Quick Facts General Information
Location:................................................. Normal, Ill. University Founded:..........................................1857 Enrollment:.....................................................20,450 Nickname:..................................................Redbirds Colors:.........................Red (Pantone 186) & White Affiliation:........................................ NCAA Division I Conference:.................................... Missouri Valley President:......................................... Dr. Al Bowman Director of Athletics:............. Dr. Sheahon Zenger Faculty Representative:.......Dr. Debbie Lindberg Athletics Department Phone:...........309.438.3633 Ticket Information Phone:.................309.438.8000
Baseball History
First Season:.......................................................1890 All-Time Record:...........1,516-1,464-20 (106 years) All-Time MVC Record:...............265-380 (27 years) MVC Tournament Titles:............................. 1 (1994) D-I NCAA Appearances (last):................. 2 (1994) Postseason Appearances (last):.............. 7 (1994)
Stadium Information
Facility:............................................ Duffy Bass Field Capacity:.........................................................1,500 Dimensions:.......................................... 330-400-330 Field Surface:.....................................Natural Grass Year Opened:............... Fully Renovated for 2009
BASEBALL Staff
Team information
2008 Record:....................................................22-30 2008 MVC Record (finish):.......................6-18 (8th) Lettermen Returning/Lost:............................... 19/9 Starters Returning/Lost:...................................... 4/6 Pitchers Returning/Lost:..................................... 9/4 Newcomers:............................................................9
16
player bios
Athletic Media Relations
ryan copeland
Meet the 2009 Redbirds
2 Media Information
Helpful information about covering the Redbirds, along with important members of the baseball support staff
4 Illinois State University
Discover the state of Illinois’ first public institution, from the administration to the field the Redbirds call home
10 Season outlook
An inside look at what returns for Illinois State, who has improved the most, and what to expect from a host of additions to the team
13 coaching staff
Assistant AD/Media Relations:............Todd Kober Baseball Contact:.......................... Kevin McCarty Office Phone:............................309.438.3249 Cell Phone:................................316.200.5516 E-mail:............................ kwmccar@ilstu.edu Office Fax:...........................................309.438.5634 Web site:...................................... GoRedbirds.com
Meet the men charged with guiding the Redbirds during the 2009 season
28 opponents
A glance at every opponent on the Redbirds’ schedule and Illinois State’s travel arrangements
30 2008 review
A look back at the 2008 Illinois State baseball campaign
33 records and history
The 2009 Illinois State baseball media guide was designed, written and edited by Kevin McCarty, graduate assistant for Illinois State Athletics Media Relations. Editorial assistance was provided by Todd Kober, assistant athletics director/media relations; assistant media relations directors Jimmy Knodel and Keith Trivitt; and athletics media relations graduate assistant Jill Speer. Cover design by Shawn Billo. Photography courtesy of Dennis Banks, Major League Baseball and its affiliates. Special thanks to Roger Cushman and Tom Lamonica, former Illinois State sports information directors, for their special collaboration, and to all former Redbird baseball media contacts. Printing services provided by Multi-Ad.
Discover Illinois State’s rich baseball history
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Table of Contents
Head Coach:....................................Jim Brownlee Alma Mater:................................ Illinois State, 1970 Record at Illinois State:...............132-185 (6 years) Career Record:......................833-794-5 (29 years) Associate Head Coach:.................Mark Kingston Alma Mater:.......................... North Carolina, 1995 Assistant Coach:................................Mike Current Alma Mater:...................................Blackburn, 2005 Athletic Trainer............................ Satoshi Kajiyama
40 :: The Illinois State baseball team earns its first official victory, a 13-9 decision over Illinois Wesleyan in 1890. The Redbirds ended the season with a perfect 2-0 mark after
topping Illinois Wesleyan, 11-4, in their only other contest that season.
1
MEDIA INFORMATION Athletics Media Relations
The Illinois State Athletics Media Relations Office is located on the second level of Horton Field House, Room 203. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Game-Day Services
Media personnel covering Illinois State baseball at Duffy Bass Field are provided game programs, media guides, pre and postgame notes and statistics. Complete scoring summaries and final box scores are distributed to each assigned location in the press box and during postgame interview sessions with coaches and players. Fax service is available with prior notice. Kevin McCarty (Baseball Contact/Media Relations GA)..........309.438.3249 McCarty’s Cell.................................................................................316.200.5516 McCarty’s E-mail....................................................................kmccar@ilstu.edu Baseball Office................................................................................309.438.3633 Head Coach Jim Brownlee...........................................................309.438.5151 Associate Head Coach Mark Kingston........................................309.438.5709 Assistant Coach Mike Current.......................................................309.438.3338 Media Relations Fax........................................................................309.438.5634
Interview Policy
Media Information
Credentials can be obtained by contacting Kevin McCarty of the Athletics Media Relations Office by phone, mail or e-mail. Requests must be made three days prior to the game, and passes that are not mailed out will be available at the Duffy Bass Field press box on game day.
Visiting Radio
The official radio station of the visiting team is offered origination space. The phone lines are available at no charge; however, the station should contact Kevin McCarty of the Athletics Media Relations Office at least one week prior to the day of broadcast to make arrangements.
Professional Scouts
Important Numbers
2
Media Credentials
All interviews should be arranged through the Illinois State Athletics Media Relations Office. Players and coaches will be available for interviews throughout the week and at the conclusion of all games. In most situations, the most convenient opportunity for media interviews is following the team practice sessions. If this is not a convenient time for the media, return telephone calls from the student-athletes to the media will be arranged. Interviews on game days will be held approximately 10 minutes after the last game. There will be no interviews between games of doubleheaders.
Professional scouts should contact Kevin McCarty in the Athletics Media Relations Office to obtain a credential for scouting purposes. The scouts will only be allowed in the press box prior to the game to collect game releases and statistical information.
E-mail Services
Press releases, game notes and advisories are e-mailed to members of the media who cover the Redbirds on a regular basis. Media wishing to be added to the list should contact Kevin McCarty at kwmccar@ilstu.edu.
