NORMAL, Ill. - Entering play one game out of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, Illinois State (30-15, 10-5 MVC) visits first-place Evansville (30-17, 11-4 MVC) for a pivotal three-game Valley series this weekend.Game one is set for 6:00 p.m. Friday night at Braun Stadium. The series continues Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. first pitch and concludes Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Pitching Probables
Fri.
Dan Savas (ISU) RHP, 7-3, 1.65 ERA
Kyle Freeland (UE) LHP, 8-1, 1.90 ERA
Sat.
Dylan Craig (ISU) LHP, 5-1, 2.32 ERA
Cole Isom (UE) LHP, 5-4, 3.40 ERA
Sun.
Jeremy Rhoades (ISU) RHP, 6-3, 2.22 ERA
TBA (UE)
The Opposition: University of Evansville Purple Aces (30-17, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference)
• The University of Evansville is a small, private four-year university that is located in Evansville, Ind. It was founded in 1854 and currently enrolls 3,050 students.
• Evansville is in its 37th season as a NCAA Division-I baseball program and has amassed 1,068 wins since making the transition.
• The Purple Aces are guided by sixth-year head coach Wes Carroll. He owns a 171-160 all-time mark at Evansville.
• Sunday's win at Southern Illinois marked the third time in six seasons that Carroll has led Evansville to a 30-win season. The Aces went 32-27 in both 2010 and 2012.
• Illinois State is 58-41 all-time versus Evansville. The Redbirds went 3-1 versus the Purple Aces last spring.
Last Time Out
Illinois State lost two-of-three games at Western Illinois last weekend. It closed the non-conference portion of the 2014 regular season schedule for the Redbirds.
Illinois State sent 19 batters to the plate in a 14-run seventh inning en route to a 22-4 seven inning victory over Western Illinois Sunday afternoon at Boyer Stadium. The Redbirds have now secured five-consecutive 30-win seasons, all of which have come under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Mark Kingston. Sunday's win also marks the most runs ISU has scored in a game since defeating Tennessee Tech, 28-2, Feb. 26, 2012.
The Redbirds tallied a season-best 22 runs on 16 hits and drew 13 walks. Mike Hollenbeck clubbed three hits and extended his on-base streak to 11-conesecutive plate-appearances. Brock Stewart added a career-best five RBI, Joe Kelch had two hits and drove home two runs and Mason Snyder secured his first-career three-hit day.
Jeremy Rhoades (6-3) worked six innings and allowed four runs, three earned, with eight strikeouts for the win. Ben Hecht worked a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout in relief. Western Illinois used seven pitchers. Starter John White (1-4) was chased from the game after one inning and allowed five runs, three earned, for the loss.
Hollenbeck Named Valley Player of the Week
Illinois State senior catcher Mike Hollenbeck has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the week, as announced by Valley officials Monday. Hollenbeck joins Paul DeJong and Logan Leverett as Redbird hitters to earn the award this spring. Dylan Craig was named Valley Pitcher of the Week March 10.
Hollenbeck batted .647/.727/.882 for Illinois State over four games last week. He added one double, one home run and eight RBI. The Joliet, Ill., product went 11-for-17, drew five walks and struck out only once.
Hollenbeck started the week with a two-hit performance in Tuesday's game versus Purdue. He singled in the fourth inning and drove home a pair of runs with a seventh inning double. He reached base three times Friday at Western Illinois and smacked a career-best five hits, including his first home run of the season, in Saturday's 13-12 slug fest with the Leathernecks. Sunday, Hollenbeck reached base six times and drove home three runs to extend his active on-base streak to 11 consecutive plate appearances.
Dominant Pitching Guides Illinois State in Valley Play
Illinois State enters play this weekend riding a five-game Valley winning streak. The Redbirds won their final two games at Missouri State April 18-20 and swept Southern Illinois at home the final weekend of April. In the series versus the Salukis, ISU used just five pitchers over 36 innings in a three-game Valley sweep. Jeremy Rhoades fired a nine-inning, complete-game victory on Sunday while fellow starters Dan Savas (8.1 IP) and Dylan Craig (8.2) worked into the ninth inning in their two starts. In relief, Brock Stewart (3.2) and David Suarez (6.1) worked scoreless appearances and earned wins.
Valley Play
The Redbirds have just six regular season games left this spring and all are Missouri Valley Conference contests. Illinois State has already claimed Valley-series wins over Southern Illinois, Indiana State and Bradley, but lost a three-game series versus Dallas Baptist. ISU will play three games this weekend at Evansville and then wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Duffy Bass Field against Wichita State. The Redbirds are vying for their second-consecutive MVC regular season title and the third overall in five years under head coach Mark Kingston.
Kingston's Crown
Sunday's 22-4 win at Western Illinois marked the 30th victory this season for Redbird baseball. It marks a school-record five-consecutive seasons ISU has won at least 30-games under fifth-year head coach Mark Kingston. He becomes the first coach in school history to tally five 30-win seasons and it's just the 13th time in school history the Redbirds have surpassed the 30-win plateau.
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