STILLWATER, Okla. – Following a midweek contest at Oral Roberts, the Illinois State baseball team turns its attention to a weekend series with nationally-ranked Oklahoma State from March 7-9.
The three-game series will be the first time the programs will meet since 2021 in Stillwater.
SCHEDULE
Friday at 6:00 p.m. |Â WATCH | STATS
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT | STATS
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT |Â WATCH | STATS
ILLINOIS STATE PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Tanner Perry (7.24 ERA in 13.2 IP with 18 K over three starts)
Saturday: RHPÂ Carter Monke (6.57 ERA in 12.1 IP with 4 K over three starts)
Sunday: LHPÂ Ryan Weaver (12.00 ERA in 6.0 IP with 3 K over three starts)
ABOUT THE COWBOYS
Oklahoma State sits at 7-5 in 2025, including 3-1 at home, and enter the weekend following a pair of midweek contests against Winthrop. The Cowboys went 42-19 in 2024 and advanced all the way to host the Stillwater Regional.
The Redbirds and Cowboys have met five times before, dating back to 1990, as OSU leads the series 5-0. In the last meeting (2021), Illinois State got shut by the Cowboys 6-0 at O'Brate Stadium. Colin Wyman recorded two scoreless innings with three strikeouts for Illinois State.
REDBIRDS VERSUS TOP-25
With Oklahoma State currently ranked 25th in the latest D1Baseball rankings, this weekend marks the seventh consecutive regular season in which the Redbirds will face a top-25 opponent under Steve Holm.
Under Holm's direction, the Birds have secured eight wins over top-25 teams including one in each of the last six seasons.
BATTLE OF THE BIRDS
Illinois State secured their first win of the 2025 season on February 25 with an 11-1 midweek victory over Ball State.
Senior Kyle Gibson led the Redbird offense, who totaled 13 hits, with a 4-for-5 day at the plate with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Gibson is the first Redbird with four hits in a game since Daniel Pacella last May.
Pacella, meanwhile, became the first Redbird with three doubles in a game since Joe Aeilts in April 2019.
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 FOR THE BIRDS
Following the weekend, the Redbirds return to Illinois for an in-state midweek meeting with Northwestern on Tuesday. First pitch from Evanston is set for 3:30 PM.
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.
