McLean County Times

Following a strong four-game performance, junior Daniel Pacella has been named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Week. The announcement was made by the league office on Monday. Pacella is the third Illinois State Redbird player this season to earn a weekly MVC honor, joining teammates Tyrelle Chadwick and Brayden Bakes.

Pacella, hailing from Mundelein, Illinois, showcased impressive performance by leading the Redbirds with nine hits over 17 at-bats, achieving a batting average of .529. This contributed to the team's midweek victory over Illinois and a weekend sweep against Evansville at Duffy Bass Field.

During the game against Illinois, Pacella excelled with a 4-for-5 performance, including two doubles, four RBIs, and two runs scored. This effort helped secure a 14-4 win. His four RBIs last Tuesday boosted his career total to 155 RBIs, moving him to fourth place in Illinois State's program history, just three shy of the top three.

In the weekend series against Evansville, Pacella went 5-for-12 at the plate, contributing a double, two RBIs, and four runs. He recorded an on-base percentage of .563 by adding two walks and two hit by pitches. Currently, Pacella leads the conference in batting average (.407), slugging percentage (.756), OPS (1.244), and hits (55).

The Redbirds are set to play against Bradley in a three-game MVC series starting at 11 AM CT on Friday at Dozer Park in Peoria.

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