Feb. 28, 2006
Normal, Ill. -
A 0-4 record to start the 2006 season is not what Illinois State baseball head coach Jim Brownlee was expecting, however that's the record the Redbirds will take into this week's games against two opponents that both reached the 2005 NCAA Regional. On Wednesday, the `Birds will travel to Columbia, Mo., to face the nationally ranked Missouri Tigers (5-4) and will then travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a weekend series with Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (6-2).
Missouri, the No. 20 ranked team in the country according to Baseball America, will face the Redbirds in its home opener at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday at Simmons Field. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Regional after posting a 40-23 overall record in 2005 and return eight position starters and the 2005 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Max Scherzer. Junior Dan Frega (0-1) will take the mound against the Tigers in his second start of the season.
Southern Mississippi also earned a spot in the NCAA Regional with a 41-21 record overall in 2005. The Golden Eagles also return a veteran squad, as 20 letterwinners return from '05, including five position starters and four pitchers. The Redbirds will face the Golden Eagles beginning with Friday's game at 6:30 p.m. CST. Saturday's game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the finale on Sunday is set to start at noon. Freshmen Ian Berger (0-1) and Jim Sajewich (0-0) will start on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while Frega will take the mound once again on Sunday.
Brownlee is looking forward to see how his team will rebound against some very good competition.
"We obviously have not started the way we would have liked, but this weekend should be very interesting," said Brownlee. "Many times good competition will bring out the best in a team and that's what we are hoping for. These are two very good teams and the team will have to come out and play inspired, error free baseball. However, I think our team is very talented and are ready to put last weekend behind them and get after some good teams."
Fans can follow this weekend's action through on the Illinois State athletics website at GoRedbirds.com. Each game will be broadcast using Gametracker, which can be accessed on the baseball schedule page. Simply click on the Gametracker link for the appropriate game and get up-to-date game statistics through your computer. In addition, box scores for each game, updated seasons statistics and game notes will be available on the website.
