NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program is set to travel to Murray, Ky., to take on Murray State in a three-game series in Missouri Valley Conference play at Johnny Reagan Field.
The Redbirds will open the set on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Following Friday's action, the two squads will continue action on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Both weekend contests are available to watch on ESPN+.
Illinois State heads to the Bluegrass State after no midweek action due to its contest with Northern Illinois being canceled due to the threat of inclement weather in the Normal area. The Redbirds enter the weekend following a series defeat to Indiana State at Duffy Bass Field on April 12. Despite the series defeat, Senior Josh Outlaw put on a strong display in the series finale with his first three-hit performance of the season against the Sycamores.
Murray State heads into the weekend after a 12-1 loss to SEMO on Tuesday. In their last Missouri Valley Conference matchup, the Racers were swept by UIC. Eighth-year head coach, Dan Skirka, leads Murray State following an accomplished season in 2025, where the Racers captured their first-ever College World Series appearance in program history. Senior infielder Luke Mistone headlines the Murray State offense with a .335 batting average and 37 RBIs in 2026. Nine of Mistone's RBIs came in a victory over Kentucky State on March 10.
Murray State leads the all-time series between the two programs with a 10-8 advantage over Illinois State. However, the Redbirds captured the season series last season, securing two wins in a Saturday doubleheader. Illinois State was one of three teams in 2025 to secure a series victory over Murray State last season.
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