (Webb City)
Dallas Hord, Missouri State Jr. C Ozark, Mo. (Ozark)
Tyler Bullock, Southern Illinois Jr. DH DuQuoin, Ill. (DuQuoin/Austi n Peay)
Ryan Strausborger, Indiana State Jr. UT Osceola, Ind. (Elkhart Memorial)
Brady Shoemaker, Indiana State Sr. OF Brazil, Ind. (Olney Central CC)
Nick Ciolli, Indiana State Jr. OF Terre Haute, Ind. (North Vigo)
Ben Carlson, Missouri State Jr. OF Topeka, Kan. (Seaman)
Buddy Baumann, Missouri State Jr. SP Rogersville, Mo. (Logan-Rogersville)
Aaron Meade, Missouri State So. SP Kansas City, Mo. (Rockhurst)
Joe Rodriguez, Indiana State Jr. SP Middletown, N.Y. (Clarendon CC)
Bryant George, Southern Illinois Jr. RP DuQuoin, Ill. (DuQuoin)
Jack VanLeur, Creighton So. RP Brandon, S.D. (Brandon Valley)

Second Team
Name, School Yr. Pos. Hometown
Darin Ruf, Creighton Sr. 1B Omaha, Neb. (Westside)
Vicente Cafaro, Creighton Sr. 2B Maracay Venezuela (Iowa Western CC)
Collin Salzenstein, Illinois State Sr. SS St. Louis, Mo. (Xavier)
Cody Fick, Evansville So. 3B Freeburg, Mo. (Fati ma/Jeff erson College)
Bronco Lafrenz, Indiana State Sr. C Sioux City, Iowa (Marshalltown CC)
Andy Pascoe, Evansville Jr. DH Traverse City, Mich. (Traverse City Central)
Brett Douglas, UNI Sr. UT St. Charles, Iowa (I-35)
Robbie Knight, Creighton Jr. OF Bennington, Neb. (Millard North/Kansas State)
Nick Miti diero, Bradley Sr. OF Lockport, Ill. (Lockport Township Triton)
Travis Bennett , UNI Jr. OF Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Jeff erson/Kirkwood CC)
Tim Kelley, Wichita State So. SP Tulsa, Okla. (Bishop Kelley)
Nick Kirk, UNI Sr. SP Dubuque, Iowa (Wahlert)
Jake Petricka, Indiana State So. SP Fariboult, Minn. (Iowa Western CC)
Matt Shelton, Indiana State Sr. RP Loves Park, Ill. (Harlem)
Tom Heithoff , Evansville Jr. RP Carroll, Iowa (North Iowa Area CC)

Honorable Mention
Name, School Yr. Pos. Hometown
Chris Serritalla, Southern Illinois Fr. 1B Glenview, Ill. (Loyola Academy)
Jason Summers, UNI Jr. 1B Kent, Wash. (Jeff erson/South Mountain CC)
Mike Stalowy, Illinois State Sr. 2B Joliet, Ill. (Joliet Catholic)
Tyler Grimes, Wichita State Fr. SS Wichita, Kan. (North)
Ryan Court, Illinois State So. 3B Sleepy Hollow, Ill. (Dundee-Crown)
Luke Fieser, Indiana State Jr. 3B Woodinville, Wash. (Columbia Basin College)
Mark Kelly, Southern Illinois Sr. C Hanover Park, Ill. (Hoff man Estates)
Tyler Graham, Indiana State Jr. DH Straff ord, Ontario, Canada (Kaskaskia CC)
Chris Playter, Missouri State Sr. UT Kansas City, Mo. (Raytown)
Grant Escue, Bradley Sr. OF Washington, Ill. (Stanford)
Tyler McNeely, Illinois State So. OF Normal, Ill. (University)
T.J. Roemmich, Creighton Jr. OF West Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling Catholic)
Ryan Camp, Illinois State Fr. SP Mapleton, Ill. (Limestone Community)
Rob Scahill, Bradley Jr. SP Lombard, Ill. (Willowbrook)
Bob Lackovic, Creighton Jr. RP Omaha, Neb. (Skutt Catholic)
Shuhei Fujyia, UNI Jr. RP Irvine, Calif. (Orange Coast College)
J.R. Carbonell, Evansville Sr. RP St. Charles, Ill. (St. Charles East)

JOE CARTER PLAYER OF THE YEAR — Brayden Drake, Missouri State
PITCHER OF THE YEAR — Buddy Baumann, Missouri State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR — Travis Bennett , UNI
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR — Kevin Medrano, Missouri State

Here’s who and when ISU will be playing in the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament this week at Wichita State.