Redbirds on the radio
WJBC is the home for Illinois State athletics and Redbird baseball. Selected Illinois State games can be heard live on the radio at AM 1230 or on the Web at WJBC.com and GoRedbirds.com
Visit GoRedbirds.com
All Redbird baseball information is available to the media on the internet at GoRedbirds.com, the official Web site for the Illinois State Athletics Department. Live and on-demand feeds of head coach Jim Brownlee’s press conferences, along with home game video feeds are available for a monthly fee. In addition, statistics, game notes (.pdf) and media releases are all available on the Web for no charge.
Redbird Baseball Media Outlets Print Associated Press Baseball America Chicago Tribune Chicago Sun-Times Daily Vidette Peoria Journal-Star Collegiate Baseball National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Phone Fax 212.621.1630 919.682.9635 919.682.2880 312.222.3473 312.828.9392 312.321.2635 312.321.2833 309.438.2883 309.438.5211 309.686.3214 309.686.3205 520.623.4530 520.624.5501 312.553.0483 520.624.5501
Contact/Beat Dennis Waszak Jr. Aaron Fitt Neal Milbert Jim O’Donnell Tony Andraki/Scott Gleeson Greg Stewart Lou Pavlovich Russell Anderson
Rivals.com College Baseball The Normalite The Pantagraph USA Today Sports Weekly
Address 450 W. 33rd Street, 14th Floor - Sports, New York, NY 10001 P.O. Box 2089, Durham, NC 27702 435 N. Michigan, Chicago, IL 60611 401 N. Wabash, Chicago, IL 61611 Campus Box 0890, Normal, IL 61790 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643 P.O. Box 50566, Tuscon, AZ 85703 c/o Conference USA 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 350, Chicago, IL 60601 10 Cadillac Drive, Suite 400, Brentwood, TN 37027 102 Parkinson, Normal, IL 61761 301 W. Washington, Bloomington, IL 61701 P.O. Box 39838, Miami Beach, FL 33139
615.750.3834 309.454.5476 309.829.9411 305.604.3211
Kendall Rogers Ed Pyne Randy Reinhardt Dana Heiss Grodin
Radio WJBC-AM (Flagship) WGLT-FM WZND
Address 236 Greenwood Ave., Bloomington, IL 61702 Campus Box 8910, Normal, IL 61790 Campus Box 4481, Normal, IL 61790
Phone Fax 309.821.1000 309.829.8071 309.438.2255 309.438.7870 309.438.5499 309.438.2652
Contact/Beat Greg Halbleib Willis Kern Deb Lesser
Television WMBD (CBS-31) WEEK (NBC-25) WHOI (ABC-19) WAND WCIA WICD WICS TV-10 News
Address 3131 N. University, Peoria, IL 61604 2907 Springfield Road, E. Peoria, IL 61611 500 N. Stewart, Creve Coeur, IL 61611 904 Southside St., Decatur, IL 62521 509 S. Neil, Champaign, IL 61820 250 Country Fair Drive, Champaign, IL 61821 2680 E. Cook, Springfield, IL 62703 Campus Box 4450, Normal, IL 61790
Phone Fax 309.686.9461 309.686.8658 309.698.3729 309.698.2070 309.698.1956 309.698.1910 217.424.2500 217.424.2583 217.356.8333 217.373.3663 217.351.8538 217.351.6134 217.753.5614 217.753.5681 309.438.5481 309.438.2652
Contact/Beat Kurt Pegler Lee Hall Jim Mattson Brian Jodice Adam Mikulich Steve Breitwieser Bryan Boes Laura Trendle-Polus
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
615.507.1005 309.829.7000 786.513.2612
39 :: Kevin Tokarski shattered the Illinois State single-season record for steals with 32 during the 2008 season. In addition to topping the old mark of 27 set by Brian House in 1981,
Tokarski hit .303 and scored 46 runs to become the third Redbird to be named a Freshman All-American.
SUPPORT STAFF
TRACIE BROWN Director of Special Events
Chris Carter Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach
Paul crawford Facilities Crew
Matt Harbeck Assistant Equipment Manager
Satoshi Kajiyama Baseball Athletic Trainer
Willis Kern Public Address
Lance Lippert Public Address
Kevin McCarty Baseball Contact Media Relations
James McDermott Facilities Crew
John Munn Head Athletic Trainer
eric naas Facilities Crew
Mark Newton Assistant Director Marketing and Promotions
Laurie Retzer Baseball Secretary
BrIce richards Facilities Crew
Tim Schlosser Academic Assistance
Keith Smith Director of Operations
Adam Southwick Facilities Crew
Tessi Taylor Assistant Coordinator Compliance
Dave Willert Facilities Crew
Sherry west Director of Events and Game Operations
Media Information
RAY Brown Athletic Turf Specialist
3
mike stalowy top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
38 :: Illinois State graduate James “Pim� Goff set a national strikeout record in 1937 by fanning 14-consecutive batters while pitching for Springfield in the National Semi-Pro
Tournament in Denver, Colo. Goff finished the game with 22 strikeouts.
Dr. Al Bowman University President
C. Alvin Bowman became Illinois State University’s 17th president March 1, 2004, after serving one year as interim president. Bowman received a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology from Augustana College and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Eastern Illinois University. He chose the University of IllinoisUrbana for his graduate work, completing a Ph.D. in speech and hearing science. Bowman was a staff speech pathologist at Veterans Administration Hospital in Danville prior to joining Illinois State in 1978 as a faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. He was appointed chairperson of the department in 1994 and held the position for eight years, while also serving as director of the Down Syndrome Speech-Language Clinic and continuing to teach a course each semester. Under Bowman’s leadership, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, now the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was awarded accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, faculty and staff scholarly productivity doubled and the master’s program rose in prestige to its current ranking as No. 1 in Illinois. A doctoral program in audiology was added to the
Illinois State University
4
“
program during Bowman’s presidency, one of only five in the State of Illinois. In 2007, Bowman was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. In the 2002-03 academic year, Bowman left the chair’s position to serve as Illinois State’s interim provost. He served as interim president of Illinois State from June 2003 until he was named president in March 2004. After being named president, Bowman instituted a salary enhancement plan in September 2005 to close the gap with peer institution salaries in order to recruit and retain high quality faculty and staff at Illinois State University. More than $2 million has gone into that initiative, even though Illinois State has seen a major downward shift in state appropriations for higher education. Bowman also pursued funding for the renovation of the now 50-year-old Schroeder Hall, a $17.5 million project that was completed in January 2005. He was instrumental in completing Illinois State University’s first comprehensive campaign, Redefining “normal,” which raised more than $96 million to enhance Illinois State’s position in higher education. In 2007, Bowman was instrumental in gaining approval for a new $49.1 million Student Fitness and Kinesiology and Recreation Center that will open in 2010. An avid outdoorsman, Bowman enjoys mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, and runs five miles daily. His wife, Linda (Althoff), completed undergraduate and master’s degrees at Illinois State. She is the graduate program advisor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Their daughter Natalie is a student in the University Laboratory Schools, and daughter Laura is a student at Illinois State.
