NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program returns for the 2026 home finale as it hosts Eastern Illinois in a Tuesday afternoon contest at Duffy Bass Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.
Tuesday's matchup marks the 181st meeting in the all-time series as Eastern Illinois leads with a 92-87-1 advantage. Last season, Senior Josh Outlaw delivered an 11th-inning walk-off double to secure a 6-5 victory for the Redbirds. With a win, Illinois State would capture back-to-back wins over the Panthers for the first time since 2014-15.
The Redbirds enter the midweek after clinching a bid for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with a 7-6 win in the series finale over UIC on Sunday. The victory marked the 13th win in conference play to record Illinois State's third straight season with 13 or more wins across the MVC slate.
Junior Graham Mastros played a crucial role in Illinois State's win on Sunday, after the Northfield, Ill. native recorded his first career five-hit performance, including a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning in Sunday's victory. Mastros became the first Redbird since Luke Lawrence on May 19, 2023, to tally five hits in a single game.
On the mound, Redshirt Freshman Luke Teschke matched the longest outing of his career with 6.0 innings pitched and limited the Flames' offense to two runs on four hits. UIC's pair of runs came in the first frame, however, Teschke responded with five straight scoreless innings and allowed only two hits.
Eastern Illinois enters Tuesday's meeting after being swept in three games by SIUE in Charleston, Ill., over the weekend. The Panthers are led by 11th-year head coach and 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Jason Anderson, who has secured over 200 victories in his tenure at EIU.
Senior infielder Mike O'Conor headlines Eastern Illinois' offense with a batting average of .336 and an OPS of 1.124. O'Conor leads the Panthers with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs and tallied a 14-game hit streak before Sunday's contest.
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.
