March 18, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. - Corey Maines won't soon forget Illinois State's 2009 home opener at Duffy Bass Field, a game that saw Maines hit a walk-off home run in extra innings to give the Redbirds a victory over Evansville. Maines won't be using a bat when the Redbirds open the 2010 home schedule with a doubleheader against Central Michigan Friday at 1 p.m., but the right-handed pitcher is hoping for similar results.
"I remember everything about that game," Maines, who will start game one against the Chippewas (6-6), said. "It was a pretty exciting game and I'll always remember it. Hopefully I can do the same thing (Friday) - help our team get a win and start off the season on a good note."
Illinois State (6-8) enters the weekend series on the heels of the program's most impressive offensive display in more than 20 years, a 29-8 win over James Madison that capped a 14-game slate of road games to start the 2010 season. The Redbirds have batted .323 as a team and averaged a little more than nine runs per contest. Seven regulars enter the weekend batting over .300, including Kevin Tokarski, who leads the team and Missouri Valley Conference with a .551 batting average.
Maines stands out in the starting rotation with a 2-0 record and 2.49 ERA. Illinois State is 3-1 in games he starts this seaon. He looks at the four-game weekend series as a chance for the pitching staff to continue to lower its 7.38 ERA.
"We feel like we're improving every time we get out there," Maines said. "We had a slow start. It didn't help (the ERA) that we played some really good teams. It's always a struggle at the beginning, but we can turn it around and get a fresh start once conference play begins."
After the doubleheader Friday, Illinois State and Central Michigan will play a single game on both Saturday and Sunday, with each contest starting at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Illinois State's Ryan Court and Kevin Tokarski combined for nine hits and 14 RBI while leading the Redbirds to a 29-8 win over James Madison to close the Kennel Club Classic at Harmon Stadium. Court hit two home runs, including a grand slam in an eight-run first inning, and Tokarski reached base in six of seven plate appearances and homered for the second-consecutive game, as Illinois State (6-8) scored the most runs since putting 34 on the board against Illinois Wesleyan, April 26, 1983. All but one of the starters collected a base-hit as Illinois State pounded out a season-best 23 hits against the Dukes (4-8). The Redbirds knocked seven doubles, a triple and four home runs in the contest, which was ended after the seventh due to the run-rule.
Illinois State went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating the Dukes 5-0 Friday (3/12) before dropping a 8-4 decision to tournament host North Florida Saturday (3/13).
The Opponent: Central Michigan Chippewas
• Central Michigan University is located in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and has an enrollment of 26,354. The Chippewas are members of the Mid-American Conference and compete in the league's West Division.
• CMU was 28-30 last season and went 12-15 in MAC play. The Chippewas return all nine position starters and nine pitchers from last season's squad.
• The Chippewas enter the weekend series with Illinois State on the heels of a pair of mid-week wins over lower division opponents that brought their season record to .500 (6-6). Those wins snapped a four-game skid for CMU, including a 9-0 loss to Indiana in Florida, a team that has also defeated Illinois State. Central Michigan proved it is no slouch earlier this season with a three-game sweep of UCF in Orlando.
• The Chippewas are coached by Steve Jaksa (Central Michigan '79), who is in his eighth season as the skipper at his alma mater. Jaksa is in his ninth season overall as a collegiate head coach and has more than 260 career wins.
• Illinois State is 34-16-1 against Central Michigan in a rivalry that dates back to 1951 when the two schools squared off against one another in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Get Your Popcorn Ready
With 51 previous meetings, there's certainly a little history between Illinois State and Central Michigan. One great moment between the former Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Association rivals was recently selected as the No. 29 greatest moment in Illinois State baseball history by a panel of Redbird historians. In 1966, Illinois State trailed CMU 5-3 before hitting three consecutive pitches over the fence and rallying for a 10-5 win. Former Redbird Al Gurski led off with a grand slam, followed by solo home runs by Ken Franzen and Jerry Spinner on the next two pitches.
Stay Hot: Tokarski Turns in Another Brilliant Week
After a 3-for-3 performance and finishing a home run away from the cycle in Friday's game against James Madison (March 12), Illinois State sophomore Kevin Tokarski knocked home runs in each of the next two games - the first of his career. Tokarski led Illinois State with a .550 batting average and .591 on-base percentage last week while knocking eight extra-base hits. The second baseman from Downers Grove, Ill., led Illinois State in runs scored (7), hits (11), doubles (5), stolen bases (3) and tied for the team-lead in triples (1), home runs (2) and RBI (9). Tokarski's seven-game hitting streak ended in Tuesday's game against No. 6 Florida, but he clubbed the Redbirds' only two hits in Wednesday's game with the Gators and has hit safely in all four games since. Tokarski was 5-for-6 with seven RBI while leading an Illinois State offensive explosion for 29 runs in Sunday's Kennel Club Classic finale with James Madison (March 14), the most runs scored by the Redbirds since 1983. Tokarski leads Illinois State with a .551 batting average and .633 on-base percentage with 15 extra-base hits through 12 games.
Stay Hot: Maines Keeps Dukes Guessing, Scoreless
It literally took an extreme act of nature to stop Illinois State junior Corey Maines against James Madison last Friday (March 12). Maines shutout the Dukes for six innings before rain and lightning ended the opening game of the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Fla. The right hander from Houston, Texas, struck out three and scattered five hits to help the Redbirds snap a five-game losing streak. Maines gave up just one extra base hit and limited the Dukes to a .227 batting average. Maines is 2-0 with a staff-leading 2.49 ERA in four starts for ISU. He's struck out 21 batters in 21.2 innings and held opponents to a .218 average.
