This year, for the first time in head coach Jeff Stewarts 13-year career at Illinois State,his baseball team had to wait until April to open its home season. With a 6-15 mark overall, the Redbirds are looking forward to taking control in a familiar setting, Redbird Field, this weekend as the Southern Illinois Salukis come to town for a four-game series that begins Friday at 4 p.m.
For the final ten games of the 2001 season and the first 21 games this year, the ISU baseball team has endured long travels, patiently waiting for opening day in Normal. And when the Redbirds take the field Friday night, they will do so after sleeping in their own beds, knowing that for the next three consecutive weekends, they will be no place but home.
With fans in the stands and a forecast of partly sunny skies, the Birds will need the home atmosphere to gain ground in the Missouri Valley Conference. With a 2-5 record and solid seventh-place in the MVC standings, ISU lost its last three league games to Southwest Missouri State Easter weekend. Southern Illinois, just one spot above Illinois State, is .500 (4-4) in the Valley with two wins over Creighton and Bradley.
Preseason All-American Mike Saunches has been on fire lately, with eight hits, six runs and nine RBI in his last five outings. The junior also had three home runs, including his first grand slam against Eastern Illinois, and a two-run bomb against SMS that sealed ISUs 9-6 win, the only Bird victory in the series.
