EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Illinois State baseball team is off to battle Missouri Valley Conference-leading Evansville in a three-game series. All three games will be on ESPN3.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (18-22, 5-7 MVC; 175th in RPI) at Evansville (24-18, 9-3 MVC; 68th in RPI)
Day/Time (CT):
Friday, May 6; 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 7; 2:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 8; 1:00 p.m. CT
City: Evansville, Ind.
ESPN3: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a34f9bce-ef2d-48df-a9d5-d94624215ed1 (game one); https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/fc58e8ea-8caf-41de-95d8-424f93be654b (game two); https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/58bd8481-df4c-4eb4-85f8-97c05f916e47 (game three)
Live Stats: https://gopurpleaces.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
PROJECTED ILLINOIS STATE STARTING PITCHERS
LHP Jared Hart (1.70 ERA, 42.1 IP, 40 K, 9 BB)
RHP Derek Salata (3.96 ERA, 63.2 IP, 62 K, 13 BB)
LHP Sean Sinisko (5.79 ERA, 37.1 IP, 20 K, 13 BB)
ABOUT THE PURPLE ACES + SERIES HISTORY + LAST MEETING
Evansville went 28-27 overall during the 2021 campaign, going 20-14 at home. The Aces are 24-18 so far this season, including an 12-7 home record. UE has won 23 of its last 34 games. Evansville and Illinois State have common opponents outside MVC: UIC, SIUE, Indiana, Purdue, and Murray State. UE has five players with 34+ RBIs and four players with 38+ RBIs.
The Redbirds and Aces have met 125 times previously, with Illinois State up 70-54-1. Their first meeting was in 1948. The most recent 5/25/21 meeting saw ISU win 10-9 in 12 innings over Evansville in the MVC Tournament
single-elimination bracket. Jeremy Gaines provided a walk-off single and Ryan Cermak hit a game-tying home run
in extra innings. Illinois State went on to lose to Indiana State and Valparaiso in the MVC Tournament.
IOWA WIN
ISU went to Iowa City and won, 3-2 on Tuesday. Greg Nichols had a 2-RBI double, Erik Kubiatowicz went 3.1 IP with 6 K, and Jared Hart posted a save on short rest (threw 110 pitches on 4/29)
DBU DUB(S)
Illinois State won on extra-inning thriller on ESPNU on Friday before controlling Saturday game to win, 5-2. DBU salvaged the third game of the series, but the Redbirds won a series against DBU for the first time ever (playing since 2014).
4-3 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Illinois State is now 3-2 in extra-inning games in 2022 after beating DBU on Friday on ESPNU. All three wins have come by a 4-3 final while both losses have been 7-6.
HART AND HIS STARTS
Fifth-year Jared Hart, who recorded a combined 8 starts at Temple College and Wabash Valley College (both JUCO), prior to coming to ISU, made his first Redbird start at DBU back on 5/7/2021
• 2021 starts (1): 40.50 ERA, 2.2 IP, 11 H, 12 ER, 4 K, 3 BB
• 2022 starts (3): 1.80 ERA, 20 IP, 12 H, 4 ER, 13 K, 4 BB
• ISU stretched out the bullpen ace on 4/15, making his first start of 2022 (against Valparaiso).
CER-SMACK: NATIONAL POW x4 (QUICK HITS ON RYAN CERMAK'S WEEK - 4/11)
- Named National Player of the Week from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Perfect Game, D1Baseball, and NCBWA
- 11-for-21 (.524)
- .600 OBP
- five home runs, two doubles
- home runs in four-straight plate appearances (hit 470-foot home run for fourth-straight home run)
- three home run game on 4/6 with grand slams in back-to-back innings
- 14 RBIs; broke a 37-year old school RBI record on 4/6 (10 now - was nine by Mike Prior in 1985)
- nine runs scored; tied the school record for runs scored in a game on 4/6 (five - most recent was Brett Kay in 2012)
- recorded 100th career hit via home run on 4/10
- scaled the center-field wall and appeared to have taken away a home run on 4/10
- celebrated the honors by lining a HR over the LF wall to lead off 4/12's game at Illinois
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.
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). Purdue has also exceeded expectations in 2022, earning a No. 19 ranking from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and was bumped up to 17th after taking two-of-three from ISU. 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.
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).
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