NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team will host Missouri Valley Conference-leading Missouri State in a weekend series, beginning Friday.
The opener is set for a 5 PM start, followed by a 3 PM game Saturday and a 1 PM finale Sunday.
Illinois State (21-21, 10-8 MVC) comes into the series after a mid-week road win over Iowa on April 29.
The Redbirds lost two of three games in their last MVC series, April 25-27, at Southern Illinois.
SCHEDULE
Friday at 5 PM | VIDEO | STATS | RADIO
Saturday at 3 PM | VIDEO | STATS | RADIO
Sunday at 1 PM | VIDEO | STATS | RADIO
ABOUT THE BEARS (23-19, 13-5 MVC)
Missouri State is 23-19 this season, 13-5 in MVC play, and 6-14 on the road in 2025.
The Bears have won three of their last five, including two of three versus Evansville and a midweek shutout of Missouri on April 22.
As a team, the Bears are hitting .302 (47th nationally), have 103 doubles (15th nationally), 85 home runs (8th nationally), 362 runs (39th nationally), .559% slugging percentage (8th nationally), and are fielding at a .980% clip (16th nationally).
SERIES HISTORY
Missouri State leads the Redbirds in the all-time series, holding a 71-50 margin.
The two programs met in Springfield during the 2024 season, as ILS picked up a weekend sweep over the Bears by results of 12-11, 8-5, and 11-2.
The last time the programs met in Normal (2023) saw the Bears take two out of three for the series victory with 8-6 and 12-6 wins.
CEMENTING THEIR REDBIRD LEGACY
Illinois State junior Daniel Pacella and senior Joe Husak continue to lead the Redbirds at the plate and on the mound.
Heading into May, Pacella has recorded 50 RBIs this season, moving his career total to 167 RBIs at Illinois State. The junior sits only ONE away from sole possession of second all-time in ISU history.
Pacella also holds sole possession of second all-time in career HRs with 42, thanks to an 8th inning solo home run on April 25 at SIU.
Meanwhile, on the mound, Husak moved his career save total as a Redbird to 13 after closing the door against Iowa on April 29.
Husak is now second all-time for a Redbird in career saves.
ILLINOIS STATE TO HOST MVC TOURNAMENT
The 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championships will take place from Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois.
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.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at goredbirds.com/tickets.
ON DECK
Illinois State hits the road for a Tuesday midweek against Northern Illinois in DeKalb. First pitch is set for 2 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.