I’ve been involved off and on with Illinois State Athletics since 1963, and this is the best time to be a Redbird. What Dr. Bowman and Dr. Zenger have done in this day and age is fantastic - the new baseball stadium, new tennis facility and new golf practice facility, are testaments to the Redbird Renaissance. There’s no better place athletically right now because of their leadership than Illinois State.
”
- ISU head coach Jim Brownlee
Dr. Sheahon Zenger Director of Athletics
The Dr. Sheahon Zenger (pronounced SHAY-on) era will be remembered as a renaissance era for Illinois State Athletics. Positive change has swept across the department, as Zenger enters his fourth year as the Illinois State Director of Athletics. Fundraising is on the rise, with a 65-percent growth in Redbird Club memberships and more than $560,000 raised in new revenue annually since his arrival. Capital projects are also booming, as progress has been made on each of the projects mentioned in the Redbird Renaissance, a vision for Redbird Athletics that was materialized by Zenger prior to his second year at ISU. With experiences as a teacher, coach, fundraiser and administrator, Zenger brought a plan to Illinois State, and with the help of the head coaches and administrative staff, personalized that strategic plan for Redbird Athletics. As a result, the athletics department has seen record-high gradepoint averages (GPA) in each of the last two years, including a school-best, department-wide 3.05 GPA in fall 2007. ISU student-athletes have also contributed more than 2,000 hours of community service in each of the last three years. The final rebirth of ISU Athletics occurred in May 2008, when the Redbirds were deemed the Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Champions, an honor that Illinois State hasn’t held since 2000-01 Since Zenger’s arrival at ISU, the department secured a five-year contract with Nike, the world’s leading supplier in athletic apparel and equipment, and has been bombarding the Central Illinois region with a campaign centered on the award-winning marketing campaign “Spread the Red.” Zenger has also witnessed record-setting attendance figures in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, while having eight Redbird teams advance to postseason play. From 2002-05, prior to joining Illinois State, Zenger was the associate athletics director for development at Kansas State, where he directed the implementation of “Plan 2000,” which enticed 2,500 new donors and $1.2 million in annual giving for Wildcat athletics. Zenger helped KSU initiate important development strategies as assistant
athletics director for major gifts in 2001-02. He accepted that post after a year in the KSU College of Business, raising more than $2 million and restructuring its development program with research and planning. All that administrative and fund-raising experience came as an outgrowth of his passion for coaching – his career goal starting at age 9. Zenger’s football coaching career began in 1987 at Manhattan (Kan.) High School, a few months before he received his bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from Kansas State. Zenger’s first college football coaching job came the following year at Drake, before he returned to his alma mater in 1989. At age 23, Zenger was one of the nation’s youngest full-time football staff members when he started at Kansas State, serving on head coach Bill Snyder’s staff in key roles as assistant recruiting coordinator and director of football operations. Zenger completed his master’s degree in journalism and mass communication (1992) while helping Snyder transform a Wildcat football program that had struggled for decades, into one of college football’s elite. That football success served as a foundation for Kansas State’s rise to Big 12 Conference prominence across the board. From 1993-95, Zenger served the coaching profession as editor of American Football Quarterly, a magazine for coaches. As he completed his studies for a Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership at Kansas (1996), he contributed communications and special projects support to the office of the executive vice-chancellor, while strengthening his understanding of university leadership at the highest levels. After earning his doctorate, Zenger’s next challenge was as recruiting coordinator for the brand new NCAA Division I football program at the University of South Florida in 1996. A year later, he moved to the University of Wyoming football staff as recruiting coordinator and rose to assistant head coach by 1998. A published author and researcher, Zenger is actively involved with the NCAA Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. He is also a member of many professional and university organizations, including the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the National Association of Athletic Development Directors, that American Football Coaches Association and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. The Hays, Kan., native is married to the former Pam McAnarney. The couple has three children: Luke, Abby and Jake.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
37 :: Former Illinois State University president Gene Budig became president of the American League in 1994. He held the position for seven seasons until 2002, when the
commissioner of Major League Baseball took over the administrative responsibility for the American and National Leagues.
Illinois State University Board of Trustees
Jay bergman
Anne Davis
Bob DobskI
Betty Kinser
Joanne E. Maitland
MICHAEL MCCUSKY Board Chair
Geno bagnuolo Student Trustee
Illinois State University Athletics administration
Doug Banks Assistant AD Development
Leanna Bordner Senior Associate AD SWA
Rohrk cutchlow Assistant AD Sport Performance
Aaron LeEtch Senior Associate AD External Affairs
Peyton Deterding Assistant AD Facilities & Operations
Jane FUlton Associate AD Academics & Life Skills
Bethany foss Assistant AD Ticket Operations
Cindy Harris Associate AD Compliance
Todd Kober Assistant AD Media Relations
Brad Ledford Assistant AD Marketing & Promotions
Illinois State University
Larry Lyons Executive Associate AD
2008 MVC All-Sports Champions
5
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
36 :: Illinois State hit seven home runs in a single game en route to a 15-3 beating of Valparaiso at the 1988 Gulf Coast Classic. Ray Ledinksky hit a solo home run and a grand
slam, and the Redbirds added homers by David Wyss, Don Prybylinksi, Mike Piotrowski, Mike Huber and Mark Ringering.
