May 12, 2011
CARBONDALE, Ill. -
With just six Missouri Valley Conference games to go, the Illinois State baseball team travels to Southern Illinois this weekend for its final MVC road trip of the season. The Redbirds (29-15, 8-7 MVC) enter the three-game series tied with the Salukis (18-29, 8-7) for fourth in the Valley standings, two games behind league-leading Creighton (10-5 MVC).
Game times are scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Abe Martin Field in Carbondale, Ill.
"Games against SIU are always close," Illinois State head coach Mark Kingston said. "They are well-coached and make you earn everything. We need to continue to pitch well and build off the momentum from the last two games."
Illinois State has won two-consecutive games, after dropping its first two against MVC foe Missouri State last weekend, before winning Sunday's finale and Wednesday's non-conference matchup against Eastern Illinois. Chad Hinshaw led the Redbirds against the Panthers with two RBI and one run scored in a 1-for-5 effort, while Zach Amrein went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Tyler McNeely continues to lead the Redbirds with a .359 batting average, which is the fourth-highest mark in the league. McNeely also boasts a .508 on-base percentage, which ranks highest in the MVC. The Redbirds are hitting .278 as a team, compared with Southern Illinois' .270 batting average. SIU is led by Jordan Sivertsen, who is hitting .311 with 14 doubles and eight home runs.
The Salukis will recognize seniors Andrew Bever, Chris Murphy and Blake Pinnon, who are playing their last three career-home games this weekend at Abe Martin Field. SIU looks to bounce back after dropping 2-of-3 MVC games last weekend at last-place Bradley. So far this season, Southern Illinois has not won a home series.
ISU will start its usual weekend pitching rotation of Corey Maines (8-2) Friday, Dan Savas (3-4) Saturday and JD Learnard (6-2) Sunday. The Salukis will counter with Cody Forsythe (7-3) Friday, Cameron Maldonado (3-7) Saturday and Andrew Bever (4-4) Sunday. As a team, the Redbirds have amassed a 3.30 ERA, compared to SIU's 4.48 ERA.
Southern Illinois holds a 79-74-1 all-time advantage over Illinois State, with the first game between the two teams played in 1948. The home team has swept each of the past two series, and the Redbirds have lost eight-straight at Abe Martin Field, including 10 of the last 12 dating back to 2003.
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