NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team will make the short trip down I-74 to take on Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley in a three-game series, beginning Friday at Dozer Park.
First pitch for Friday's game is set for 6 p.m. The teams will return Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. The games on Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Illinois State (10-25, 0-6) seeks its first win in Valley play after being swept in a league series by Evansville last weekend at Duffy Bass Field. Illinois State most recently suffered a 7-6 loss at Notre Dame Wednesday night.
Bradley (16-18, 2-4) took two of three games from visiting Wichita State last weekend at Dozer Park. The Braves also scored a 6-4 victory over Iowa on Wednesday in the fifth game of a 10-game homestand.
Illinois State will look to a trio of freshmen to start this weekend's games on the mound, in left-hander Colton Johnson (1-2, 4.97 ERA), right-hander Brady Huffman (2-2, 3.55) and lefty Brent Headrick (1-2, 3.89). Bradley will go with right-handers Nathan Stong (2-2, 4.17) and Alex Gray (0-1, 7.76), and lefty Cole Cook (6-3, 4.23).
Illinois State owns a 112-103 edge in the all-time series with Bradley, dating back to 1901. Illinois State has faced Bradley more than any other school on the baseball field, just ahead of Indiana State (185 games) and Eastern Illinois (173 games).
Links for live video, audio and stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdBaseball on Twitter for live updates and more.
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