Another Top OVC Program Up Next For The Redbirds At Morehead State

MOREHEAD, Ken. – For the second weekend in row, Illinois State (3-3) will face off against one of the top teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, as the Redbirds travel to Kentucky to face the Morehead State Eagles (5-3) in a three-game set beginning on Friday at 2 p.m.

The three-game tilt at Allen Field begins Friday and will be followed by a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday, with Sunday's series finale schedule for noon. Illinois State owns a 4-0 overall record against Morehead State, sweeping a four-game set in 2013 against the Eagles at Duffy Bass Field.

Illinois State returns to action after taking on 2018 OVC preseason favorite Tennessee Tech last weekend, with ISU winning the finale by a score of 16-8. Sophomore outfielder John Rave was stellar at the plate for the Redbirds in the series, hitting .600 (9-for-15) with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI in the three-game set against the Golden Eagles. He combined for a slugging percentage of 1.133 and had an on-base percentage of .600, with seven putouts in the outfield. Rave recorded at least three hits and scored at least one run in each of the weekend's contests, but saved his best performance for the finale. He finished the game 3-for-5, including a pair of home runs, and finished with a career-best seven RBI in the 16-8 win over TTU. All seven of the RBI came off two swings, a three-run shot in the third and a grand slam in the sixth.  

Using a six-run second inning, Morehead State completed its sweep of Alabama A&M last Sunday. Home runs from senior first baseman Tyler Niemann and leftfielder Niko Hulsizer powered the Eagles in the victory. Morehead State was picked to finish second in the OVC race in 2018, while Hulsizer was selected as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year.

Links for live stats, live audio and live video are available for all three games at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdBaseball on Twitter for live updates and more.

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