The pods:
Pod 1 — Missouri State, Creighton, Southern Illinois
Pod 2 — Indiana State, Wichita State, Illinois State

All times are EDT:
Wednesday — No. 2 ISU vs. No. 3 Wichita State, 8 p.m.
Thursday — ISU vs. No. 6 Illinois State, 4 p.m.
Friday — ISU vs. No. 5 Southern Illinois, Noon
Saturday — If ISU wins its pod, it will play in a winner-take-all championship game at 8 p.m.

It’s pretty much the worst case scenario draw for ISU. Wichita State slipped into the the No. 3 hole at the gun when it swept Creighton and beat the Bluejays by .002 in winning percentage. That’s an extraordinarily bad break for the Sycamores, who would have otherwise played a faltering Creighton team in its opener.

The Sycamores will likely face Wichita State ace Tim Kelley in the opener, probably the best pitcher in the conference. He shut the Sycamores out in Wichita earlier this month. That says nothing of the fact that the Shockers are hot, there will be a large crowd, and everything else that goes into playing the host school.

If ISU can’t overcome that mountain, it will need help to win its pod. It will need to win its final two games and the Shockers will have to lose their final two (against Creighton and Illinois State, not a likely scenario), because ISU would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker.

ISU’s saving grace is that if there’s somehow a three-way tie with Wichita State and Illinois State in its pod, the Sycamores win the tiebreaker as the best seed. But that would mean the Redbirds would have to beat the Shockers and Missouri State, which would be miraculous.

In essence, the opener against the Shockers is a pod championship game of sorts. It will be ISU’s biggest challenge of the season to date.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Can ISU get a piece of the MVC championship? We’ll see.

The temperature dropped significantly after evening thunderstorms blew through Springfield. The wind is blowing in hard from left field.

Missouri State has righty Pat Doyle on the mound, but Lindsay Meggs didn’t go with his usual right-handed lineup. Koby Kraemer, who played so well on Friday, is starting at second base. Brian Ramirez is the designated hitter. That means Kyle Burnam and Tyler Graham are available off the bench. Graham has been in a slump of late.

Here we go.

[] ISU went 1-2-3 in the first, but starter Joe Rodriguez also kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the first inning for the first time in the series. End of 1st, no score.

[] ISU is not showing much patience against Doyle, hitting the first or second pitch. Brian Ramirez reached on a single that should been scored an error on shortstop Curt Courtwright, but that’s all the Sycamores got in the second. Tyler Ryun singled in the MSU second, but that’s all the Bears could conjure up against Rodridguez, who already has three strikeouts. End of 2nd, no score.

[] ISU got a threat going in the third as Brian Jett and Ryan Strausborger both singled. Jett was at third and Strausborger at first with one out, but Kraemer struck out and Shoemaker grounded out to third, so the Sycamores came up empty.

[] Oddball situation in the top of the third. Courtwright reached on a bunt single and got caught in a rundown. The ball eventually came to Jett who reached out to tag Courtwright, but dropped the ball (and injured himself in the process). Courtwright assumed he was tagged and started to stroll back to the Bears’ dugout, but encouraged by the Bears’ bench, he went to second and was called safe.

Meggs argued at length, presumably that Courtwright left the baseline. The umpires discussed it at length, but elected to keep the original call, which prompted a vociferous argument from Meggs.

If Meggs was arguing about Courtwright leaving the baseline, he’s 100 percent right.

[] Jett’s shoulder popped out, but he stayed in the game. It’s the third time I’ve seen Jett pop his shoulder this season. Jett has been rubbing his shoulder and the ISU trainer came out to have a look. Jett is refusing to leave the game and is still in.

[] The umpires signaled to the press box. No one is sure, but we believe the game is being played under protest. I’ll try to confirm.

[] Courtwright did come around to score for Missouri State as Dallas Hord drew a bases-loaded walk, but that’s all Missouri State could get. That one run on the disputed play is massive right now. I really hope it doesn’t determine the game. End of 3rd, MSU 1-0.

