NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program will travel to Huntsville, Ala., for a Wednesday afternoon contest with Alabama A&M. Action from Bulldog Baseball Field is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Illinois State heads back south to take on Alabama A&M in the first-ever meeting in the all-time series between the two programs. The Redbirds' trip to Huntsville comes after Illinois State concluded the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., on Sunday in a 5-3 defeat to Miami (OH). Despite the loss on Sunday, the Redbirds captured two victories with a 12-1 win over UMass-Lowell and a 9-7 win over Brown to open the three-day event in the Sunshine State.
In Friday's 12-1 win over the River Hawks, Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes paced the Redbirds offense with a trio of hits, including his first home run of the 2026 campaign. On the mound, Junior Michael Addari secured his first career victory after entering in relief. Addari tossed 4.0 innings and added a career-best five strikeouts to secure the win. In his first 6.0 innings pitched to begin the season, Addari hasn't allowed a run.
On Saturday, the Redbirds captured their first victory in the all-time series between the two programs. Offensively, four Redbirds recorded a two-hit performance, including Sophomore Eric Machej, who added a career-best three runs scored in the contest. Senior Kannon Coakley notched three runs batted in, marking the most RBIs in Illinois State colors for the Southern Indiana transfer. The Redbirds' pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts in the win, which is the most in a single contest this season for Illinois State.
In Sunday's defeat to Miami (OH), Senior Josh Outlaw recorded his third two-hit performance of the season with a double and his first triple of the campaign. Outlaw currently leads the Redbirds with a .474 batting average and has recorded a hit in the previous five contests.
Alabama A&M enters Wednesday's matchup with a 2-5 record, after capturing wins over New Orleans and Louisiana-Monroe at the Maestri Classic in New Orleans, La. The Bulldogs are led by Louis Whitlow, who enters his second season as head coach in 2026.
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