May 24, 2010
WICHITA, Kan. - After earning a share of the regular-season conference title, Illinois State's baseball team opens play at the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship against Bradley Tuesday at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
The No. 2-seeded Redbirds (27-22, 15-6 MVC) took two out of three from the No. 7-seeded Braves (20-30, 8-13 MVC) at Duffy Bass field in Normal, Ill., (May 14-16), one of Illinois State's five Valley series wins during the regular season.
"We're excited for the opportunity to play in this great tournament," Illinois State head coach Mark Kingston said. "The teams are evenly matched and everyone is capable of coming out on top. An NCAA bid is on the line so we will go at this hard."
Illinois State's Corey Maines (5-3, 4.38 ERA) is expected to start against Bradley's Patrick Cooper (4-4, 3.96 ERA) as both teams open tournament play at 12:30 p.m. The winner will advance to play the winner of Tuesday's 9 a.m. contest between (6)Creighton and (3)Indiana State at 4 p.m. Wednesday in "Bracket A" action.
In "Bracket B", (1)Wichita State, (4)Southern Illinois, (5)Evansville, (8)Missouri State will face off with the aim of advancing to Saturday's 1:30 p.m. State Farm MVC Championship Game which will feature the top team from each bracket and be broadcast live on FSN and Comcast.
Redbirds Earn Share of First-Ever Regular-Season MVC Title
With a win over Evansville in last weekend's series, the Redbirds clinched a share of the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title for the first time ever. Illinois State won the tournament title in 1994, but had never won the regular season since playing its first conference schedule in 1982. The Redbirds won five of seven conference series in 2010, dropping 2-1 decisions to Wichita State and Evansville. Illinois State finished the regulars season tied with Wichita State at 15-6, but the Shockers earned the No. 1 seed in the State Farm MVC Tournament because of the series win in Normal, Ill.
Kingston Named Valley's Coach of the Year
First-year Illinois State head coach Mark Kingston was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year as announced at the State Farm MVC Tournament Banquet Monday night in Wichita, Kan. Kingston led the Redbirds to a share of the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference Title while tallying the most wins ever (27) by a first-year head coach at Illinois State. The 27 wins are the most for a Redbird team since 2001. The award is the first ever for an Illinois State head coach.
Tokarski Tabbed as Valley's Player of the Year
Illinois State second baseman Kevin Tokarski was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Monday. Tokarski, a redshirt sophomore from Downers Grove, Ill., was twice named the conference's player of the week and finished as the leader in several categories, including batting average (.433), on-base percentage (.547), doubles (25), and runs scored (60). Tokarski, who was named to the 2010 All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team, earned Valley Freshman of the Year honors in 2008.
Six Redbirds Earn All-Conference Honors
Six Illinois State Redbirds were named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference squads as announced by the league office Monday. Kevin Tokarski (2B), Ryan Copeland (RP) and Kenny Long (RP) were tabbed as members of the first team, while Ryan Court (3B) and Anthony Ruffolo (DH) earned second-team honors. Matt Mirabal was an honorable mention selection at catcher. The six honorees are the most for a Redbird squad since six players landed on the 2000 All-Missouri Valley Conference teams.
Tokarski Taking a Bat to ISU Record Book
Kevin Tokarski set another Illinois State record by clubbing his 24th and 25th doubles of the season against Evansville last weekend. The previous single-season doubles mark was 23, set in 2008 by Kevin Dubler. The redshirt sophomore from Downers Grove, Ill., broke Illinois State's career steals mark earlier this season and is within five steals (27) of his own single-season mark of 32 set as a freshman in 2008. Tokarski's .433 batting average is the third-highest in Illinois State history and his .547 on-base percentage is the highest-ever by a Redbird. Tokarski's 77 hits are four short of Todd Schroeder's single season record (81) and his walks (44) and runs (60) totals are the third-best ever for an ISU player.
Almost Perfect
If it seems like Illinois State second baseman Kevin Tokarski is on base every game, well, he practically is. Tokarski has reached safely in 44-of-46 contests while collecting a base hit or walk in every game except the March 10 contest at then No. 6-ranked Florida and a mid-week game against Eastern Illinois (May 12). Tokarski's .547 on-base percentage is the highest mark ever by a Redbird and one of the top marks in the nation.