Illinois State University Illinois State Academics Teaching is at the root of Illinois State’s heritage and that tradition grows through the efforts of the outstanding faculty in all six of Illinois State’s colleges. More than 92 percent of Illinois State’s classes are taught by full-time faculty, most of whom have the highest degree in their academic area. The College of Arts & Sciences • The Illinois State forensics team won the 2005 American Forensics Association National Championship. • The department of economics was recently ranked fifth in the nation for teacher quality and productivity. • Faculty and students in the department of philosophy are engaged in research on artificial intelligence that seeks to answer questions about how close robots can come to approximating the human mind.
Illinois State University
The College of Business • In a 21st Century version of the Oxford College model, the College of Business opened its new facility in 2004, which blends the small college campus environment with a corporate presence and state-of-the-art technologies. • The new McLean County Small Business Development Center, located in the College of Business, provides assistance with business strategies, finances, marketing and training to Central Illinois businesses. • AACSB – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has accredited both undergraduate and graduate programs in business and accounting at Illinois State. The College of Education • More Illinois State graduates teach in our nation’s schools than graduates of any other institution. • With Metcalf Lab School and University High School, aspiring teachers get practical experience on campus prior to student teaching. • Illinois State is one of the nation’s most respected special education teaching programs. The College of Fine Arts • Award-winning actors John Malkovich and Sean Hayes both attended Illinois State. • The $20 million Center for the Performing Arts includes an 830-seat concert hall and a 450-seat proscenium theater to showcase student and faculty talent. • School of Art photography faculty member Jin Lee was awarded the first Guggenheim Fellowship in fine arts at Illinois State.
Mennonite College of Nursing • The college maintains a 100 percent placement rate for graduates within three months of graduation. • Graduates consistently pass the RN licensure exam at rates above both state and national averages. • Students in the Family Nurse Practitioner graduate sequence have a 99-percent pass rate on the American Nurses Credentialing Center national certification exam -- 19 percent higher than the national average. The College of Applied Science & Technology • Students in the apparel merchandising and design, and interior design programs, went behind the scenes at some of the world’s leading design establishments during a 2004 trip to London and Paris. • Astronaut Sally Ride, former surgeon general Jocelyn Elders and Bill Nye, the science guy, have all appeared at the college’s annual Science and Technology Week activities. • Alumnus Jeff Friday is the head strength and conditioning coach for the Super Bowl XXXV Champion Baltimore Ravens. Building Better Excuse our dust, but, these days, only Illinois State’s reputation for a quality education seems to be growing as fast as its campus. The new Performing Arts Center, the Kaufman Football Building, the Owen Strength and Conditioning Center, the College of Business Building and the remodeling of Schroeder Hall are modernizing the campus, while merging the rich tradition and architecture of older structures with today’s need for hightech education. New projects that will begin, or continue, in 2008 include the Redbird baseball stadium, the remodeling of university residence halls and the construction of a new student recreation facility. Safe on Campus The Student Guide to Personal Safety rated Bloomington-Normal one of the safest college towns in the Midwest. Students can get around conveniently and safely with “Nite Ride” on campus, plus the Bloomington-Normal transit system is available to reach any location in the Twin Cities.
Bloomington-Normal
6
Bloomington-Normal, often referred to as the Twin Cities, is located in the heart of Illinois. Located approximately 130 miles from Chicago, 165 from St. Louis, 175 from Minneapolis and 210 miles from Milwaukee. With Interstates 39, 55 and 74, and Illinois Route 9 intersecting in the Twin Cities, it’s possible to get to several metropolitan areas in around two hours. If you don’t feel like driving, an Amtrak passenger station sits two blocks off campus behind Watterson Towers, giving students an affordable travel option, and the newly renovated Central Illinois Regional Airport offers multiple airlines of service for the community. Additionally, the new terminal offers five rental car services, retail shops and free parking for passengers. While getting away to a Cubs, White Sox or Cardinals game, or for a day trip to hang out on Michigan Avenue is easy to do - it’s not necessary to leave the Twin Cities for a great time. With approximately 120,000 residents in BloomingtonNormal, visitors have big city amenities available to them while keeping a smalltown atmosphere intact.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
35 :: The Redbirds defeat Bucknell, 13-6, in Bradenton, Fla., for the 1,500th win in school history during the 2008 season. Kevin Dubler, Mike Stalowy, Ronnie Calvird and Kevin
Konsler led the Illinois State attack with two hits apiece as Tyler Cox earned the win on the mound.
Academic Assistance
- 18 Bone Scholars (ISU’s top academic scholarship on campus) - 39 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America honors - More than 2,000 hours of student-athlete community service annually - Departmental record GPA in fall 2007 semester (3.05 cumulative)
Bloomington’s US Cellular Coliseum brings in shows and acts throughout the year including 3 Doors Down, Seether, Hoobastank, Doobie Brothers, Alan Jackson, Stone Temple Pilots, OAR, Kid Rock, Bob Dylan, John Maier, and Toby Keith, just to name a few. The Coliseum is also home to the Bloomington PrairieThunder hockey team and the Bloomington Extreme indoor football team. Uptown Normal, the entertainment district adjacent to campus, is currently undergoing an expansion project that includes a hotel and convention center, more shops and restaurants. If it’s food you want, Bloomington-Normal probably has it - with hundreds of restaurants across town and around campus. The Pub II Sports Bar is a Illinois State classic located in Uptown Normal, along with fine dining establishments like Medici, and great pizza at Michaeleo’s. Expansion Management magazine has rated Bloomington-Normal as one of 72 metro areas with a five-star quality of life, giving the community high rankings in areas such as standard of living, quality of schools, and traffic and commute. Bloomington-Normal is home to the State Farm and Country Financial national headquarters’, as well as a Mitsubishi plant, among other industries. Forbes magazine ranked the Twin Cities No. 15 for small business in 2004.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
34 :: Kevin Dubler broke the single-season doubles record with 23 in 2008. Dubler was drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago White Sox and was a finalist for the Johnny
Bench Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate catcher.
