The Missouri Valley Conference announced on March 17 that Illinois State Redbirds players Luke Stulga and Reece Clapp have been selected for the league’s weekly awards. Stulga, a junior, was named Player of the Week, while graduate student Clapp earned Pitcher of the Week honors.
These recognitions highlight recent strong performances by both athletes. Stulga delivered a notable offensive showing against Saint Louis and Western Illinois, achieving a 13-for-25 record with eight runs batted in over five games. He recorded at least one hit in each contest, matching his season-long hitting streak of five games. On Saturday, he tied his career-best with four hits in a single game. As of March 17, Stulga ranks fifth in the conference with a .370 batting average and is fourth among all Valley hitters with 20 RBIs this season.
Clapp was recognized for his pitching contributions out of the bullpen during three appearances last week. He tallied 14 strikeouts across 11 shutout innings and allowed only six hits. In Saturday’s game, Clapp pitched a career-high seven innings in relief and set a new personal best with eight strikeouts during the Redbirds’ 15-inning victory.
Stulga and Clapp join teammates Graham Mastros and Brayden Bakes as Illinois State players nominated for conference weekly awards this season. The Redbirds have had an athlete selected for an award in four out of five weeks so far this year.
Illinois State Redbirds is linked to Illinois State University according to the official website. The team competes in NCAA Division I events across various regions according to the official website and utilizes facilities such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation according to the official website. The program also benefits from resources like news updates, schedules, rosters, fan engagement tools according to the official website, and support from initiatives such as the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund aimed at competitiveness and recruitment according to the official website.
For ongoing updates about Illinois State Baseball or other athletic programs, fans are encouraged to visit GoRedbirds.com or follow team social media accounts.
