NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State baseball team is scheduled to host Minnesota at Duffy Bass Field on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tuesday start time has been bumped up to 2:00 p.m. CT from the originally scheduled 5:00 p.m. CT while the Wednesday game is slated to start at 1:00 p.m. CT.
SCHEDULE (AT ILLINOIS STATE)
Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. CT | VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. CT | VIDEO | RADIO | LIVE STATS
ILLINOIS STATE PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday: RHP Thomas Harper (4.09 ERA, 12 K in 11 IP over four appearances, three starts)
Wednesday: TBD
ABOUT THE MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota was 16-36 in 2022, going 2-18 on the road. The Golden Gophers are 3-18 to start 2023 with a challenging schedule. Minnesota is 0-6 away from home. Minnesota is also scheduled to face common opponents with ISU: Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska.
The Redbirds and Golden Gophers have met 8 times previously, with MINN leading, 7-1. Their first meeting was in 1993. ISU dropped the most recent 3/6/2009 match-up, 16-3. Former Major Leaguer Ryan Court went 1-for-2 for Illinois State.
WEATHER ISSUES
ISU has had games against Nebraska (3/12) and Eastern Illinois (3/17-19) cancelled due to weather. Illinois State's schedule is now down to 52 games with room to add four games to reach the maximum of 56. ISU's original schedule featured 55 games.
HOME-OPENING WIN VS WESTERN ILLINOIS
Illinois State topped Western Illinois on Wednesday, 6-1, despite recording just five hits and posting just one RBI hit (fourth-year junior Greg Nichols double in the 8th inning.). Freshman Thomas Harper threw 5.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts for his first career win while fourth-year junior Cameron Mabee threw the final 3.1 innings to post his first save of the season. WIU did not score until there were two outs in the 9th.
HOME OPENERS
The Redbirds have won four-straight home openers (won 4-3 in 11 innings to walk-off #19 Purdue in 2022 and end their run as the nation's last remaining unbeaten team). The 'Birds are 15-8 in home openers since 2000.
FIVE WITH TWO+ STEALS IN A GAME
Illinois State, which stole 37 bases in 2022 (.725 per game), already has 23 steals through 14 games (1.64 per game) in 2023. Fourth-year junior Shay Kubo, third-year junior Auggie Rasmussen (x2), and second-year sophomores Blake Stenger, Noah Rabin, and JT Sokolove each have a game with multiple steals.
SALATA AND 10+ STRIKEOUTS
• Fifth-year senior Derek Salata has two 10+ K games (2/24 at Arkansas State -12; 3/10 at Nebraska -10). Salata is the 10th Redbird since 2000 to have multiple 10+K games. Eight of the nine were drafted.
-Derek Salata (x2) - 2023; TBD
-Colton Johnson (x2) - 2021;
17th Round to Oakland Athletics
-Brent Headrick (x4) - 2019;
9th Round to Minnesota Twins
-Jacob Hendren (x2) - 2015; undrafted
-Dylan Craig (x3) - 2014;
12th Round to Colorado Rockies
-Dan Savas (x2) - 2014 and 2011;
19th Round to Arizona Diamondbacks
-Jeremy Rhoades (x3) - 2014;
4th Round to Los Angeles Angels
-Corey Maines (x5) - 2011, 2010, 2009;
23rd Round to New York Yankees
-Neal Cotts (x8) - 2001 and 2000;
2nd Round to Oakland Athletics
-Brian Forystek (x3) - 2000;
4th Round to Baltimore Orioles
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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