CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Illinois State baseball team will be up for a tough task in its three-game series at Western Carolina from Feb. 25-27. The 4-1 Catamounts lead the country in runs scored against Division I opponents (75) and rank fifth in runs scored per game (15.0). Among the three-game series from February 25-27, the Friday and Sunday games will have a radio broadcast but there will not be a TV broadcast.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (2022: 1-2; 2021: 23-34, 12-15 MVC, 172nd in RPI) at Western Carolina (2022: 4-1; 2021: 28-21, 14-11 SoCon, 72nd in RPI)
Days/Times (CT):
Friday, February 25, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 26, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 27, 12:00 p.m.
City: Cullowhee, N.C.
Field: Hennon Stadium
Radio: bit.ly/CSNRadioBSB (Friday + Sunday only)
Live Stats: bit.ly/CatamountBSBStats (all three games)
Tickets: available on WCU website: https://catamountsports.com/sports/baseball
PROJECTED ILLINOIS STATE STARTING PITCHERS
TBD
LHP Sean Sinisko (2021: 5-5, 71.0 IP, 52 K, 4.44 ERA) - 4 IP, 5H, 2 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
RHP Derek Salata (2021: 2-4, 36.1 IP, 31 K, 4.95 ERA) - 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 3 BB in first career start
SERIES HISTORY + SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina is 4-1 in 2022. Western Carolina went 28-21 in 2021, going 16-9 at home. WCU has the most runs scored against Division I opponents in the country (75) and ranks fifth in runs scored per game (15.0). WCU is hitting a robust .382 with an on-base percentage of .519. Common opponents between ISU and WCU are Kansas and UT-Martin. The teams have never played.
TOP-2 TAKEDOWN
Illinois State took down second-ranked Arkansas to open the 2022 campaign by a 3-2 score. Arkansas had not previously lost a home or season opener since 1994. The 11 runs the Razorbacks scored were tied for the fewest plated by an SEC team and tied for the third-fewest scored by a top-25 (D1Baseball top-25).
The 'Birds were competitive all series, outhitting the Razorbacks in game two and trailing by a run in the 8th inning of game three.
Illinois State is no stranger to the national stage, upending #1 Vanderbilt and #7 Louisville in 2019 as the team made the program's first NCAA Regional final. Likewise, ISU is no stranger to success in Fayetteville as the 2020 team knocked off the 13th-ranked Razorbacks, 8-7.
MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK - HART ATTACK
5th-year junior Jared Hart was named Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week following his performances at second-ranked Arkansas.
Hart posted a pair of 2 IP, 0 R, 3 K outings and was the winning pitcher on 2/18. Hart was inserted with the bases loaded on 2/20 and recorded a K to get the Redbirds out of the 5th inning.
Hart received some attention on social media following his performances as he was featured on Pitching Ninja and Eric Sim's accounts, in addition to other verified accounts.
WHO DID IT BETTER?
Western Carolina exploded for 16 runs in the 6th inning against Niagara on 2/18. Illinois State had a similar inning in 2019. Also in its season-opening contest of the season, the Redbirds dropped 16 runs on Belmont in the 11th inning in a 27-11 victory to start fourth-year head coach Steve Holm's time at Illinois State.
TOUGH TESTS IN 2022
Illinois State is scheduled to play six games against preseason ranked opponents (three at No. 2 Arkansas, three vs No. 22 Dallas Baptist). Illinois State is also scheduled to play a program-record 16 games against Power Five schools, including 10 contests against the Big Ten. 2022 marks the first time ISU has opened against a Power Five since 2004 (win at Louisville). 2022 marks the first time ISU has ever opened against a ranked opponent.
NEW AND NOT-SO-NEW FACES
Illinois State adds 17 players (5 freshmen, 12 transfers) to its roster for the 2022 season. Key contributors are expected to be Charlotte transfer RHP Kolton Scherbenske, Cabrillo College transfer C Adrian Flores, Sacramento City College transfer SS Greg Nichols, among others. The Redbirds also expected to return a healthy RHP Mason Burns (shoulder), LHP Trey Krause (Ewing's Sarcoma), RF Jonathan Sabotnik (redshirt), C Tyler Woltman from its 2021 roster.
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.
