The Illinois State Athletics Department, in conjunction with University, state and local officials, announced Thursday that Redbird baseball contests at Duffy Bass Field will have an increased capacity of 450 fans, beginning with Friday's 2:00 p.m CT game against Missouri State.
A minimum of 150 general admission, first-come, first-served, free tickets will be available when the gates open one hour prior to first pitch.
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team is set to host Missouri State at Duffy Bass Field for a four-game set over May 14-16. Friday's contest will be on nationally-televised ESPNU while Sunday's contest will be followed by a Senior Day ceremony.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (18-29, 8-12 MVC) vs Missouri State (25-11, 10-2 MVC)
Days/Times (CT):
Friday, May 14, 2:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 15, 1:00 p.m. (7 innings), 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 16, 1:00 p.m.
City: Normal, Ill.
Field: Duffy Bass Field
Video: bit.ly/MSUGame1, bit.ly/MSUGame2, bit.ly/MSUGame3, bit.ly/MSUGame4
Live Stats: bit.ly/RedbirdStats
PROJECTED ILLINOIS STATE STARTING PITCHERS
LHP Colton Johnson (2-4, 66.0 IP, 67 K, 3.41 ERA)
RHP Jordan Lussier (6-2, 58.2 IP, 58 K, 4.14 ERA)
LHP Sean Sinisko (4-5, 57.2 IP, 46 K, 4.53 ERA)
RHP Jack Anderson (2-3, 28 IP, 16 K, 4.50 ERA
SERIES AT DALLAS BAPTIST
Illinois State was swept by Dallas Baptist over the weekend. DBU hit a walk-off grand slam in the first game Saturday before blasting a walk-off three-run shot in the nightcap. Third-year freshman Sean Sinisko led the pitching staff with a 7-inning, 2-ER outing on 5/9 while second-year freshman Erik Kubiatowicz threw two scoreless innings in relief over two appearances.
Fourth-year junior Kyle Soberano led the offensive efforts by going 6-for-12 with a home run. Fourth-year sophomore Jake McCaw was 5-for-15 (.333) with a pair of doubles and four RBIs and fifth-year senior Jordan Libman was 5-for-14 (.357) with a double and a triple.
SENIOR DAY SUNDAY
The Redbirds will honor 10 players after Sunday's game. Players that have exhausted their eligibility: Jackson Bronke, Joe Butler, Colton Johnson, Jordan Libman, and Michael Sebby. Players that have the opportunity to return for 2022 season if they choose: Jack Anderson, Jack Butler, Jeremy Gaines, Jacob Gilmore, and Tyson Hays.
TOP AND BOTTOM IN MVC ACTION
Despite being 8-12 in conference play, the Redbirds lead the MVC in batting average during those games, hitting an impressive .301 clip. Contrastingly, the Redbirds hold the conference's worst ERA (6.55) and fielding percentage (.952) during MVC play.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds and Bears have met 107 times in a series history with Missouri State leading, 65-42. The first game of the series was played in 1969. The teams most recently met on 4/13/2019 in Normal. Illinois State won, 5-3, as part of a three-game sweep. Current ISU assistant coach Derek Parola had two hits and three RBIs while fifth-year junior Jack Butler had two hits and a run scored.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
MSU is 16-19 overall and 6-10 in the MVC. The Bears are coming off taking 1-of-4 games at Indiana State. MSU has lost 8 of its last 9 after a COVID shutdown. Drake Baldwin leads MSU with a .302 batting average. The team is hitting .257 and has hit 31 home runs. The Bears have limited opponents to a .261 batting average and hold a 5.16 team ERA. The staff has 286 strikeouts in 298 innings pitched.
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).
