NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team is set to travel to Milwaukee for a four-game non-conference series. The Saturday doubleheader will be on ESPN3.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (12-18, 4-4 MVC) at Milwaukee (12-15, 12-8 Horizon)
Days/Times (CT):
Friday, April 16, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 17, 12:00 p.m. (7 innings), 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 18, 12:00 p.m.
City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Field: Franklin Field
TV (ESPN3): bit.ly/MKEVideo1 , bit.ly/MKEVideo2
Live Stats: bit.ly/MKEStats
Radio: bit.ly/32gbtCf
PROJECTED ILLINOIS STATE STARTING PITCHERS
LHP Colton Johnson (2-0, 44.2 IP, 48 K, 1.81 ERA)
RHP Jordan Lussier (2-1, 38.0 IP, 35 K, 4.03 ERA)
RHP Jack Anderson (1-2, 18.0 IP, 10 K, 6.00 ERA)
LHP Sean Sinisko (2-3, 32.2 IP, 25 K, 6.61 ERA)
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State is 4-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference after winning 1-of-4 against No. 25 Indiana State over the weekend. The Redbirds won 3-of-4 against Southern Illinois, which is 24-6 entering Friday, to open conference action.
ISU played on nationally-televised ESPNU on Friday with Redbird ace Colton Johnson going pitch-for-pitch with the Sycamores' Geremy Guerrero. The 'Birds, however, made five errors in a 4-2 defeat.
After second-year freshman Jordan Lussier and third-year sophomore Derek Salata combined for a shutout against Indiana State, the 'Birds had a good opportunity to salvage a series split in game four. Illinois State led 6-0 after six innings, but the Sycamores rallied, sending the game into extra innings and ultimately winning, 8-7.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds and Panthers have met 15 times in a series history with Illinois State leading, 8-7. The first game of the series was played in 1991. The teams most recently met on 3/26/2019, played at Illinois State's Duffy Bass Field. The Panthers won, 6-3. Jordan Libman had two hits while Jacob Gilmore recorded a clean 9th inning. The Panthers built a 6-0 lead and a 3-run 8th inning was not enough for ISU to come back.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee is 12-15 overall and 12-8 in the Horizon League. The Panthers are 0-7 in non-conference play and have lost 19-straightnon-conference games dating back to 2020. They 6-2 in their home ballpark in 2021. Luke Seidel leads the team in batting average (.360), extra-base hits (12), and OPS (.947). The Milwaukee pitching staff, led by Riley Frey, has struck out 211 batters in 210 innings while walking 110.
EVERYONE HITS
For the first time since 3/13/2019 against SIUE, Illinois State's entire starting lineup recorded at least one hit on 4/11/2021 in an 8-7 loss against Indiana State. The 'Birds have had at least 10 hits in the last 2 games and 11 of the last 14 games. Illinois State is 10-5 in games with 10+ hits and the Redbirds now have five of their regulars batting over .300, entering Friday.
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.
