NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program returns home to host Bradley in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series set to begin on Friday, April 24. First pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.
The Redbirds enter the weekend after capturing the season sweep over Illinois with a 13-6 victory over the Fighting Illini Tuesday evening in Champaign. The win marked the first time since 2010 in the all-time series that Illinois State has captured the season sweep.
With the Tuesday night victory, the Redbirds have tallied three consecutive wins over the Fighting Illini, marking the first time since 2002-05 that Illinois State has claimed three straight wins in the all-time series.
In Champaign, Illinois State added a season-best 19 hits in the win and improved to 20-1 in 2026 when the Redbirds have tallied 10 or more base hits. All nine starting Redbirds recorded a hit in the contest, marking the second occasion Illinois State has accomplished the feat this season.
Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes led the Redbird offense as the Algonquin, Ill. native matched a career-high with four hits, including a career-best three doubles. Sophomore Eric Machej joined Bakes with a strong display on Tuesday afternoon. Machej matched a career-high with three hits, including a three-run home run, on the path to setting a new career-best total of four RBIs. Sophomore Louis Bussard added three hits to extend his reach base streak to 11 games.
Bradley travels to Normal following an 11-6 defeat to Northwestern on Tuesday afternoon in Evanston, Ill. The Braves are led by first-year head coach Justin Dedman, who previously served as the recruiting coordinator for two seasons at Loyola Marymount. Graduate Landon Lowe headlines the Braves' offense with a .372 average and 51 hits in 2026.
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