May 14, 2009
Series Opener Postponed Until Saturday (Updated: 5/15)
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State baseball will honor its greatest success story while continuing its most recent one as the Redbirds host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in a three-game series to close out the regular season at Duffy Bass Field beginning Friday night at 6 p.m.
Members of Illinois State's 1969 College Division National Championship will be on hand throughout the weekend and will be recognized in a ceremony prior to Saturday's 4 p.m. game. The series serves as the end of the regular season for the Redbirds, but not the end of games played with ISU qualifying for its first State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament since 2001.
The Redbirds will bid farewell to their senior class - Quinn Ewert, Eric Mahler, Justin Rahn, Collin Salzenstein, and Mike Stalowy - prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. game. Sunday's contest will also be Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee's last game from Duffy Bass Field, as the 30-year college coaching veteran will retire at the end of the season.
Thanks largely to Salzenstein and Stalowy, the Redbirds have accomplished one goal - earning a bid to next week's conference tournament in Wichita, Kan. - but would like to send their skipper off with a winning record. The Redbirds are 21-21 overall and finished 11-11 in the Valley.
The senior middle infield tandem has spent the past few weeks jockeying for position at the top of the Redbirds' batting leader board. Stalowy reached base four times and went 3-for-4 with two doubles off the wall and a home run in Illinois State's return to his hometown against Notre Dame Tuesday night in Joliet, Ill. Stalowy leads ISU with a .333 average, four triples and has clubbed the first three home runs of his career this season.
Salzenstein was the top hitter after an eight-hit performance at Bradley last weekend and enters the final slate with a .325 mark. The shortstop from St. Louis, Mo., carries a team-best 10-game hitting streak into the weekend and has been the toughest Redbird to strike out with just 17 strikeouts in a team-high 163 at-bats.
Anthony Ruffolo and Ryan Court have both pushed their batting averages up over the .300 mark entering the season's final weekend. Nobody has more hits (16) than Ruffolo in the past 10 games and the junior outfielder is batting .400 over that stretch. Court has scored a team-best 11 runs, 12 RBI and has drawn 11 walks in the last 10 games.
The Redbirds will likely use their regular starting rotation for the weekend but the starting pitchers will be on limited pitch counts in preparation for the Valley Tournament. Ryan Camp is scheduled to start Friday's game and will be followed in the order by Corey Maines and Ryan Copeland.
SIU-Edwardsville's probable starters were unknown Thursday night, but Spencer Patton (4-5, 4.65 ERA), Luke Vine (0-3, 4.72 ERA) and Mitchell Fairley (4-2, 5.85 ERA) have made the most starts for the Cougars (14-33). Josh Street is the top SIU-E hitter with a 12 home runs, 52 RBI, and a .374 batting average. The Cougars are batting .285 as a team but the bullpen has posted a 6.55 ERA.
Illinois State will open the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday, May 20, at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan. Depending on how the weekend plays out, the Redbirds can finish as the No. 4, 5 or 6 seed. The tournament has switched to a two-pod, single championship game format, with each team guaranteed three games.
