NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Illinois State baseball is set to open the Missouri Valley Conference baseball season with a weekend series at Belmont from March 21-23.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (6-12, 0-0 MVC) at Belmont (8-14, 0-0 MVC)Â
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday at 4 PM | STATS
Saturday at 2 PM |Â ESPN+ | STATS
Sunday at 1 PM |Â ESPN+Â | STATS
NOTES ON THE BRUINS
Belmont comes into the weekend with wins in four of their last five games, all versus Butler last weekend. The Bruins defeated the Bulldogs by scores of 12-2, 20-10, 9-5, and 17-6.
Belmont is fourth in the Valley in hitting (.278) and sixth in pitching (7.66 team ERA) heading into the weekend. Individually, Ty Allen leads the Bruins with 31 hits, 28 RBIs, and seven home runs which are all category bests among the Valley.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State and Belmont have played 24 times as the series is tied, 12-12.
In last year's series at Duffy Bass Field, the Bruins took game one by an 11-5 final before ISU stormed back to take the series with wins of 4-3 (11 inn.) in game two and 8-1 in game three to conclude the regular season.
PRESEASON HONORS
A year after finishing with their most conference wins (16) since 2013, the Illinois State baseball team was selected to finish fourth in the annual Preseason MVC Coaches' Poll.
The Redbirds also landed three players on the MVC Preseason All-Conference Team, tied for the most of any school in the conference. Seniors Judah Morris and Kyle Gibson join junior Daniel Pacella on the squad.
Pacella currently leads the Valley with a .425 batting average while Morris sits tied for the conference lead with seven home runs and .778 slugging pct.
Finally, Gibson is one of four MVC players (joining athletes from Murray State and Bradley) with two triples in 2025.
BIRDS IN MVC OPENERS UNDER HOLM
Under the direction of Steve Holm, the Redbirds are 2-3 in conference openers since 2019, including 2-2 on the road.
Illinois State last opened up MVC play with Belmont in 2023, where the Bruins took the series with wins in game one and two over the Birds in Nashville.
BIRDS BEAT COWBOYS
Illinois State collected a Friday night victory over #25 Oklahoma State on March 7. This marks the ninth top-25 win for ISU under head coach Steve Holm.
Judah Morris finished the night going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs while Thomas Harper collected his first career save after throwing 2.2 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed.
HOME SWEET HOME
After being on the road for the first 15 games of 2025, Illinois State returned to the confines of Duffy Bass Field on March 15.
The Redbirds would conclude a four-game series against in-state foe, Western Illinois, sweeping the Leathernecks in a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 11-4 in game one and 10-0 (8 inn.) in game two.
In game one, senior Tanner Perry got the start for the Redbirds as the right-hander went a complete nine innings with six hits allowed, four earned runs, and six strikeouts across 113 pitches thrown.
Perry became the first Redbird to throw a nine-inning complete game since teammate Tyrelle Chadwick did so in March 2024 (at Arkansas Pine-Bluff).
The nine innings is the longest outing for Perry in his collegiate career while he compiled his third outing this season with at least 6+ strikeouts.
After taking three of four games versus Western Illinois, Illinois State moves to 46-31 against in-state opponents under Steve Holm.
ILLINOIS STATE TO HOST MVC TOURNAMENT
The 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championships will take place from Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois.Â
The eight-team tournament opens on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, and is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 24, 2025.
This is the first time Illinois State will host the MVC Championships since 2019.Â
ON DECK
Following the weekend, Illinois State begins a five-game week with a home midweek versus Iowa on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 5 PM on Tuesday from Duffy Bass Field.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:Â Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
