EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Illinois State baseball team is set to play Evansville on Wednesday as the teams start their time in the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Evansville.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 4 Illinois State (28-25, 16-11 MVC) vs No. 3 Evansville (31-23, 17-10 MVC)
Days/Times (CT):
Wednesday, May 22, 9:00 a.m. CT
City: Evansville, Ind.
Field: Charles H. Braun Stadium
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: bit.ly/MVCTournamentStats
MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Illinois State will make its fourth MVC Tournament appearance under the direction of head coach Steve Holm (2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024).
The last meeting between Illinois State and Evansville in the MVC Tournament came in the first round of the 2021 MVC Tournament as ILS claimed a 10-9 win in Carbondale over the Purple Aces.
2024 marks the first time Illinois State will be a top-four seed in the MVC Tournament since 2019, when the Redbirds were the second seed. The Redbirds were the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds in the 2021 and 2022 Tournaments, respectively.
ALL-MVC HONORS
ISU had five student-athletes honored prior to the start of the MVC Tournament. Sophomore Daniel Pacella was named First-Team All-MVC while redshirt junior Judah Morris, senior Auggie Rasmussen, and junior Joe Husak were named Honorable Mention All-MVC.
Finally, the Redbirds saw senior Cameron Mabee and junior JT Sokolove named to the All-MVC Defensive Team.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds and Purple Aces have met 134 times in a series history with Illinois State leading, 71-62-1, as the series dates back to 1948.
The teams most recently met in April 2024, played in Evansville, as the Purple Aces took a series sweep with a resounding 13-1 run-rule victory in the Sunday series finale.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
UE is 31-23 overall in 2024, including 16-8 at home, to earn the 3-seed in the MVC Tournament. The Purple Aces finished 37-24 (15-12 MVC) in 2023, including 17-9 at home.
Evansville sees the Freshman of the Year in LHP Kenton Deverman and First Team honoree Mark Shallenberger lead the Purple Aces this season. Evansville continues to lead the Valley as one of the best offensive teams, including a conference leading doubles total, as the Purple Aces host the MVC Tournament for the first time since 1998.
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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