NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head baseball coach Bo Durkac announced the Redbirds’ 2015 schedule Monday. The schedule features a three-game series at 2014 College World Series champion Vanderbilt, a 10-day trip to Florida, and seven three-game series against Missouri Valley Conference foes.
“Even though opening day is still almost four months away, the coaches and players are excited to begin the 2015 season,” Durkac said. “I think we had a productive fall season, and now our players are putting forth maximum effort in the weight room to prepare themselves for a strong spring schedule.
“With our first three weekends against quality opponents from the Sun Belt Conference, the Ohio Valley Conference and Southeastern Conference, we will need to be sharp in order to compete at a high level. And taking on the defending national champions in Vanderbilt will be both a huge test for us and a great experience.”
Illinois State will open the season with a four-game set at Arkansas State beginning Feb. 13. The Redbirds are back in action at Southeast Missouri State Feb. 20-22, before taking on Vanderbilt Feb. 27-March 1 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Redbirds will play eight games over 10 days, March 6-15, in Florida. Seven of those games will be played at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida; the other will be played at Florida Atlantic.
Illinois State will play its first home game of the 2015 season on March 17 as it welcomes Illinois-Chicago to Duffy Bass Field. The Redbirds will then host a three-game series with Eastern Kentucky that weekend, March 20-22.
In addition to 21 MVC conference games, nine of which will be played at home, the Redbirds have a home-and-home series with Illinois (March 24 in Champaign, April 14 in Normal) and a road game at Purdue (April 28).
The MVC Tournament will be held May 19-23 in Wichita, Kansas.
“The Missouri Valley Conference, once again, proved to be an elite conference nationally in 2014,” Durkac said. “I fully expect the Valley to provide seven highly competitive weekends in 2015, too.”
The Redbirds posted a 33-22 record in 2014, finishing fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference before advancing to the MVC Tournament’s championship game.
Seventeen returning players will be joined by 17 newcomers to form the team’s 34-man roster. Durkac, in his first year leading the Redbird baseball program, has filled out his coaching staff with assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Stalowy, pitching coach Michael Kellar, and student assistants Ryan Copeland and Clint Stroud.
2015 Illinois State Baseball Schedule
