ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference league office has announced its preseason favorites and players to watch ahead of the 2026 season on Thursday morning.
Illinois State was selected to finish fourth with 57 points and received one first-place vote. The Redbirds' fourth-place selection marks the second consecutive year that Illinois State has been tabbed to finish fourth. The Redbirds are one of three teams to receive a first-place vote in the preseason poll.
Murray State received a league-best seven first-place votes to earn a first-place selection following the Racers' 2025 College World Series appearance. Southern Illinois earned a second-place selection with 61 points, as UIC received a third-place selection with 59 points and one first-place vote.
Six Redbirds were named as MVC players to watch ahead of the 2026 campaign. The six student-athletes selected include Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes, Graduate Reece Clapp, Junior Matthew Donnison, Senior Thomas Harper, Junior Graham Mastros, and Junior Luke Stulga.
Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes leads all returning Redbirds with a .313 batting average in 2025. In his first season with Illinois State, Bakes recorded eight home runs and tallied 38 runs batted in. Bakes' home run total is the most of all returning players.
Graduate Reece Clapp joins the Redbirds ahead of 2026 following a one-year stop at Bradley. A native of Columbia, Mo., Clapp adds a wealth of experience to the Illinois State pitching staff. In 2025, Clapp made 22 appearances for the Braves and tallied 47.2 innings pitched, adding 44 strikeouts.
Junior Matthew Donnison returns for his third season with the Redbirds in 2026. In 2025, Donnison earned All-MVC Honorable Mention for the first time in his career following a breakout campaign. In his sophomore season, Donnison recorded 22 appearances and 56 strikeouts, the most amongst all returning student-athletes on the Redbirds' pitching staff.
Senior Thomas Harper joins Donnison as an additional returnee for the Redbirds' pitching staff. In 2025, the Wauwatosa, Wis. native recorded a career-best 10 starts and 54.1 innings pitched, the most of all returners on Illinois State's pitching staff in 2026.
Junior Graham Mastros enters his second season at Illinois State after transferring from Saint Louis. Mastros proved to be a threat on the baseball path, leading the Redbirds with 18 stolen bases in 2025. Mastros paired his stolen base total with 52 hits, including 21 extra-base hits, the most for all returning players for Illinois State.
Junior Luke Stulga returns for third year with the Redbirds after a career-year in 2025. In his sophomore season, Stulga made a career-best 55 appearances, the most of all returning players for Illinois State. In 2025, Stulga recorded 58 hits, including a 22-game hitting streak, which is the longest mark in the Steve Hom era.
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