NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program is set to take on in-state rival Illinois in a midweek matchup Tuesday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. The first pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m., and the contest will be available to watch on ESPN+.
The Redbirds return to Normal following a strong offensive display with a 15-9 victory in the series finale against Evansville Sunday afternoon at German American Bank Field at Charles Braun Stadium. Four Redbirds tallied at least three hits as Illinois State tallied a season-best 18 hits in the win.
Junior Graham Mastros headlined the Redbird offense with a career-high four hits, including two home runs in the victory. Mastros added a double and a single, standing a triple shy of a cycle to round out a strong display from the plate for the Northfield, Ill. native.
Sophomore Louis Bussard added a career-best performance with four hits alongside Mastros. Bussard's four hits marked his first multi-hit contest as a Redbird, and he joins teammates Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes and Junior Luke Stulga as Illinois State outfielders to record four hits in a single game this season.
Graduate Camden Karczewski and Senior Kannon Coakley each added three hits in the victory. Karczewski's trio of hits is the most in a single game as a Redbird.
Redshirt Freshman Luke Teschke tallied another strong outing on the mound as the Monticello, Ill. native limited the Purple Aces to only two hits and one run in 5.0 innings pitched. Teschke added a career-high six strikeouts on the path to his second career victory.
Illinois travels to Normal following a 6-0 victory over Penn State Sunday afternoon. The win captured a 2-1 series win over the Nittany Lions. The Fighting Illini are led by 21st-year head coach Dan Hartleb. Hartleb is the program's winningest coach and has led the Fighting Illini to three Big Ten titles during his tenure. Freshman infielder AJ Putty leads the Fighting Illini production with a .355 batting average and 33 RBIs in 2026.
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