NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program heads to East Lansing, Mich., for a weekend series with Michigan State to close the 2026 regular season.
The three-game set will begin from Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium on Thursday, May 14, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05 p.m. CT. Action will resume on Friday at 5:05 p.m. CT and on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. CT. All contests will be available to watch on B1G+.
Illinois State travels to East Lansing, Mich., for the first time in the all-time series as the Spartans stood victorious in the lone meeting with a 15-0 win over the Redbirds in Port Charlotte, Fla. This season, Illinois State holds a 3-2 advantage over opponents from the Big Ten Conference, including a season sweep over Illinois.
The Redbirds enter the weekend following a dominant 15-4 run-rule win over Eastern Illinois in seven innings Tuesday evening at Duffy Bass Field. In the win, Illinois State's offense ignited with 18 hits, including five home runs, which marked the most in a single game since the season-opening victory over SEMO on Feb. 13.
Junior Luke Stulga led the Redbirds' offense with three hits, including two home runs, marking the first multi-home run game of his career. The Tinley Park, Illinois native achieved a career-high five RBIs in the victory, four of which came from his run-rule walk-off grand slam. Stulga becomes the second Redbird this season, alongside teammate Brayden Bakes, to hit a run-rule walk-off grand slam.
Michigan State enters the weekend following a 5-2 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday afternoon. The Spartans are led by head coach Jake Boss Jr., who entered his 18th year at the helm earlier this season. In his tenure, Boss Jr. became the third coach in school history to amass 400 wins at Michigan State. Sophomore outfielder Khamaree Thomas leads the Spartans' offense with a batting average of .327 in 2026.
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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