March 19, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State baseball's home-opening series with Evansville will be played at the newly-renovated Duffy Bass Field as planned, though Friday's start time has been pushed back to 4 p.m., the ISU Athletics Department announced Thursday.
Construction crews worked diligently over the past two weeks to make the stadium operational and Illinois State officials deemed the field playable, with a revised first-pitch time, Thursday morning.
Friday's contest will mark the opening of Missouri Valley Conference play for the Redbirds (8-5) and the start of a three-game series with the Purple Aces (6-9). The two teams will play Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude the series with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.
Illinois State freshman Ryan Camp is expected to start against Evansville's Wade Kapetyn on Friday. The Redbirds enter the contest with a four-game winning streak, having swept competition at the Irish Baseball Classic last weekend in San Antonio, Texas. Illinois State went 6-2 on its spring trip and will be playing its first home games.