Illinois State University
Illinois State student-athletes are provided with some of the finest academic services and tutoring opportunities in the country. Under the guidance of Associate Athletics Director Jane Fulton and her Redbird academic support services staff, the Illinois State Athletics Academic Advisement staff help student-athletes balance the demands they face athletically, academically, socially and personally. Redbird student-athletes are known throughout the Missouri Valley Conference for their tremendous dedication to academics. A brief look at ISU student-athletes’ recent accomplishments confirms this commonlyheld belief by league members:
7
Duffy Bass Field
Illinois State University
Traffic along Gregory Street in Normal is moving a little slower these days as pedestrians and vehicular passerby can’t help but glimpse at the new stadium surrounding Duffy Bass Field. Along with the usual dust and noise, a cloud of excitement and amazement hung over the eye-catching project from start to finish. The beautiful, award-winning playing surface is now encompassed by an equally exceptional facility built with fans, players and members of the media in mind. Illinois State committed more than $3 million to the project, which included a gated baseball complex with seating for over 1,000 spectators, restrooms, concessions, team dugouts and a state-of-theart press box, among other amenities. Coupled with the scenic view of campus and Illinois State’s other athletic facilities, and a top-notch playing surface, the stadium at Duffy Bass Field embodies the commitment to excellence of both the Redbird baseball program and the Illinois State Athletics Department. Duffy Bass Field is continually recognized as one of the top playing surfaces in college baseball, most recently by being awarded the “Honor Award” by the Professional Grounds Management Society in 2003 - the same award it won in 1992. From the lush grass infield and outfield, to the well-manicured baselines, batter’s boxes and pitchers mound, Duffy Bass Field benefits from being expertly designed and professionally maintained, as facilities and turf specialists work closely with the coaching staff. Moved to its present location in 1988, Duffy Bass Field is located in the northwest corner of the athletics complex and plays 330 feet down the lines, 375 feet in the power alleys, and 400 feet in center field. In addition to two on-site batting cages, the Redbird baseball program has access to four indoor batting cages in spacious Horton Field House. Illinois State’s locker rooms, which received a face lift in the offseason, athletic training rooms and coaches offices are also housed in Horton. When weather does not cooperate, Hancock Stadium’s FieldTurf surface is also available for practice and training. Browning Day Mullins Dierdorff Architects (BDMD) designed the new stadium and McCoy Construction completed the project.
Strength and conditioning
8
The goal of Redbird strength and conditioning is simple: get student-athletes from all sports physically prepared for peak performance. The journey for each student-athlete is much more specialized however, as assistant athletics director for sport performance, Rohrk Cutchlow, and his staff design specific programs to help address individual needs. With proven methods and exciting new resources available, Redbird strength and conditioning is committed maximizing student-athletes’ potential through several avenues. Redbird strength and conditioning coaches create individualized programs to enhance physical preparation of student-athletes in all 19 sports with sportspecific, position-specific plans focused on individual needs. The staff develops and fosters an energetic atmosphere in which all student-athletes can strive to meet goals to enhance individual performance and contribute to team championships, like during the 2007-08 season, when the staff helped the program capture the Missoui Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
33 :: Eric Eckenstahler was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 2000 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, ending his tenure at Illinois State as the career leader with
313 strikeouts. Eckenstahler fanned 103 batters in 2000 and 96 in 1997.
Illinois State University
Illinois State student-athletes train in the high tech, 9,200-square-foot Richard and Fran Owen Strength and Conditioning Center. All of Illinois State’s highly trained strength and conditioning coaches maintain high standards of accountability, responsibility and intensity during training. The 2009 baseball team will work directly with Chris Carter, an Illinois State alumnus and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, but will also receive direction from Cutchlow, who has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to be a collegiate baseball player having played himself at the University of Memphis. “Rohrk brings an attitude, a dedication and what we call ‘the slight edge’ to this department that rivals any program I’ve ever been associated with,” said ISU Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger in an interview with the Pantagraph. “I don’t know if I can fully communicate how valuable Rohrk and his staff are to the success of this department.”
Community service Illinois State baseball student-athletes do a lot more than win games and earn degrees. They also play an active role in the community. Last year, nearly 80 percent of Illinois State student-athletes participated in communityservice projects. Illinois State baseball players are a large part of this group, helping the community through numerous organizations. The team partners with the American Red Cross to hold an annual blood drive each fall, organized by players and coaches.
2,195 Hours served
I llinois State student-athletes contributed more than 2,195 community-service hours in 2007-08, up from the 2,189 contributed during the 2006-07 school year. Redbird studentathletes have contributed more than 2,000 hours of service in each of the past three years.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
32 :: Irish O’Reilly threw a no-hitter against crosstown-rival Illinois Wesleyan, but allowed a run in a 2-1 Redbird win over the Titans in 1966. O’Reilly spent three seasons playing in
the Boston Red Sox organization but went on to coach for 38 seasons at the college, junior college and high school levels, where he amassed a 1,246-916-8 (.576) record.
9
Nine Innings With Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee
Season Outlook
1 Looking back at 2008
Last year’s team seemed to struggle defensively and committed 89 errors with a number of new faces playing new positions. How much did Collin Salzenstein and Tyler McNeely’s shoulder injuries affect the team? “You don’t know how much you miss a guy until he’s not there. I thought we were going to be very good defensively up the middle but we had to move Kevin Tokarski to shortstop (when Collin Salzenstein was injured). If we would have had those two in the middle, we would have had some maneuverability there, and I don’t think our left side would have been so vulnerable. Injuries played a factor there and it steam rolls on you. We didn’t play very good defense and that was tough. I think that will be a cornerstone for us this year – that we’ll play good defense on the infield and the in outfield. “When Collin went down, we had no maneuverability and that was the hand we were dealt. That made it a difficult situation for us. I thought we pitched okay and gave ourselves a chance, but you can’t make that many errors at this level and give teams four and five outs an inning and that happened too many times. “We haven’t really been very lucky, so we’re due to have a healthy year. You have to deal with that – injuries are part of the game. You can’t do anything about it; just have to hope somebody steps up. We were thin in the infield and outfield last year and we lost two guys in both those spots. It made it tough.” Ryan Copeland looked great at times last year and had a pretty solid season despite a deceiving 4-7 record. How frustrating was it watching a guy lead the nation in walks allowed, but receive little run support? “Sometimes, when a team knows a guy is going to go out and pitch like that, there’s no urgency in the batter’s box, and that seemed to be the case. He was also facing the No. 1 guy each weekend for the other team and that had a lot to do with it. “He had a great year for us and really didn’t have anything to show for it. It was probably one of the best pitching performances I’ve seen in my career as far as the number of walks allowed. Ryan is just a battler; he’s really a pitcher. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but he can throw all three of his pitches for strikes, and he’s a student of the game.”
