McLean County Times

The Illinois State baseball team will compete against conference leader Missouri State in a weekend series. The opening game is scheduled for a 5 PM start on Friday, followed by a 3 PM game on Saturday, and the series will conclude with a 1 PM game on Sunday.

Illinois State holds a season record of 21-21, with a 10-8 record in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), and recently secured a win against Iowa on April 29. However, they lost two of three games in their previous conference series against Southern Illinois from April 25-27.

Missouri State, leading the MVC, has a record of 23-19 for the season, including a 13-5 record in conference play. Despite a challenging road performance of 6-14 this year, the Bears have won three of their last five games, including a shutout victory over Missouri on April 22.

Currently, Missouri State leads the Redbirds 71-50 in their all-time series. The last meeting in Springfield resulted in a sweep by Illinois State, while the Bears won the previous meeting in Normal in 2023, taking two out of three games.

For Illinois State, junior Daniel Pacella and senior Joe Husak continue to excel. Pacella has accumulated 50 RBIs this season, moving closer to second place in all-time RBIs for Illinois State. Husak has reached second all-time in career saves with 13.

The 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championships will take place at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois, from May 20-24, marking the first time Illinois State has hosted since 2019. Tickets are available at goredbirds.com/tickets.

Following this series, the Redbirds will play a midweek game against Northern Illinois in DeKalb on Tuesday, with the first pitch at 2 PM. For updates, visit GoRedbirds.com or follow the team's social media accounts.