Redbirds Conclude Spring Break Trip With Night Game at Florida

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Mar. 12, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - After finishing competition at the 2014 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a 3-1 record, the Illinois State Redbirds (9-4, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference) concludes its annual spring break road trip with a non-conference tilt at Florida (10-6, 0-0 Southeastern Conference). First pitch is slated for a 6:00 p.m. CDT start the contest can can be heard live on GoRedbirds.com, WJBC.com and 103.3-FM WZND..

Pitching Match-Up
JD Learnard (ISU) - RHP - RS. Sr - 1-1, 8.59 ERA
Brett Morales (UF) - RHP - Fr. 0-1, 11.74 ERA

The Opposition: University of Florida Gators (10-6, 0-0 SEC)
• The University of Florida is a public research university located in Gainesville, Florida. It was established in 1853 and currently enrolls 49,913 students. It is the third largest Florida university by student population.
• The Gators compete in the Southeastern Conference and have won 12 conference championships.
• Florida has made eight College World Series appearances, including trips in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
• UF is guided by head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who took over the program following the 2007 season.
• The Gators are currently riding a four-game winnings streak that included a three-game sweep over UConn. Florida won three-consecutive extra-inning games to complete the sweep of the Huskies.
• Illinois State is 0-2 all-time versus Florida and last faced the Gators in 2010.

Last Time Out
Illinois State went 3-1 in the 2014 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, defeating LIU-Brooklyn twice and Bowling Green, while suffering a Sunday loss to Bucknell. The Redbirds played all four games at Chain of Lakes Park, the former Spring Training home of the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, in Winter Haven, Fla.
Dan Savas (4-0) won his fourth-straight start Friday in Illinois State's 13-4 win over the Blackbirds. Illinois State knocked a season-best 13 runs on a season-high 17 hits in the win.
Saturday, Dylan Craig (3-0) blanked the Blackbirds over seven innings to guide Illinois State to a 2-0 win. The shutout victory marked the second-consecutive shutout win in a game started by Craig.
The Redbirds lost in walk-off fashion to Bucknell Sunday, falling 4-2 on a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Brock Stewart (0-1). Jeremy Rhoades made his first start for Illinois State since 2012, and posted a career-high 10 strikeouts in a career-best seven innings of work.
After an off day Monday, Illinois State thumped Bowling Green 11-3 at Chain of Lakes Park Tuesday. Paul DeJong blasted two home runs to give Steve Heilenbach (1-0) his second collegiate win.

Craig Named MVC Pitcher of the Week
Illinois State starter Dylan Craig was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, as announced Monday by the Valley offices.
Craig secured his third-straight victory with a career-performance in Illinois State's 2-0 win over LIU Brooklyn Saturday in Winter Haven, Fla. Craig worked a season-best seven scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the win. He walked one and scattered six hits, while firing three 1-2-3 innings for Illinois State. The win marked the 11th career victory for the Murphysboro, Ill., native. Craig has amassed 19 strikeouts over his last 13 innings and each of his last two starts have resulted in Redbird shutout victories

DeJong Goes Deep...Twice
Redshirt sophomore Paul DeJong blasted a pair of home runs in Illinois State's 11-3 victory over Bowling Green Tuesday afternoon at Chain of Lakes Park. It marked the first time a Redbird tallied two home runs in a game since Chad Hinshaw lifted a pair of home runs versus Evansville on May 24, 2012 in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The home runs were the first two career shots for DeJong, an Antioch, Ill., native.

Kingston's Crown
Entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Illinois State baseball program, Mark Kingston has emerged as one of the premiere young coaches in NCAA baseball. In his first four seasons as a head coach, Kingston has twice been named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, has won a pair of MVC Championships and has twice broken single-season school win records. Kingston has also amassed four-consecutive 30+ win seasons for the first time in Illinois State history. Additionally, 24 Redbirds have earned all-MVC honors and eight have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
For the second consecutive season Kingston was named a "Rising College Coach" by Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA. Kingston's coaching staff has remained untouched in his tenure in Normal as Bo Durkac (associate head coach), Bill Mohl (pitching coach) and Mike Current (assistant coach) return to their roles this spring. Kingston enters the Florida contest with 149 career victories as head coach and all of his wins have come at Illinois State.

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