LOUISVILLE – Coming off a big win over No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 seed Illinois State will take on host and nationally-ranked Louisville this evening in the NCAA Tournament at Jim Patterson Stadium at 3 p.m. CT.
Illinois State Redbirds (35-24, 14-7 MVC)
Illinois State won its first game in the Louisville Regional yesterday over the Hoosiers, 8-7. The Redbirds 18 hits were the most for ISU in a NCAA Tournament game, and the eight runs scored tied a program high in the postseason. The win for the Redbirds is their third in NCAA Tournament play (one each in 1976 and 2010) and the tournament-opening win was their second, matching the opening win in 1976.
Louisville Cardinals (44-15, 21-9 ACC)
Louisville defeated UIC yesterday, 5-3, to advance in the regional winner's bracket. The Cardinals won the ACC regular season championship, but lost two straight games in their conference tournament. Louisville is a very balanced team ranking in the top-50 nationally in eight offensive categories, and ranking seventh and fourth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.2), respectively.
Series History
Illinois State and Louisville have played each other 16 times with the two teams splitting the series down the middle. The last matchup came in 2007, as Louisville defeated the Redbirds in a three-game series outscoring ISU, 23-20.
Game Information
Live stats are available for the game online at GoRedbirds.com. Fans can also listen to the game on 103.3 FM WZND or WZND.com and watch the game on ESPN 3. For updates on Illinois State baseball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (@isuredbirdbaseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
