NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team will welcome Indiana State to Duffy Bass Field for both teams' final games of the regular season, beginning Thursday. The three-game set begins with a 6 p.m. series opener Thursday, followed by a 2 p.m. game Friday and a 1 p.m. finale Saturday.
Illinois State's four senior players will be recognized prior to Saturday's game, as Dennis Colon, Paul DeJong, Logan Leverett and Mason Snyder will play their final game at Duffy Bass Field.
This weekend will be the Redbirds' last tune-up before the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 21, in Wichita, Kansas.
"This weekend's series features two teams that are remarkably similar. The Redbirds and the Sycamores have almost identical win-loss records, are separated by only a few points in RPI, and feature lefties as their top two starting pitchers," said Illinois State head coach Bo Durkac. "I hope that our home-field advantage can give us the edge in this all-important MVC regular season finale. It should be an exciting weekend of baseball, culminating with Senior Day on Saturday, and an opportunity to recognize four Redbirds who have been outstanding representatives of Illinois State University."
Illinois State (26-23, 8-10 MVC) enters the series in fifth place in the league standings, and could finish anywhere from third to seventh after the final weekend of Valley play. Indiana State (25-23, 6-12) can finish as high as fifth and as low as eighth.
The Redbirds will look to starting pitchers Jacob Hendren (10-1, 2.81 ERA), Will Headean (4-4, 3.86) and Steve Heilenbach (2-2, 4.11) this weekend. Hendren, who tied Illinois State's single-season wins record last weekend, will look to break the record in his start Thursday night.
Indiana State will counter with left-handers Jeff Degano (6-3, 2.72), Ryan Keaffaber (1-4, 2.87) and a starter to be named later.
The Redbirds' seed for the conference tournament will be known after Valley play concludes Saturday. All games at the MVC Tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
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