Playing eight straight games against Missouri Valley Conference foes and 12 of its last 13 against MVC oppononents, the Illinois State baseball team returns to non-conference action this week with single games against in-state foes Illinois and Western Illinois on Tuesday and Wednesday at Redbird Field.
The Redbirds (13-14 overall) split an MVC series with Southwest Missouri State 2-2 over the weekend.
Neal Cotts pitched a complete game shutout on Friday night, blanking the Bears 2-0. SMS swept a doubleheader from Illinois State on Saturday and the Redbirds claimed a 5-4 victory on Sunday, scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.
You dont like to split playing at home, but they are a very decent ball club with good pitching and a split is all we could ask for after Saturday, Illinois State head coach
Jeff Stewart said.
Tuesdays 4:30 p.m. game against the Fighting Illini (16-15 overall) will be the second of three scheduled meetings this season. Illinois claimed the Big 10 Tournament title last season and made its second trip in the last three seasons to NCAA Regionals.
The two teams met earlier this season at Louisville, Ky., with Illinois winning the first meeting 4-1.
Ed Tolzien went 2-for-3 wih one run scored to lead the Redbird attack, while
Neil Johnson pitched five innings, striking out two and walking one in the loss.
Theyre very very good when (Andy) Dickinson throws, Stewart said on Dickinsons 10 strikeout performance in this seasons earlier meeting. I wouldnt be surprised if he (Dickinson) threw at least part of Tuesdays game. When we played in Kentucky, Dickinson was good, they were solid defensively and at the plate. The big difference was that it appeared they didnt have the same power that theyve had the last couple seasons.
Last season the two teams split a pair of games with the Redbirds winning 9-8 at Redbird Field and Illinois prevailing 13-8 in Champaign.
The Leathernecks of Western Illinois (4-22) come to Redbird Field for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday. Western Illinois has dropped four of its last five games heading into a Tuesday game against Northern Iowa.
We gave a lot of free passes, committed seven errors and got beat by a run late in last seasons game against Western Illinois, Stewart said. Last years game (a 14-15 loss) is a good example that we dont have enough talent to just show up and win a ball game.