[] ISU is on the board with a two-out rally. Ramirez hit a single to center, followed by a Luke Fieser bunt single. Jett, he of the injured shoulder, then hit an opposite field single to left. Ramirez, running from second, slid under the tag to score. ISU loaded the bases, but Strausborger lined out to right to end the inning. Missouri State went down in the fourth quietly. End of 4th, 1-1.

[] I briefly spoke with Meggs between innings. The game is indeed being played under protest.

[] Missouri State has taken control in the fifth. Brayden Drake and Ben Carlson each hit singles and they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Meggs intentionally walked Hord to load the bases for a possible double play.

Chris Playter then hit a line shot to Kraemer at second, who couldn’t field it as it scooted off his glove into center. Drake scored to put the Bears in front.

After Ryun flew out to left, Daniel Torrente hit a duck snort bloop off the end of his bat which landed on the lip of the outfield behind first base, just out of reach of both Jett and Kraemer. Two Bears scored as the ball dribbled down the right field line. End of 5th, MSU 4-1.

[] ISU went 1-2-3 in the sixth.

[] Creighton lost 5-2 to Wichita State today. ISU will be the No. 2 seed at the MVC Tournament. If the Shockers win game two today, they can vault to the No. 3 seed. ISU doesn’t want any part of that.

[] The Bears added to their lead in the sixth. A leadoff single by Aaron Conway and a double by Drake set up Ben Carlson, who doubled down the right field line to knock in both runners. Rodriguez retired one more runner before he was pulled for Michael Manus, who retired the side. ISU needs to get its bats going if it wants to salvage anything from this series. End of 6th, MSU 6-1.

[] ISU is generating some hits in the seventh. Strausborger, Kraemer and Shoemaker each have one-out singles up the middle to load the bases, but the Bears escaped unscathed. Nick Ciolli struck out and Bronco Lafrenz popped out to second. Big missed opportunity for ISU. Middle of 7th, MSU 6-1.

[] Manus retired MSU in order in the seventh. End of 7th, MSU 6-1.

[] Luke Fieser got a one-out double, but that’s all of the offense the Sycamores could generate. It’s slipping away for ISU. Middle of 8th, MSU 6-1.

[] MSU went 1-2-3 against Manus, but ISU couldn’t do anything in its final chance. Strausborger flew out deep to left, Kraemer grounded to second. Shoemaker got a two-out single, but Ciolli ended the game with a groundout to second. Final, MSU 6-1.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Hello again from Mizzourah. ISU needs to win tonight if it wants the MVC baseball championship to itself. It won’t be easy as Missouri State throws lefty Buddy Baumann, who has a 2.95 and a 9-1 record. ISU counters with Jake Petricka, who has a 3.39 ERA and 7-1 mark.

ISU changed its lefty lineup tonight. Koby Kraemer will start at second and bat second. Bronco Lafrenz was moved up to fourth in the lineup. ISU has four righties to start the lineup until lefty Nick Ciolli bats.

For seeding purposes at the MVC Tournament, ISU must win both games. If there’s a tie, MSU will get the No. 1 seed.

Depending on how you look at it, not being No. 1 might not be a bad thing for ISU. In the new pod format, the No. 1 seed will play Wichita State in its pod if things remain as they are. I wouldn’t want any part of the Shockers on their home field in this new format.

Anyway, that’s conjecture. Let’s get to the game. I’ll be on the radio in the top of the fourth if anyone cares.

[] Baseball America wrote about ISU on its web site today. Check out the streakin’ header in its weekend preview. Nice to see ISU get some national pub.

[] ISU is on top. A two-out Brady Shoemaker single was followed by a Bronco Lafrenz two-run home run to left field. It was a towering blast off Baumann’s first pitch that left Hammons Field just to the left side of the left-center scoreboard. Nick Ciolli ended the inning with a strikeout, but the Sycamores get a good start. Middle of the 1st, ISU 2-0.

[] Petricka is having trouble finding the zone against the Bears. A leadoff single by Aaron Conway, followed by a Kevin Medrano gave Brayden Drake another chance to hurt the Sycamores and he did with a RBI single to right. Ben Carlson followed with a RBI single off the glove of first baseman Joe Meggs. So much for ISU’s early lead. Missouri State still hasn’t made an out.

