The Illinois State baseball team looks to bounce back from its mid-week loss at Illinois, as the Redbirds hosts a four-game, non-conference series against Chicago State this weekend at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill. ISU (15-7) will play the Cougars (4-12) Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at noon, and Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We want to use this weekend to continue to get better and learn about our personnel and where each player fits," Illinois State head coach Mark Kingston said. "We want to see who is swinging the bat well going into next weekend's conference opener against Creighton, and we want to continue to see where the pieces of the puzzle fit best for our team."
The Redbirds will try to get back on track this weekend, after ISU had its three-game winning streak snapped by Illinois Wednesday night with a 14-2 loss at Illinois Field in Champaign, Ill. Illinois State has lost consecutive games just once this season, when the Redbirds were swept in a doubleheader at Belmont, Feb. 19.
Chicago State has lost two-straight mid-week games against Northern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago, after taking 2-of-3 at Savannah State last weekend. The Cougars have been outscored 137-94 so far this season and their pitchers have amassed a 7.70 ERA. In comparison, Illinois State has outscored its opponents 151-98, and Redbird pitchers have a 3.47 ERA.
The Redbirds' weekend rotation will consist of Corey Maines (4-0) on Friday, Brad Sorkin (3-1) for game one on Saturday, Dan Savas (2-1) for game two, and Ryan Camp (2-0) on Sunday. Illinois State leads the all-time series against Chicago State 8-5-1, with the last meeting in 2008. The Redbirds took two of three from the Cougars two years ago.
The Redbirds will hold their second "buck day" of the season at Friday's series-opener against Chicago State, in which admission, hot dogs and drinks are just $1 each. Also, Illinois State employees are encouraged to attend the first game of Saturday's doubleheader for faculty and staff day, and Sunday will mark the first Sundae Sunday, with ice cream in a mini Redbird helmet for sale at the concession stand. Kids can also run the bases at Duffy Bass Field following Sunday's game.
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