NORMAL, Ill. – After originally being scheduled for a four-game series in Columbia, Missouri, the Illinois State team will host Missouri for four games over March 12-14. The Friday and second Saturday match-ups will be on ESPN+/3.
SERIES INFORMATION
Illinois State (4-6, 0-0 MVC) vs Missouri (4-9, 0-0 SEC)
Days/Times:
Friday, March 12 (6:00 p.m. CT) – ESPN+/3
Saturday, March 13 (3:30 p.m. + 6:30 p.m CT) – both games are seven innings – game two is on ESPN+/3
Sunday, March 14 (1:00 p.m. CT)
City: Normal, Illinois
Field: Duffy Bass Field
TV: ESPN3/+ on Friday and game two Saturday
Radio: https://listen.streamon.fm/ktgr (all four)
Live Stats:
1: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=345551
2: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=345552
3: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=345553
4: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=345554
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS FOR ILLINOIS STATE
Game 1: Colton Johnson (2021: 2.19 ERA, 12.1 IP, 8 K)
Game 2: Jordan Lussier (2021: 7.20 ERA, 10 IP, 14 K)
Game 3: Sean Sinisko (2021: 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 1 K)
Game 4: Cameron Mabee (2021: 4.00 ERA, 9 IP, 9 K)
LAST TIME OUT
The Redbirds edged Western Illinois, 2-1, in 10 innings. This was ISU's earliest home opener in school history (120 seasons) and first home game since 5/24/2019 (655 days).
Fourth-year junior Jack Butler recorded a walk-off single to score fourth-year junior Jeremy Gaines. Fourth-year junior Colin Wyman fired five scoreless innings in relief while third-year sophomore Derek Salata was credited with the win after throwing a six-pitch 1-2-3 10th inning.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds and Tigers have met seven times in series history, most recently on March 1, 2004, which saw ISU fall 18-5, as Missouri pounded out 19 hits. MU leads the all-time series, 6-1, as the first meeting came in 1989.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
MU is 4-9 in 2021, having won against Saint Louis on Wednesday.The Tigers dropped two games against MVC opponent Dallas Baptist in the Frisco College Baseball Classic. MU, which has 11 home runs in 2021, has been led by Joshua Day, who is hitting .324 with seven RBI.Head coach Steve Bieser is in his 5th season at the head of the Tiger program.
RANKED WINS
The Redbirds have won some notable games under third-year head coach Steve Holm. In 2020, the team defeated No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 13 Arkansas, both on the road. In 2019, the team defeated No. 1 Vanderbilt, the eventual National Champions. The team also beat No. 7 Louisville on the road in the NCAA Tournament.
REIGNING CHAMPS
The Redbirds are technically reigning champions of the Missouri Valley Conference after splitting the conference title in 2019, ISU's third MVC title (2019, 2013, 2010).
Illinois State was picked to finish second in the MVC behind Dallas Baptist in the preseason poll.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