2 The Roster
Who are some of the returning players and newcomers that you’ll need to contribute in order to have a successful campaign this year? Is there a player that’s vastly improved from last season? “We’ve talked about Collin coming back from his injury. He had a great fall and brings experience and great intangibles. Mike Stalowy has been one of my favorite guys in my years of coaching and I think he’s going to have a breakout year. He really is getting it offensively. He’s been a great guy for us in terms of on-base percentage. He finds a way to get things done and I think he’s really figured it out offensively. Kevin Tokarski and Corey Maines are also back after helping us out as freshman and their class along with last year’s sophomore class should fit well with the guys we’re bringing in next year and we’ve got a lot of things going in the right direction. “Ryan Camp had about as good of fall as any freshman. The two catchers – Landinn Eckhardt and Matt Mirabal – stood out. Kevin Dubler was awful good for us for three years and settled in back there and called the game, but I’m very impressed with the two freshman, plus (converted catcher) Gabe DeMarco, and how they’ll fill that void. We probably made a mistake with Gabe and didn’t convert him a year earlier. It looks like he’s going to get some playing time there as well as DH. Gabe’s been in the program for a while and knows what to expect. “Jake Thornton is a guy that has a chance to start and has made good strides and Mark Menaker is a guy who’s steady with the bat and awful steady in the field. The problem with Mark right now is the amount of middle infielders we’ve got. One guy, I haven’t mentioned yet is Ryan Court, who probably had as good of fall as anybody and has established himself as the third-baseman going in right now. If he
10
can play and not get caught up in the game, he has really good ability. By far, he’s the most improved. He’s really worked and hard work is rewarded. We redshirted him as a freshman and he didn’t get much playing time, but he has really worked himself into an everyday Division I player.”
3 The Schedule
This year’s schedule features the trip to Minneapolis for the Golden Gopher Tournament and the trip to San Antonio for the Notre Dame Tournament, but it’s also highlighted by a lot of quality regional match-ups. Is that on purpose? “You make the schedules three years out so you don’t know who’s going to be good and who’s not going to be good. You can’t predict what’s going to happen with certain programs, but you try to schedule to make it competitive enough to get you ready to play in the Valley. “I think our preseason does that. Then when you enter the Valley schedule, we’re very fortunate with the amount of Division I schools in the state of Illinois that we don’t have to travel a lot mid-week to get those games in. Those are all competitive games because those guys are good coaches and have good programs. I’ve always tried to play as competitive of a schedule as we can so if we get to that area where we’re on the bubble, you’re going to be considered by the NCAA committee.”
4 Pitching
What’s the bullpen and starting rotation look like heading into the spring? “Kyle Nelson pitched on one leg last year (knee issues) and now he’s healthy. He’s got one of the best curveballs that I’ve ever coached. He’s a guy that can shut hitters down. Another guy that’s been a very pleasant surprise is Kenny Long. He had a great fall for us it will be nice having both of those guys at the end of a game. Two years ago, Jim Sajewich flourished in that role in the seventh inning and was able to throw three times a weekend. Jake Wielebnicki is another guy that I’m excited about. He came here with a bad shoulder and now he’s getting into the flow of things. I think the back end of our bullpen is really going to surprise some people and give us a chance on the weekend. “You look at the starters with Copeland, Maines, Camp, Quinn Ewert and Ben Hays, another guy that’s not been healthy and he’s getting there – I like our staff a lot. Then you throw Evan Kohli in there as a guy that can get lefties out and will help us out a lot mid-week and our staff is pretty solid. For us to have a great year, some of those guys really have to step up to the next level, to the level where Ryan Copeland is. We threw a lot of guys to the wolves last year and got a lot of innings from guys. That should pay off this year down the stretch. You talked about Kyle Nelson’s curve ball a bit - it looks like Corey Maines picked up a slider over the summer and had success with it in the fall. What’s the best pitch in the team’s arsenal? “A strike. You win with your fastball. You’ve got to be able to spot the fastball and everything builds from that. If you’ve got a good change-up then it sets your fastball up. For me, the third pitch is the curveball. Corey Maines developed the slider last summer, but the one thing that I noticed in him in the fall is that he’s developed a lot more confidence on the mound and I think he believes in himself.”
5 offense
Who are some players that you expect to make a jump this season with their batting average and which players have the most power potential? “I think Mike Stalowy has a chance to really move it up based on the fall and guys maturing and going out in the summer and coming back. Kevin Tokarski didn’t play in the fall because of an injury, but he and Salzenstein will bat up at the front of the order. My stat is on-base percentage and I think those guys will set the table
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
31 :: Ryan Duncheon set the single-season career home run record after clubbing his 23rd of the 1999 season. Duncheon ended his career with several Redbird records
including the single-season mark for walks (52), and career marks in home runs (58), on-base percentage (.474), walks (141), doubles (59), and runs batted in (210).
for Kohli, DeMarco and Maines to drive in some runs. We’re going to be a pretty good offensive team one through nine. I don’t think we’re going to have any easy outs. We’re going to be able to bat some guys in the seven, eight and nine holes that are really going to help us. “Corey Maines has a lot of power. We hit more home runs this fall than I expected. I thought with losing Dubler and some of the power from last season, we weren’t going to do as well, but DeMarco, Kohli and Anthony Ruffolo have a chance to hit some home runs. Our guys are bigger and stronger right now, they’ve done a good job in the weight room. Our park is not conducive to hitting home runs in the spring because the wind blows in so much, but I really think we’re going to hit with more power than people think.”
6 defense
We talked about the defensive struggles up the middle last year and what Collin’s return might bring, but we haven’t talked about the loss of leadership and ability from a guy like Kevin Dubler behind the plate. Who will fill that void this year? “The guys we have coming back that have experience are real leaders. Stalowy, Salzenstein and Ewert – those guys have good leadership qualities. In our catching situation, it’s going to take a while for our freshmen to develop. The game goes so fast but I think the preseason will be good for them and they’ll be OK by the time we get to the conference. “Nothing against Kevin Dubler, but the two freshmen throw better than he did – he was an offensive catcher. Matt Mirabal throws as good as anybody I’ve ever been around. Landinn is a presidential scholar and a very cerebral guy back there. Gabe has not caught before but he’s picked it up very well and he’s going to press those guys because he’s the best offensive guy out of the three right now. If you could put all three of those guys together, we’d have one great catcher, but he wouldn’t be here because he’d be playing in the big leagues.”
