NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program is set to host its final Missouri Valley Conference home series of the season, a three-game set against Valparaiso at Duffy Bass Field.
The weekend series will begin on Friday with the first pitch slated for 5:00 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 p.m., and the series finale will begin at 1:00 p.m on Sunday. All three contests will be able to stream on ESPN+.
After the conclusion of Sunday's game, nine Redbirds will be honored for Senior Day. The student-athletes being honored include Payton McHarg, Joey Wilmoth, Camden Karczewski, Josh Outlaw, Reece Clapp, Kannon Coakley, Nolan Barry, Thomas Harper, and Shuto Tiger Okumura.
Illinois State leads the all-time series over Valparaiso with a 31-16-1 overall record. Last season, the Redbirds earned the series victory over the Beacons after claiming the wins in the first two contests before falling in the series finale. The defeat snapped Illinois State's seven-game winning streak over Valpo.
The Redbirds enter the weekend following a 13-6 victory over Iowa Tuesday evening at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. With the win, the Redbirds extended their winning streak to five games, including two wins over opponents from the Big Ten Conference. Illinois State has secured three victories in the last four meetings with Iowa and has recorded back-to-back wins over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
Graduate Payton McHarg headlines the Redbirds offense with three hits and a trio of RBIs, each marking the most in Illinois State colors for the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native. Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes joined McHarg with a trio of hits to tally a team-best 23 multi-hit games this season.
Graduate Camden Karczewski added a pair of hits and an RBI to record his 18th multi-hit game of 2026, and has totaled the second most of all Redbirds this season. Junior Luke Stulga tallied two hits and an RBI alongside Karczewski in the victory.
Sophomore Louis Bussard notched a career-best RBI total after plating four runs for Illinois State in the win.
On the mound in Tuesday's triumph, the Redbirds pitching staff combined to record 10 strikeouts. In Illinois State's last five contests, the Redbirds have recorded a double-digit punchout total, standing one game shy of matching the longest streak of games with 10 or more strikeouts this season.
The Beacons travel to Normal after falling to NIU, 11-5, on Tuesday afternoon in DeKalb, Ill. Valparaiso is led by 13th-year head coach Brian Schmack and has coached in over 600 games during his tenure. Sophomore infielder Michael Kuska leads the Valpo offense with a .312 batting average and a .405 on-base percentage.
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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