The Illinois State baseball team hopes to have all its players healthy and ready to play when they head to DeKalb, Ill., to take on the Huskies of Northern Illinois in a 3 p.m., non-conference match-up Tuesday at Ralph McKenzie Field that marks the final game in an 11-game road swing for the Redbirds.
The Redbirds are coming off a 2-2 series split with Northern Iowa in which they dropped the first and last games of the series but swept a Saturday doubleheader. Starting second baseman Jon Peacock was unable to play in the 14-10 loss Sunday due to a strained back.
Head coach Jim Brownlee is excited about the fact that he will have his entire team back in working order after injuries have forced the coaching staff to change line-ups numerous times.
This has been a long road trip for the team and it is nice to see that the end is near, said Brownlee. We have been pretty successful over these last couple of weeks and hopefully we can finish strong. It will be nice to have our whole team healthy again, because when everyone is healthy we are a good team.
Northern Illinois is having a good year, so this should be another good test for our guys, continued Brownlee. Playing against in-state schools is always fun, because it creates a rivalry-like atmosphere.
Illinois State is currently 15-24 overall, while Northern Illinois comes into Tuesdays game with an 23-17 overall record. The Huskies have lost four of their last five games, but are coming off of a 11-9 victory at Miami (Ohio) Sunday.
The Northern Illinois game will not be available on WJBCs webcast. The next webcast will be available on Friday, May 2, when the Birds face Valley foe Indiana State at Redbird Field.
