CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Illinois State baseball team is set to open the 2023 season with a three-game series at Austin Peay from February 17-19.
SCHEDULE
-Friday at 4 p.m. CT | WATCH (ESPN+) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
-Saturday at 12 p.m. CT | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
-Sunday at 1 p.m. CT | WATCH (ESPN+) | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
ILLINOIS STATE PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: 5-SR RHP Derek Salata (4.11 ERA, 65.2 IP, 63 K, 13 BB in 2022)
Saturday: 1-FR RHP Tyrelle Chadwick (freshman from Kamloops, B.C.)
Sunday: 5-JR LHP Sean Sinisko (5.03 ERA, 53.2 IP, 32 K, 16 BB in 2022)
ABOUT THE AUSTIN PEAY GOVERNORS
Austin Peay was 19-37 in 2022, going 14-16 at home. Austin Peay closed the 2022 season on a six-game losing skid. Austin Peay beat the MVC's Southern Illinois 11-4 on 4/19/22. Austin Peay lost 20-4 against the MVC's Evansville on 3/16/22 before dropping a 10-5 decision against the Purple Aces on 3/29. Austin Peay also played new MVC members Belmont and Murray State going a combined 3-3 in 2022.
Austin Peay's roster features 27 newcomers (21 transfers) and the Governors have a brutal eight-game stretch after its opening series under first-year head coach Roland Fanning, hosting Southern Illinois (1) before traveling to Dallas Baptist (3), Vanderbilt (1), and Oklahoma State (3).
The Redbirds and Governors have met 33 times previously, with Austin Peay leading, 22-11. Their first meeting was in 1982. ISU dropped the 2/18/17 match-up, which was the team's second game of the 2022 season and the Riverview Inn Governor's Challenge. ISU sandwiched the loss against Austin Peay between a 17-7 win over Indiana State to start the season and a 13-7 win over Youngstown State. Current Milwaukee Brewer Owen Miller was 0-3 while current Kansas City Royals prospect John Rave was 1-4 and current Illinois State assistant coach Derek Parola was 2-3.
2022 SEASON SUMMARY
Illinois State was 20-31 overall (7-14 MVC) in 2022 in a season that saw Tampa Bay Rays second-round draftee Ryan Cermak gain national attention as he was honored by four outlets (D1Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game, National Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) as National Player of the Week following a 3-HR, 10-RBI game (at Western Illinois on 4/6) before leading off the next game (at Kansas on 4/9) with a 470-foot home run. Cermak was the highest pick (71st overall) for Illinois State since Neal Cotts in 2001 and won the program's first ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.
Illinois State opened the 2022 season by knocking off #2 Arkansas before providing #19 Purdue with its first loss of 2022 on 3/17, snapping the Boilermakers' run as the nation's last remaining unbeaten team. The Redbirds also beat Illinois and at Iowa.
Nick Gile was signed in December '22 by the Colorado Rockies after hitting .284 with 9 HR in 2022.
MVC PRESEASON POLL
Illinois State, which finished 7th in the 8-team MVC in 2022, was picked to finish 7th in the 10- team MVC in 2023. Sixth-year senior Jared Hart was named Preseason All-MVC (led MVC in ERA at 2.45 in 2022 over 55 IP).
ADDITIONS TO 2023 SQUAD
Position players: four-year junior Shay Kubo (Northern Colorado), third-year juniors Auggie Rasmussen (Iowa Western CC) and Judah Morris (River Cosumnes College), second-year sophomores Nick Strong (Delta College) and Noah Rabin (Santa Rosa JC), and first-year freshmen Daniel Pacella and Shai Robinson.
Pitchers: Third-year junior Elijah Dale (Kansas State), freshmen Tyrelle Chadwick, Thomas Harper, and Ryan Borberg.
Complete list of newcomers and roster available in attached PDF.
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