Following a split on the road in last weekends Valley opener with Evansville, Illinois State will look to improve on their .500 record in the league, when they host Northern Iowa for a four-game series, beginning Friday at Redbird Field.
The Redbirds (7-10, 2-2) won the first game of each doubleheader with Evansville last weekend, but head coach Jim Brownlee knows it could have been much better.
We just played okay last weekend, said Brownlee, now in his second year at Illinois State. The biggest reason we are 7-10 is because of our inconsistent play in the field and on the mound and it cost us last weekend.
Northern Iowa (7-11, 0-4) comes into the series after getting swept last weekend at nationally ranked Wichita State.
They are a well coached team that likes to run and you can always count on them to be scrappy, said Brownlee. It seems like theyve pitched well at times, but they dont seem to have much offense. Wichita is such a tough place to open up at, so Im sure theyll be ready to play when they get here.
Illinois State was led last weekend by the play of senior Nate Whitney and freshman Brian Wilkin. Whitney has extended his hitting streak to nine games and went 8-15 over the weekend. Wilkin started at second base in Evansville and went 7-13 in four games.
I expect this to be a typical Valley series, said Brownlee. In order to win in this league, you have to have a bulldog mentality and we dont really have that yet, which is frustrating. Weve practiced well all week, so well see what happens.
Friday nights game is set for a 6:30 start. Fans will be able to listen to the game on AM 1230 or www.wjbc.com. Saturdays doubleheader begins at 1:00 p.m., and will be available on www.wjbc2.com. The finale Sunday will begin at 1:00 p.m., as well, with coverage on AM 1230 WJBC or www.wjbc.com.
###
