By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – Illinois State head baseball coach Bo Durkac unveiled his team’s 2016 schedule Tuesday, as the Redbirds prepare for their first game of the season less than four months away.
The Redbirds will open the season with a three-game series at Belmont, in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 19-21. The schedule also includes a four-game series at Oregon, a nine-day trip to Florida that features seven games at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida, and a competitive slate of non-conference games ahead of the team’s first Missouri Valley Conference series, April 8-10, against Dallas Baptist, at Duffy Bass Field.
The schedule includes 21 home games and a total of 20 games against opponents that qualified for NCAA Regional play last spring.
“With 20 games against 2015 NCAA Tournament participants, the 2016 schedule is definitely an aggressive one,” Durkac said. “Yes, we lost a lot of at-bats and innings both to graduation and to the MLB draft, but the returning upperclassmen who played a lot last spring are a year older, a year wiser, a year stronger, and ultimately, a year better. Plus, we added several new players who made a good impression on the coaching staff this fall. I think our team is up to the challenge that our opponents will present us.”
After opening the season with three games at Belmont, the Redbirds will travel to Eugene, Oregon, for four games against the Ducks, Feb. 25-28. Illinois State will then fly south for eight games in nine days in Florida. The Redbirds will play four Big Ten opponents to begin the Snowbird Classic, taking on Indiana, Ohio State, Northwestern and Michigan State, March 4-8. After a non-conference game at Florida International March 9, the Redbirds will resume play at the Snowbird Classic, taking on Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Butler, March 11-12.
Illinois State will travel to St. Louis for a non-conference game March 16 before its first home series of the season, March 18-20, against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Redbirds will then host in-state foe Illinois March 22 at Duffy Bass Field.
The Redbirds will head to New Orleans for a three-game series with Tulane, March 25-27, before returning to host Eastern Illinois, on March 29, and Xavier, April 1-3. The Redbirds will then travel to Valparaiso for its final tune-up before conference play, on April 5.
Illinois State will open Valley play at home against Dallas Baptist, April 8-10. The Redbirds will travel to take on Illinois on April 12, before a three-game set at Indiana State, April 15-17. Mid-week non-conference games against SIUE and Illinois Wesleyan are scheduled for April 19-20.
The Redbirds host Southern Illinois, April 22-24, and Purdue, April 26. A three-game series at Evansville is scheduled for April 29-May 1, before a three-game homestand against Bradley, May 6-8. The Redbirds will play their final non-conference game of the regular season on May 10, at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Illinois State will host its final home games of the regular season when Wichita State visits, May 13-15, before heading out for its final road games, May 19-21, at Missouri State.
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be held May 25-28, on the campus of Indiana State, in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Illinois State baseball team posted an overall record of 27-27, and a conference record of 9-12, in Durkac’s first season as head coach in 2015.
Nineteen returning players will be joined by 17 newcomers when the team reports for the first day of practice on Jan. 29.