Wow! ISU ends the inning on a triple play. Dallas Hord lined to short with runners going and ISU was able to get both runners at first and second out. First one I’ve witnessed live. End of 1st, 2-2.

[] ISU goes 1-2-3 against Baumann in the second. MSU led off with an infield single by Chris Playter and Travis Rogers followed with a walk as Petricka is still struggling to find the zone.

Most of Petricka’s pitches are missing outside as he tries to find the corner. Petricka threw a wild pitch outside which advanced the runners to second and third. Tyler Ryun knocked in Playter with a chop infield single to put the Bears in front. Travis McCormick followed with a single to center to score Rogers. After a sacrifice, Medrano singled to center to knock in Ryun.

Cordell Greene is warming up in the bullpen.

A sacrifice fly by Drake scored McCormick before Carlson hit a line-drive home run to right. That’s it for Petricka with MSU up 8-2.

Enter Cordell Greene. On the first pitch, Hord took him deep for a solo home run to center. Greene retired Playter to mercifully end the inning. Seven runs for the Bears. This is ISU’s worst nightmare. End of 2nd, MSU 9-2.

[] The Bears don’t do it after every run, but Missouri State has been mocking ISU’s “Grade A Skooz” cheer after they score. Can’t imagine that sits well in the ISU dugout, but the only thing they can do about it is keep the Bears from having the chance, which the Sycamores aren’t doing right now.

[] Kraemer drew a walk, but that’s all ISU could get in the third. MSU goes 1-2-3. End of 3rd, MSU 9-2.

[] More nightmares for ISU in the fourth. After a very quick 1-2-3 against Baumann, ISU gave up four more runs against Greene and reliever Kevin Mann. ISU is facing the 10-run rule now. End of 4th, MSU 13-2.

[] Brady Shoemaker hit a three-run home run in the fifth to get ISU out from under the 10-run rule. Nick Ciolli later scored on a Tyler Graham single, but the Sycamores have a long way to go. Middle of 6th, MSU 13-6.

[] Lafrenz goes deep again in the top of the eighth with a solo shot into the Bears’ bullpen. Brian Jett later singled home Luke Fieser.

It’s become interesting. ISU has the bases loaded with one out and Strausborger at the plate. He struck out looking. Kraemer was next and the Terre Haute freshman hit a grand slam to left into the MSU bullpen. Folks, it is 13-12.

The Indiana State Athletics Department announced today that it is suspending its men’s and women’s tennis programs effective immediately.

My words, not theirs, but “suspended” might as well mean “eliminated” in reality. There is an extremely low probability they will be reinstated.

ISU Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman said in the release it was a budgetary decision. I have no reason to disbelieve that. Athletics has to cut just like every other body at ISU and they had to do so dramatically based on rumblings I’ve heard. ISU did a good job keeping a program cut private, but I’m not really surprised it was tennis that was cut.

It’s sad in the sense that success on the court for ISU tennis — the women’s team made the NCAAs last year — doesn’t mean diddly when it comes to financial success. That’s a harsh, perhaps unfair, reality for the athletes and coaches who compete in the sport, but a reality nonetheless, especially in this economy.

Non-revenue sports are going to become harder and harder to justify if the economy remains sluggish. And for those of you who think that’s a collegiate phenomenon, think again. We’ll see this at the high school level soon too. It’s already happening in several states.

It’s an emotional thing to cut a program — ISU fans/alums still talk about cuts to gymnastics and wrestling in the mid 1980s — but lets be frank for a moment.

Statements will be made, people will say how sad they are, what a tragic day it is for ISU athletics, but deep down, how many fans/alums are really that sad about it?

Let’s be brutally honest here, as far as the public was concerned, ISU tennis operated essentially as a shadow program. Did you, the typical ISU fan, care that much about the sport? I’m sure there’s some who did, but far, far more who didn’t.

In my little corner of the world at the paper, I very rarely, if ever, got any feedback, positive or negative, on the Sycamore tennis team at all from anyone outside the program. It would be easy to conclude that no one much cared about the sport.

It didn’t help that the make-up of many NCAA tennis rosters for both genders consists of foreign-born athletes who really don’t reflect the population of the student body or the surrounding area.

