Nov. 2, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
After three years at the helm of the Illinois State baseball program, head coach Jim Brownlee finally has the type of schedule he's been waiting for entering his fourth year. Seven teams which qualified for the 2005 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Championship Tournament appear on the 2006 ISU baseball schedule. Oral Roberts, Austin Peay, Missouri, Southern Mississippi, Nebraska and Missouri Valley Conference foes Creighton and Wichita State all saw tournament action in 2005 and will see the Redbirds on the field in 2006.
Brownlee believes this schedule will give his team a chance to play well against some of the best teams in the country.
"This is the best schedule top-to-bottom that we've had since I've been here," said Brownlee. "When you start to schedule teams three years in advance, you're never sure what kind of schedules you will come up with. But with the team we have this year and playing the great schedule we have, it should be an exciting year for Redbird baseball."
The `Birds open the season in Arlington, Texas, with three games at the Texas-Arlington Tournament February 17-19. ISU plays the host school first, followed by NCAA qualifier Oral Roberts and Big 12 member Kansas State to round out the tournament. The Redbirds then head to Clarksville, Tenn., to compete in the Austin Peay Tournament the next weekend, facing the host Governors, Dayton and Iowa.
After a three-game set at Southern Mississippi March 3-5, ISU then makes its annual spring break trip, but not to Florida or California as in year's past. This year's trip includes a trip to Minnesota for three games in the Metrodome in Minneapolis with Ball State, Vermont and Minnesota. The end of the trip is rounded out in Lincoln, Neb., as the `Birds take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, fresh off the team's appearance at the College World Series. Although the trip will be colder this year, Brownlee believes the competition will fire up his team.
"The spring break trip is a lot different than in the years past because we're going north instead of south," said Brownlee. "But the guys will get a chance to play some good teams in a major league ballpark in Minnesota and then get to play one of the best teams in the country in Nebraska. The trip should be a lot of fun and we should learn a lot about what kind of team we are after that trip."
After the two games against Nebraska, ISU will play its home opener against Central Michigan on March 17 at Redbird Field. The `Birds also have an exciting home schedule in MVC play, as Northern Iowa, Bradley, perennial power Wichita State and Southern Illinois all make trips to Normal for weekend home stands. In addition, The Valley is ranked seventh in the pre-season RPI rankings among the 31 conferences in D-I baseball. With that kind of national recognition and the highly competitive Valley schedule, Brownlee thinks this team will be one that Redbird fans will not want to miss.
"Whenever you can get rivals like Bradley, Wichita State and Southern Illinois at home in the same year, its going to be exciting for the fans," said Brownlee. "With the team we have, I see no reason why our home attendance records we've established here will not be broken in 2006."
To access the full 2006 baseball schedule, visit the Illinois State athletics website at www.GoRedbirds.com. Click on the baseball link from the men's sports section and click on the schedule link to view the entire lineup for the 2006 season.
