NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program is set to travel to Richmond, Ky., for a three-game series with Eastern Kentucky. Action from game one is set to begin Friday, March 6, at 4 p.m. CT.
The weekend set marks the first matchup between the two programs since 2015. In the most recent series, the Redbirds recorded a weekend sweep with a 7-3 victory in the last contest. Illinois State holds a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series.
The Redbirds head to the Bluegrass State following a mid-week defeat to Southern Indiana Tuesday evening. Senior Kannon Coakley tallied his first three-hit performance as a Redbird, tallying a double and a pair of base hits against his former team. Coakley added a trio of RBIs in the game, matching a season-best mark.
Before the contest with Southern Indiana, Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. In four contests, Bakes tallied a 7-for-15 performance, including three home runs, and recorded two or more hits in three of the Redbirds' four contests with Alabama A&M and Middle Tennessee State. Bakes joins teammate Junior Graham Mastros to become the second Redbird to receive the award this season.
Eastern Kentucky enters the weekend after dropping two games to No. 21-ranked Kentucky mid-week. The Colonels are led by first-year head coach Jan Weisberg, who previously spent time at the Division II and III ranks. Redshirt Freshman Dylan Littlefield leads Eastern Kentucky offensively with a .367 batting average and five home runs.
PROJECTED STARTERS
GAME ONE - Friday, March 6, 4 p.m.
Junior Thomas Harper is in line to make his fourth start of 2026 in the series opener on Friday. Harper enters the contest with a 1-1 record and is one of six Redbirds to tally 10 or more strikeouts this season. In all three starts, Harper has tallied three or more strikeouts.
GAME TWO - Saturday, March 7, 12 p.m.
Junior Michael Addari is set to make his first collegiate start on Saturday after recording the longest outing of his career with 5.0 innings pitched against MTSU on Feb. 28. Addari ranks second on the Redbirds with 12 strikeouts this season.
GAME THREE - Sunday, March 8, 11 a.m.
Redshirt Freshman Luke Teschke will make his fourth start of the campaign on Sunday. Teschke tossed 3.1 innings against MTSU on March 1 to record the longest outing of his career.
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).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more.
