The Illinois State baseball team will travel to Port Charlotte, Florida, for the 2026 Snowbird Classic. This marks the Redbirds’ second appearance at the event in three years. In their last visit, Illinois State began its 2024 season with an 18-12 win over St. Thomas before losing to Saint Louis and St. Thomas, with their final game canceled.
The Redbirds approach this tournament after a recent 9-5 victory against SIUE on February 17. The team scored six runs in the ninth inning to secure the win. Graduate transfer Payton McHarg hit his first home run for Illinois State in the sixth inning and later added a two-RBI double in the ninth. Senior Josh Outlaw contributed two doubles and two RBIs.
Illinois State will open play on Friday, February 20, against UMass-Lowell at 10 a.m. CT. This is the first meeting between these programs. UMass-Lowell enters under second-year head coach Nick Barese with a 1-2 record this season.
Senior Thomas Harper is scheduled to start for Illinois State after pitching five innings and recording three strikeouts during his season debut against SEMO on February 13, allowing just one run on three hits in a 12-1 win.
On Saturday, February 21, Illinois State faces Brown at 10 a.m. CT in their third all-time meeting; Brown leads the series 2-0. The teams have not played since 1974. Redshirt sophomore Carson Cormier is expected to make his first collegiate start after pitching four innings of relief with four strikeouts against SEMO earlier this month.
The Redbirds conclude their trip Sunday, February 22, against Miami (OH) at 11 a.m. CT in what will be their seventh matchup; Miami (OH) has won all previous meetings dating back to their last contest in 2017. Redshirt freshman Luke Teschke is set for his second start following his collegiate debut versus SEMO.
Illinois State competes in NCAA Division I events across various regions and benefits from resources such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation according to its official website. The program also receives support from initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund that aim to improve competitiveness and recruitment (source). Linked with Illinois State University (source), the athletic department provides news, schedules, rosters and fan resources online (source).
For updates on Illinois State Baseball, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow @RedbirdBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), or Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App are available for tickets, scholarship fund gifts, multimedia content, merchandise and more.
