NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State baseball has announced its schedule for the 2026 season as the Redbirds enter their eighth year under the guidance of head coach Steve Holm.
The Redbirds' 56-game regular season slate consists of 20 home games, 33 road contests, and three neutral site matchups.
Illinois State opens its 2026 campaign with a three-game road series against SEMO from Feb. 13-15. The Redhawks have made appearances in the NCAA Regionals in three of the last five seasons. The Redbirds hold a 17-6-1 advantage over SEMO in the all-time series, and the season-opening series marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2021.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 opening series, the Redbirds will travel to SIUE for a one-game stand with the Cougars on Feb. 17. The meeting marks the first of a home-and-away series between the two squads, with the two teams meeting again in Normal on March 17. Last season, the two teams split the season series with one win apiece.
After heading to Edwardsville, the Redbirds will travel to Port Charlotte, Fla., for the Snowbird Baseball Classic from Feb. 20-22. Illinois State will open the tournament on Feb. 20 against UMass-Lowell in what will be the first meeting all-time between the two programs. On Feb. 21, the Redbirds will battle Brown for the first time since 1974. Illinois State closes out action from Port Charlotte with a contest against Miami (OH) on Feb. 22. The RedHawks closed out ranked No. 82 in the last RPI of 2025, and are one of three Redbird opponents in 2026 to be featured in the top-100.
The Redbirds will then travel to Huntsville, Ala., for a one-game standoff with Alabama A&M on Feb. 25. The meeting will be the first contest between the two programs and marks the second opponent featured on the 2026 schedule for Illinois State for the first time in program history.
Illinois State will then close out the month of February with a three-game series with Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, Tenn., from Feb. 27 through March 1. The meeting with the Blue Raiders marks the first contest between the two programs since 1999.
The Redbirds will then travel to Evansville, Ind., for a matchup on March 3 against Southern Indiana in the first meeting between the two squads since 1977. Last season, the two teams were set to face off before the contest was canceled due to inclement weather.
Following the trip to the Hoosier State, the Redbirds will head to Richmond, Ky., for a three-game series from March 6-8 against Eastern Kentucky. The series will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2015.
Illinois State will follow up its trip to Eastern Kentucky with its first contest in a home-and-away series with Saint Louis in St. Louis, Mo., on March 10. The series will then wrap up on Apr. 7 at Duffy Bass Field.
In mid-March, the Redbirds will take on Western Illinois in a four-game series from March 12-15, with each squad hosting two home contests. The Leathernecks will open the series at home from March 12-13 as the series heads to Normal on March 14-15 for Illinois State's home opener. In 2025, the Redbirds posted a 14-8 record at Duffy Bass Field.
The Redbirds will open conference play at home with a three-game series with Belmont from March 20-22. In 2025, Illinois State claimed the regular-season series after winning two contests in the three-game series to open Missouri Valley Conference play last season.
On March 24, the Redbirds will host Iowa in the first game of a home-and-away series, with the Hawkeyes hosting Illinois State on Apr. 28. Last season, Illinois State prevailed in both contests against the Hawkeyes. The late March meeting with Iowa marks the first of eight contests against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
Illinois State will then make its first road trip in conference play as it travels to Evansville, Ind., for a three-game series with Evansville. In 2025, the Redbirds swept the Aces in a three-game series, scoring a combined 38 runs across the series.
The Redbirds close out March with a meeting with Illinois on March 31 at Duffy Bass Field. The late-March contest will be the first in a home-and-away series as the two squads will meet in Urbana-Champaign, Ill., on Apr. 21. Last season, the two programs split the series as the Redbirds secured a 14-4 win in eight innings in Normal.
Following the meeting with the Fighting Illini, the Redbirds will travel to Carbondale, Ill., for a three-game series against Southern Illinois from Apr. 3-5. Illinois State will face the Salukis in Carbondale for the second-straight season.
The Redbirds return to Normal, Ill., for a three-game slate from Apr. 10-12 against Indiana State. Last season, Illinois State secured a series win with two victories over the Sycamores to close out the regular season. The Redbirds also secured a 14-4 win in eight innings in the first round of the 2025 MVC Tournament.
On April 14, Illinois State will host Northern Illinois at Duffy Bass Field. The Redbirds fell to the Huskies 6-4 in DeKalb, Ill., last season.
In mid-April, the Redbirds will travel to Murray, Ky, for a three-game series against Murray State from Apr. 17-19. Last season, the Racers represented the MVC at the College World Series and ended as the No. 8-ranked team in the country in the final D1Baseball.com poll. Murray State ranked as the No. 57 in the final RPI, the highest of any 2026 opponent.
The Redbirds will head back to Normal to host Bradley for a three-game series Apr. 24-26. Despite suffering a sweep against the Braves last season, Illinois State holds a 121-119 advantage in the all-time series.
To open the month of May, Illinois State will host Valparaiso in the final home conference series of the 2026 season from May 1-3. Last year, the Redbirds secured a series win that included an 18-3 win in seven innings.
On May 5, the Redbirds will travel to Northwestern for a contest with the Wildcats. The meeting marks the first meeting between the two programs after last season's matchup was canceled due to weather.
The Redbirds will close out conference play on the road with a three-game series with UIC from May 8-10. Illinois State secured a series win with two victories over the Flames, including a win on Senior Day last season.
On May 12, the Redbirds will host Eastern Illinois in their last home contest at Duffy Bass Field in the regular season. Following the contest with the Panthers, Illinois State will travel to East Lansing, Mich., for a three-game road series against Michigan State from May 14-16. The meeting with the Spartans will be the first in the series since 2016.
Head Coach Steve Holm on the Redbirds 2026 Schedule…
"We are excited about this year's schedule. Opening up at SEMO, which has been a perennial regional team, will be a good test right off the bat. Getting our guys to Florida for week two will be something they will look forward to. This year in the MVC, we are back to having a bye weekend, and we were able to fill that by playing Michigan State for the last weekend of the season. That will put us at eight contests versus the Big Ten Conference this season."
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