Court Finding a Groove
Despite the season that MVC Player of the Year Kevin Tokarski is having, nobody in the Redbird lineup has been hotter than Ryan Court over the last 14 games. Court, a redshirt junior from Sleepy Hollow, Ill., is batting .390 (23-of-59) with five doubles, eight home runs and 20 RBI during that span. Court was batting just .250 entering the April 26 contest with Illinois Wesleyan but raised his average to .291 by the end of the regular season. Court became the first Redbird to reach double digit home runs since 2004 when the junior from Sleepy Hollow, Ill., launched two over the wall at Evansville last weekend.
Copeland Nearing Innings Pitched Record
Illinois State starting pitcher Ryan Copeland has spent a great deal of time on the mound in his four years as a Redbird. Copeland is nearing the ISU record for innings pitched in a career held by Todd Keck (328.0 from `93-96). Copeland pitched 3.2 innings of perfect relief last weekend against Evansville and sits at 326.0 innings pitched for his career - two shy of Keck. Copeland threw a career-high 91.2 innings last season, while starting 12 of 14 games. This season he has appeared in 25 games with seven starts while logging 75.2 innings.
Illinois State Career Innings Pitched No.
1. Todd Keck (93-96) 328.0
2. Ryan Copeland (07-present) 326.0
3. Dan Freed (85-88) 312.0
4. Brian Forystek (97-00) 293.2
A Tale of Two Copelands
There's only one No. 21 on Illinois State's roster but it might as well be two different people - Ryan Copeland the starter and Ryan Copeland the reliever. Copeland, a senior from Des Plaines, Ill., stumbled as a starter at the beginning of the season, posting a 1-4 record and 7.30 ERA in 40.2 innings over seven starts. Since a switch to the bullpen before the Creighton series, Copeland has been one of the best in the college ranks with a 3-1 record and 1.54 ERA in 35 innings over 18 appearances. Copeland's strikeouts per nine inning ratio went from 5.54 as a starter to 12.0 and his velocity has jumped three to five miles per hour. As a starter, opposing hitters batted .326, but as a reliever, opponents are batting just .150 against the lefty.
Protecting the Birds' Back End
The end of Illinois State's bullpen was devastating to Missouri State (May 7-9) as left-handed relief aces Ryan Copeland and Kenny Long combined to strike out 19 batters in nine scoreless innings. The duo is a big reason that teams cringe instead of celebrating when the Birds make a call to the bullpen. Illinois State's starters have posted a 6.02 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 242 innings, but Illinois State's relievers have limited opponents to a 4.82 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 176.2 innings.
Never Been Done Before
Illinois State used a season-high five home runs, including three from third baseman Ryan Court, to post its first ever run-rule victory over Wichita State, 18-8, at Duffy Bass Field (May 1). The Redbirds' previous largest margin of victory was six runs in a 14-8 win over the Shockers in 1995. The win also marked the first time Illinois State has posted wins against Wichita State in back-to-back seasons since 1994-95.
Tokarski sets Career Mark for Steals
With two steals in the Wichita State series, Kevin Tokarski ran past Mike Prior (55) for Illinois State's career stolen base record and sits at 60 steals in his second full season as a Redbird. The redshirt sophomore from Downers Grove, Ill., set Illinois State's single season mark with 32 steals as a freshman in 2008 before missing all but four games last year. Tokarski's 27 steals this season second on the single season ISU charts.
Illinois State Career Stolen Bases No.
1. Kevin Tokarski (2008-present) 60
2. Mike Prior (83-85) 55
3. Matt Bolt (04-07) 51
Sajewich Sets Career Appearance Record
No Redbird pitcher has ever pitched in more games than Jim Sajewich. The senior right-hander from Wheaton, Ill., tied Illinois State's career record with his 86th appearance in the Friday game against Bradley and surpassed the mark set by former teammate Eric Theisen with his 87th career appearance in Saturday's game. Sajewich was the winning pitcher in Saturday's contest as the Redbirds clinched a series win over Bradley. Sajewich has appeared in 18 games for Illinois State this season.
Illinois State Career Appearances No.
1. Jim Sajewich (2006-present) 88
2. Eric Theisen (2004-08) 86
3. Kyle Zaleski (2001-04) 70
4. Dan Sorce (2006-08) 68
5. Jason Pearson (1995-98) 64
