NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team will be headed back to Nashville for the second time this season as the Redbirds prepare for No. 1 ranked Vanderbilt. The 'Birds will face off against the Commodores in a three-game series at Hawkins Field. First pitch for Friday's game is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday's game will be played at 2 p.m. The series finale will take place on Sunday with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Illinois State Redbirds (7-3)
Illinois State picked up its second series win last weekend at Murray State. Illinois State is nationally ranked sixth in triples per game with 0.6 and ranked fifth nationally in triples this season with six. Illinois State catcher Tyson Hays is tied for first individually in the country with three triples this season. Illinois State is outscoring its opponents 87-46 this year. In the first three innings, the Redbirds are outscoring their opponent 32-5.
Vanderbilt Commodores (11-2)
The Vanderbilt Commodores come into the series nationally ranked first in NCAA baseball. They are also ranked top-10 nationally in batting average (.333), scoring (9.2), runs (119), hits (154), triples (7), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.7). The Commodores have three players who are ranked nationally in the top-10 in hits this season.
Series History
Vanderbilt leads Illinois State in the all-time series, holding a 10-4 advantage. The two teams last played in 2015 in a three-game series. The Commodores swept the Redbirds in the series.
Game Information
Fans can watch the game on ESPN with a SECN+ subscription. Fans can listen to the game through the Commodores all-access page. Also, live stats for the games are available at GoRedbirds.com. Fans can follow along on Twitter @RedbirdBaseball and on Instagram @isuredbirdbaseball for live updates and more.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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