I’m no jingo, I have no problem with foreign-born athletes, but when 10 of the 12 athletes currently on the ISU tennis rosters are foreign-born, including all five women’s tennis players, a program is not going to have the donor base, nor the public groundswell to create interest in a program. You’re practically making yourself a budgetary target by not making your roster relevant to the campus makeup and/or community it’s in.

The only local player on either roster was ex-Terre Haute North player Blake Douglas.

The proof will be in the pudding. Will someone step up financially to un-suspend the program? We’ll see, but I have severe doubts.

Tennis is a non-starter as a revenue-producer for the university, so other than an emotional attachment, I can’t imagine why it would be someone’s interest to throw money at it.

Some might say the prestige of a winning program makes it worth saving. In this case, I disagree. “Prestige” that ISU athletics would gain from tennis success means very little when no one pays much attention to the sport. Clearly, the 2008 NCAA berth didn’t mean much as far as public interest is concerned or anything at all to ISU’s financial health.

Like it or not, the harsh bottom line is that few people cared about ISU tennis, its historical success notwithstanding.

In better times, that’s not a big deal. In this economy, that’s a recipe for doom.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Hello from the Ozarks. The battle for the Missouri Valley Conference is about to begin. Weather is gorgeous … about 70 degrees with sunny skies.

This might be the only game where the weather holds out. Forecast calls for rain on Friday and Saturday. Ozark weather is much like Indiana weather, so who knows?

The crowd is pretty tiny, though the beautiful environs of Hammons Field kind of swallows up what crowd there is.

ISU’s Eric Valdez (5-3, 4.52) matches up against Missouri State’s Aaron Meade (8-2, 2.92) in the opener. Meade is a lefty, but ISU coach Lindsay Meggs has elected to start Kyle Burnam in the outfield, someone he sits when the team faces lefties. It will be a big challenge for the freshman from Marshall, Ill.

First pitch is upon us. I might also be on the radio at some point over the weekend … I have a voice for print.

[] For those who aren’t familiar with Hammons Field, dimensions are 315 down the left field line, aprroximately 360 in the power alleys and 400 to dead center.

[] The scoreboard at Hammons Field rocks. Full graphics, player mugshots, hometowns … very nice. Ryan Strausborger, by the way, is on base after a leadoff walk.

[] Strausborger was picked off first on a nice throw by MSU catcher Dallas Hord after a Brady Shoemaker strike. Bad timing as Shoemaker hit a double to right on the next at-bat. Luke Fieser ended the ISU first inning with a groundout to third.

[] The Wichita State-Creighton game begins 30 minutes after this one for scoreboard watchers. Check out d1baseball.com for live nationwide scores, it’s a great site.

[] Valdez hit MSU leadoff hitter Aaron Conway with his first pitch. Conway advanced to third after a groundout and steal and was knocked home when Brayden Drake hit a double off the right field wall.

Drake, however, was picked off second by Valdez, but Missouri State was undaunted. Ben Carlson was hit by a pitch and Hord walked to set up Chris Playter’s bloop single to center, which scored Carlson.

Valdez had control issues, necessitating a mound meeting late in the inning, but it didn’t help. Trevor Rogers hit a no-doubter, 3-run bomb to right field that landed on the roof of the Springfield Cardinals’ clubhouse before ISU limped away from a bad first inning.

To put it mildly, it was not a good start for the Sycamores. Four runs with two outs for the Bears. End of the 1st, MSU 5-0.

[] Meade is dealing for MSU. Nick Ciolli struck out looking, Bronco Lafrenz struck out swinging and Tyler Graham grounded out to second.

Brendon Smith is already warming up in the ISU bullpen.

[] Another shaky inning for Valdez. Singles up the middle by No. 9 hitter Travis McCormick and Kevin Medrano set the Bears up again with one out. This time, Valdez pitched out of it. Drake struck out and Carlson hit a fly out to left to end the Bears threat. End of the 2nd, MSU 5-0.

[] ISU goes quietly in the third. Joe Meggs, Ben Ferrell and Strausborger went down 1-2-3. ISU doesn’t hit lefties as well as it does righties and that’s been evident here so far.

[] Valdez hit his third batter of the game when Hord led off the third, but that was all the Bears could muster this time. End of the 3rd. MSU 5-0.

