NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program is ready to take on Iowa in a mid-week contest Tuesday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m., and the contest will be available to stream on ESPN+.
The matchup marks the 27th meeting in the all-time series between the programs, as the Redbirds lead the all-time series 16-10. Tuesday's meeting will additionally be the first of two contests between the two squads this season, with the second game set for 6:00 p.m. on April 28 in Iowa City, Iowa. Last season, the Redbirds captured the season series with 10-8 and 6-5 over the Hawkeyes.
Illinois State enters Tuesday after securing its ninth consecutive win and the series sweep over Belmont with a 9-3 victory on Sunday. The sweep marks the first time in the Steve Holm era that the Redbirds have earned a sweep in the conference opening series.
On Monday, March 23, Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes was nominated for Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after recording a 6-for-13 performance in the series with four home runs, 10 RBIs, and six runs scored. On March 20, Bakes tallied a career-best three home runs and five RBIs in the Redbirds 9-4 victory. The selection marks Bakes; second of 2026.
Junior Michael Addari joined Bakes in the weekly honors, receiving the MVC's Pitcher of the Week award for his performance in game two of a three-game set with Belmont. In the Redbirds' 10-4 win, Addari matched his career-longest outing with 5.0 innings pitched, and he added a career-high seven strikeouts in his third victory of the season. Addari additionally limited the Bruins to one run on five hits. The nomination marks the first of his career.
The Hawkeyes travel to Normal following an 8-3 victory over Michigan State in the final game of a doubleheader on March 21. Iowa is led by its 13th-year head coach, Rick Heller, who has led the Hawkeyes to over 390 victories during his tenure. Senior infielder Gable Mitchell leads the Iowa offense with a .424 batting average and 39 hits this season.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (formerly Twitter) (@RedbirdBaseball), and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
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