7 new stadium
It’s been a long time coming, but the new stadium opens this spring. What kind of feelings do you have seeing this project finally done? “Being an alumnus of Illinois State, I never got very far away from it. They had plans 20 years ago to build that thing and they’ve been talking about it since. That was one of the reasons that I came back – the hope that we could get it built and I could help do that. I feel very proud that we’re finally going to open it up this spring. I think people will go ‘wow.’ Dreams do come true and it’s the dream of a lot of baseball people. It’ll be very well received in the community and will certainly bode well in recruiting and help put Illinois State where it should be in the Valley.”
What can we expect to see from the Redbirds this season in terms of how you’re going to try to play each game on offense and with the pitching staff? “We try to build to our ballpark with pitching and defense. I think we’ve got some very team speed. We had a good fall offensively. We’re going to be able to steal some bases. We’ll play small ball, we like to run, we’re going to hit and run. We’re not going to play for the big inning and lay back. We’ll put a lot of emphasis on pitching and defense – to not make mistakes. That certainly wasn’t our MO last year, we made too many errors. Every year you try to center everything around pitching and defense because that’s something you know can be constant. You don’t always know about the offense. “I think we’ll play the right way. We’ve got some guys that can bunt. Coach Kingston has really brought a good offensive philosophy and I think he’s done a great job with our hitters. We’re going to be competitive in the Valley offensively. “In 30 years I haven’t found a defense for the base on balls so you try to throw strikes and hope they catch it. You have a hard time getting in the game if you can’t throw strikes and be able to command both the inside and outside half of the plate. I think in college baseball, a lot of times pitchers are afraid to go inside because of the aluminum bat. You’ll see the teams that are successful command the inside half of the plate. Even in the big leagues now, 80 percent of the time guys are hanging on the outside half of the plate, but the guys who are really successful and Cy Young Award winners pound the inside half of the plate. That’s the philosophy we have. You pitch inside to win and outside to lose. “I think we have the arms to do that. We have some power arms and we have some control guys – we have a nice mixture of left- and right-handed pitchers. I think we will be able to throw strikes and get after it.”
9 last trip around the bases
You have announced that you’re retiring after this season and associate head coach Mark Kingston will take over the program. What are your goals for the final season? “My goal is to set the tone in the new stadium. To me it’s a new era for Illinois State baseball. I feel very fortunate that I’m going to get to coach in it because I think things are going to change here. I think the attitude of our players here is changing already. I see that every day when they come to work and they think, ‘hey, the administration cares about baseball now and they built that stadium.’ I think we’ll see a different attitude in our fans. I want to be a part of beginning something with a new tradition in that stadium and I think it will. My goal is to set the tone, that we have a winning season, and we play the game right and we sustain it all the way through the first of June. My goal is to play good, solid baseball, to work hard every day and put a stamp on the program, that with the recruiting class that Coach Kingston has coming in, that we’re going to go up to the next level.”
February 20 at Belmont 21 at Belmont - DH 22 at Belmont 27 at Murray State 28 at Murray State - DH
Nashville, Tenn. Nashville, Tenn Nashville, Tenn. Murray, Ky. Murray, Ky.
MARCH 1 at Murray State Murray, Ky. noon 6 vs. Minnesota# Minneapolis, Minn. 6:35 p.m. 7 vs. South Dakota State# Minneapolis, Minn. 1 p.m. 8 vs. Western Michigan# Minneapolis, Minn. 11 a.m. 10 at Texas-San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 6 p.m. 11 vs. Trinity (Texas)^ San Antonio, Texas 6 p.m. 12 vs. Notre Dame^ San Antonio, Texas 3 p.m. 13 vs. Texas-Pan American^ San Antonio, Texas noon 14 vs. Texas-Pan American^ San Antonio, Texas 4 p.m. 20 EVANSVILLE* Normal, Ill. 3 p.m. 21 EVANSVILLE* Normal, Ill. 2 p.m. 22 EVANSVILLE* Normal, Ill. 1 p.m. 25 at Eastern Illinois Charleston, Ill. 3 p.m. 27 INDIANA STATE* Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 28 INDIANA STATE* Normal, Ill. 2 p.m. 29 INDIANA STATE* Normal, Ill. 1 p.m. 31 ILLINOIS Normal, Ill. 4 p.m. APRIL 1 IOWA Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 3 at Wichita State* Wichita, Kan. 7 p.m. 4 at Wichita State* Wichita, Kan. 2 p.m. 5 at Wichita State* Wichita, Kan. 1 p.m. 7 NORTHERN ILLINOIS Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 8 at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. 4 p.m. 10 MISSOURI STATE* Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 11 MISSOURI STATE* Normal, Ill. 2 p.m. 12 MISSOURI STATE* Normal, Ill. 1 p.m. 14 at Northern Illinois DeKalb, Ill. 3 p.m. 15 PURDUE Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 17 at Northern Iowa* Waterloo, Iowa 6 p.m. 18 at Northern Iowa* Waterloo, Iowa 2 p.m. 19 at Northern Iowa* Waterloo, Iowa 1 p.m. 22 NORTHWESTERN Normal, Ill. 6 p.m. 24 at Southern Illinois* Carbondale, Ill. 3 p.m. 25 at Southern Illinois* Carbondale, Ill. 2 p.m. 26 at Southern Illinois* Carbondale, Ill. 1 p.m. 28 ILLINOIS WESLEYAN Normal, Ill. 6:30 p.m. 29 WESTERN MICHIGAN Normal, Ill. 3 p.m. MAY 1 CREIGHTON* Normal, Ill. 2 CREIGHTON* Normal, Ill. 3 CREIGHTON* Normal, Ill. 8 at Bradley* Peoria, Ill. 9 at Bradley* Peoria, Ill. 10 at Bradley* Peoria, Ill. 12 Notre Dame% Joliet, Ill. 13 at Valparaiso Valparaiso, Ind. 15 SIU-Edwardsville Normal, Ill. 16 SIU-Edwardsville Normal, Ill. 17 SIU-EDWARDSVILLE Normal, Ill. 20-22 MVC Tournament$ Wichita, Kan. 29-31 NCAA Regionals JUNE 5-7 NCAA Super Regional 12-21 College World Series # ^ % $ *
6 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 6 p.m. 4 p.m. 1 p.m.
