McLean County Times

Following a midweek game at Oral Roberts, the Illinois State baseball team is preparing for a weekend series against nationally-ranked Oklahoma State from March 7-9. This will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2021 in Stillwater.

The schedule for the series includes games on Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT, and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT. Illinois State's projected starting pitchers are Tanner Perry on Friday, Carter Monke on Saturday, and Ryan Weaver on Sunday.

Oklahoma State enters the weekend with a record of 7-5 in 2025, including a home record of 3-1. The Cowboys recently played two midweek games against Winthrop and finished their previous season with a record of 42-19, hosting the Stillwater Regional.

Historically, Oklahoma State leads the series against Illinois State with five wins dating back to their first meeting in 1990. In their last encounter in 2021, Oklahoma State defeated Illinois State 6-0.

This weekend marks another opportunity for Illinois State to face a top-25 opponent under head coach Steve Holm. The Redbirds have secured eight wins over top-25 teams during Holm's tenure.

Illinois State achieved its first win of the season on February 25 with an impressive victory over Ball State. Senior Kyle Gibson led the team's offense with four hits and two RBIs during that game.

Looking ahead, Illinois State will host the Missouri Valley Conference Championships from May 20 to May 24 at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois. This is the first time since 2019 that they will host this event.

After facing Oklahoma State, Illinois State returns home for an in-state matchup against Northwestern on Tuesday.

For updates on Illinois State Baseball, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms such as X (@RedbirdBaseball), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).