Game Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | The Bo Durkac Show
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team will host its first games of the year at Duffy Bass Field this weekend, as the Redbirds welcome in Milwaukee for a three-game series, beginning Friday.
The Redbirds will take on the Panthers Friday at 4:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission to all Illinois State home games at Duffy Bass Field is free.
Illinois State (7-9) enters its first homestand of the year following a midweek loss at Saint Louis on Wednesday. The host Billikens topped the Redbirds, 5-4, in 14 innings, in Illinois State's first extra-innings game of the season. The game marked Illinois State's first contest since returning from its annual trip to Florida, as the Redbirds went 5-3 over an eight-game stretch, March 4-12.
Illinois State's starting pitching assignments will go to the weekend rotation of Jacob Hendren, Steve Heilenbach and David Meade. All three pitchers earned victories in their last outings, as the Redbirds put together a season-best three-game winning streak over their final three games in Florida.
Hendren pitched eight innings without allowing an earned run in a 2-1 win over Western Michigan on March 11. Heilenbach pitched five shutout innings in his last start before running into trouble in the sixth inning, but still got the win as Illinois State topped Central Michigan, 13-7, on March 12. Meade then turned in the best start of his Illinois State career later that afternoon, with seven shutout innings and a career-high nine strikeouts in a 9-2 win over Butler.
Owen Miller and Jean Ramirez were Illinois State's top hitters on the Florida trip, as Miller batted a team-best .353 with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs over eight games. Ramirez hit .300 with three doubles, two home runs and six RBIs. Joe Kelch was Illinois State's top hitter in the loss at Saint Louis on Wednesday, as the senior went 3-for-7 with a double and a run scored.
Milwaukee (4-11) will go with the starting pitching trio of right-handers Brian Keller (1-3, 5.61 ERA), Jay Peters (1-2, 2.70) and Adam Reuss (1-2, 3.72). The Panthers went 1-2 at Kansas State last weekend, March 11-13, in Manhattan, Kansas.
Links for live video, audio and stats can be found at GoRedbirds.com. Fans can also receive live updates from the games via Twitter, by following @RedbirdBaseball.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
