Redbirds Selected Seventh in MVC Preseason Poll

NORMAL, Ill. – Ahead of the 2024 season, Illinois State baseball has been picked to finish seventh in the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference, as revealed Tuesday by the conference and voted on the MVC's head coaches.

Illinois State finished 20-30 overall and 9-18 in the MVC in 2023, finishing ninth in the expanded 10-team league.

Illinois State is scheduled to open the season from Feb. 16-18 in Port Charlotte, Florida at the 2024 Snowbird Classic as they will face St. Thomas and Saint Louis down in the Sunshine State.

The 'Birds also see sixth-ranked Vanderbilt (March 8-10), and 20th-ranked Iowa (March 26/April 30) in non-conference play, among other schools, in 2024. *rankings according to D1Baseball.com*

FULL PRESEASON ALL-MVC TEAM

PLAYER, TEAM, POS., YR., HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) 

Chase Hug, Evansville, 1B, Grad., Indianapolis, Ind. (Olney Central College)

Josue Urdaneta, Indiana State, 2B, R-Sr., Maracaibo, Venezuela (Avant Garde Academic)

Taeg Gollert, Missouri State, 3B, So., Toronto, Ontario (Humberside Collegiate Institute)

Mike Sears, Indiana State, 3B, R-Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio (Sinclair CC)

Randal Diaz, Indiana State, SS, Jr., Toa Alta, Puerto Rico / Leadership Christian Academy

Drew Vogel, Murray State, SS, R-Jr., White House, Tenn. (White House HS)

Grant Magill, Indiana State, C, R-Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista)

Ryan Maka, Valparaiso, OF, Jr., Oak Forest, Ill. (Oak Forest HS)

Dusty Mercer, Murray State, OF, R-Jr., Weddington, N.C. (Virginia Tech)

Zack Stewart, Missouri State, OF, So., Lebanon, Mo. (Lebanon HS)

Jake Combs, Southern Illinois, SP, Sr., Houston, Texas (Cypress Ranch HS)

Brandt Thompson, Missouri State, SP, Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn. (North Iowa Area CC)

Garrett Ferguson, Missouri State, RP, So., Blue Springs, Mo. (Summit Christian Academy)

Jared Spencer, Indiana State, RP, Jr., Centreville, Mich. (Centreville HS)

FULL 2024 MVC PRESEASON POLL

RANK, TEAM (1ST-PLACE VOTES), POINTS 

1. Indiana State (8).............................95 

2. Missouri State (1) ...........................89 

3. Evansville (1)...................................81 

4. Murray State....................................67 

5. Southern Illinois ..............................63 

6. Belmont............................................40 

7. Illinois State ...................................39 

8. UIC ...................................................34 

9. Valparaiso ........................................22 

10. Bradley ............................................20

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