[] Hammons Field has a basketball half-court next to the third base grandstand. You can hoop it up while you watch some baseball.

[] Meade changes speeds well and has basically the same wind-up for his fastball and off-speed pitches.

That said, ISU gained traction with a fourth inning rally.

Burnam reached on an error and went to third on a one-out ground rule double by Fieser that went through a gap in the left field fence. A Ciolli single up the middle scored Burnam. Fieser then scored when Ciolli tried to steal second and Hord’s throw was, to put it mildly, just a bit outside of second. Lafrenz followed with a long double off the centerfield wall to score Ciolli. ISU has new life. Middle of the 4th, MSU 5-3.

[] Valdez got himself in trouble against the meat of the Bears’ lineup and paid the price in the bottom half of the fourth. Singles by Conway and Medrano set up .402-hitting Drake, who hit a single to shallow center to score Conway. ISU got out of trouble when Carlson hit into a 4-6-3 double play. End of the 4th, MSU 6-3.

[] Strausborger got an infield single in ISU’s fifth, but that’s all the Sycamores could put together. Missouri State went 1-2-3 in its half. End of the 5th, MSU 6-3.

[] Lafrenz hit a two-out double down the left field line, but that’s all ISU got in the sixth.

[] Disaster for ISU in the sixth. MSU got a leadoff single from Tyler Ryun, but he was thrown out at second by Lafrenz on an attempted sacrifice by McCormick, but MSU persevered.

Medrano drew a two-out walk to put two on for Drake, who cranked a three-run home run to left over the minor league bullpen and on to the railroad tracks behind Hammons Field. Exit Valdez, enter Matt Bayes, who got Carlson to ground out, but the damage was done. End of 6th, MSU 9-3.

[] ISU went 1-2-3 in the seventh, not stretching Meade much in the process. ISU got out of trouble in the MSU half of the seventh as a pair of leadoff singles went to waste for the Bears. End of the 7th, MSU 9-3.

[] ISU is getting good news at present from Wichita. The Shockers lead Creighton 4-1. A Creighton loss eliminates the Bluejays from the conference championship picture.

[] Hope for ISU? A Shoemaker double and Ciolli walk set up Lafrenz, who hit a two-out, three-run home run into the MSU bullpen to make it 9-6. Middle of the 8th, MSU 9-6.

[] MSU got two on in the eighth, but ended the inning on a bizarre called third strike double play. If you’re scoring at home, and I know you are, it was 2-3-5-6-4. End of the 8th, MSU 9-6.

[] MSU went with former ace Tim Clubb to close the game and ISU went out 1-2-3 against him. MSU wins the opener 9-6. ISU will have to win out to win the conference championship outright. Final, MSU 9-6.

Ugh. I finally got my regular laptop back, but I couldn’t log into my blog to post because the password disappeared in the rebuild of my hard drive. I’ve finally straightened it out, so I can start blogging again.

Enough about me and my computer, I think ISU baseball and the athletic department could use some unsolicited advice. That is, if they’re interested in increasing their crowd total for Saturday’s home conference game against Evansville.

Move the game time. Move it to 6 p.m.

Here is what ISU baseball game is up against should it be played as scheduled at 1 p.m.

– ISU commencement (roughly 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
– Big Four baseball at TH North (all four teams will play their last games at 2 p.m.)
– Big Four softball at TH North (all day)
– Big Four track at TH North (starts at 10 a.m.)
– Pole day at Indy (all afternoon)

All of the above will serve to drain what can be and what should be a good crowd for this weekend’s games. If ISU moves the game time to 6 p.m., it has the potential to draw a much larger crowd since it won’t be competing with anything else locally. Pole day matters not because of the folks who go to Indy, but for those who like to watch it on TV.

I don’t think it’s too late to change the time as far as the conference is concerned, times are changed at the last minute all of the time to take into account weather, so this should be no different.

I’ll have more in a column for Thursday’s paper, but it’s time for ISU fans to prove the oft-heard adage that they’ll come out and support ISU once they have a winning team. The Sycamores are legitimate Missouri Valley Conference contenders, time to put up or shut up as this is the last conference home series of the season.

I’ll believe that kind of talk when I see a crowd approaching 1,000 or over it for one of the games this weekend.

ISU should do whatever it takes, including a game time change, to make it happen.