Omaha, Neb.
Golden Gopher Tournament (Metrodome - Minneapolis, Minn.) Notre Dame Tournament (San Antonio, Texas) To be played at Silver Cross Field (Joliet, Ill.) State Farm MVC Tournament (Eck Stadium - Wichita, Kan.) Missouri Valley Conference Game home games in bold caps all times central
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
3 p.m. noon 1 p.m. 2 p.m. noon
30 :: In 1933, James “Pim” Goff, the only five-letter winner in Illinois State history, achieved a never-to-be-equaled feat by winning his tennis doubles and singles matches in the
morning, pitching the baseball team to victory in the afternoon, and tossing the winning javelin throw in a track meet between innings of the baseball game.
Season Outlook
8 style of play
2009 Schedule
11
2009 Illinois State Roster
Season Outlook
NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Class Hometown/Last School 1 Landinn Eckhardt C R/R 5-9 175 Fr. St. Joseph, Mo./St. Joseph Central 2 Mike Stalowy INF R/R 6-0 195 Sr. Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic 5 Tyler McNeely OF R/R 5-11 190 R-So. Normal, Ill./University 7 Matt Werderitch RHP R/R 6-3 215 So. McHenry, Ill./McHenry 8 Justin Rahn C R/R 6-2 195 Sr. St. Louis, Mo./Meramec CC 11 Anthony Ruffolo UTIL L/R 6-2 210 Jr. Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South 14 Cole Marty OF R/R 6-1 205 R-Jr. Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg 15 Ben Hays RHP R/R 6-5 225 So. Joplin, Mo./Joplin 16 Travis Weldon UTIL L/R 6-3 180 Fr. Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley 17 Eric Mahler OF R/R 5-9 165 Sr. Schaumburg, Ill./Gadsen State CC 18 Kenny Long LHP L/L 6-0 150 R-Fr. Fox River Grove, Ill./Dundee Crown 19 Ryan Court INF R/R 6-2 210 R-So. Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Dundee-Crown 21 Ryan Copeland LHP R/L 5-10 180 Jr. Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove 22 Jason David RHP/OF R/R 6-1 195 Fr. Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley 24 Jake Thornton OF/RHP L/R 6-1 180 Fr. St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North 25 Collin Salzenstein SS/2B L/R 5-9 170 R-Sr. St. Louis, Mo./Xavier (Ohio) 26 Mark Menaker INF R/R 6-0 185 Fr. Winnetka, Ill./New Trier 27 Matt Mirabal C R/R 5-11 180 Fr. Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel 28 Mark Evans INF R/R 5-11 195 R-So. Chicago,Ill./Mt. Carmel 29 Kevin Tokarski INF/OF R/R 5-10 170 So. Downers Grove, Ill./North 30 Corey Maines RHP/OF R/R 6-1 190 So. Houston, Texas/Langham Creek 31 Ryan Camp RHP R/R 6-2 195 Fr. Mapleton, Ill./Limestone Community 33 Quinn Ewert RHP/OF R/R 6-0 179 Sr. Crystal Lake, Ill./Michigan State 35 Jim Sajewich RHP R/R 6-3 260 R-Jr. Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West 39 Stuart Sutton LHP L/L 5-11 185 Fr. Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais 40 Kyle Nelson RHP R/R 6-1 180 So. Verona, Wis./James Madison Memorial 41 Evan Kohli 1B/LHP L/L 6-3 219 Jr. Hutchinson, Minn./Madison Area TC 43 Jacob Wielebnicki RHP R/R 6-3 225 Jr. Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South 44 Gabe DeMarco C/INF R/R 5-10 180 R-Jr. Rockford, Ill./Boylan
12
Head Coach: 6 Associate Head Coach: 23 Assistant Coach: 20 Athletic Trainer: Strength Coach: Student Manager:
Jim Brownlee Mark Kingston Mike Current Satoshi Kajiyama Chris Carter Jon Dove
ALPHABETICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Class Hometown/Last School 31 Ryan Camp RHP R/R 6-2 195 Fr. Mapleton, Ill./Limestone Community 21 Ryan Copeland LHP R/L 5-10 180 Jr. Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove 19 Ryan Court INF R/R 6-2 210 R-So. Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Dundee-Crown 22 Jason David RHP/OF R/R 6-1 195 Fr. Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley 44 Gabe DeMarco C/INF R/R 5-10 180 R-Jr. Rockford, Ill./Boylan 1 Landinn Eckhardt C R/R 5-9 175 Fr. St. Joseph, Mo./St. Joseph Central 28 Mark Evans INF R/R 5-11 195 R-So. Chicago,Ill./Mt. Carmel 33 Quinn Ewert RHP/OF R/R 6-0 179 Sr. Crystal Lake, Ill./Michigan State 15 Ben Hays RHP R/R 6-5 225 So. Joplin, Mo./Joplin 41 Evan Kohli 1B/LHP L/L 6-3 219 Jr. Hutchinson, Minn./Madison Area TC 18 Kenny Long LHP L/L 6-0 150 R-Fr. Fox River Grove, Ill./Dundee Crown 17 Eric Mahler OF R/R 5-9 165 Sr. Schaumburg, Ill./Gadsen State CC 30 Corey Maines RHP/OF R/R 6-1 190 So. Houston, Texas/Langham Creek 14 Cole Marty OF R/R 6-1 205 R-Jr. Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg 5 Tyler McNeely OF R/R 5-11 190 R-So. Normal, Ill./University 26 Mark Menaker INF R/R 6-0 185 Fr. Winnetka, Ill./New Trier 27 Matt Mirabal C R/R 5-11 180 Fr. Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel 40 Kyle Nelson RHP R/R 6-1 180 So. Verona, Wis./James Madison Memorial 8 Justin Rahn C R/R 6-2 195 Sr. St. Louis, Mo./Meramec CC 11 Anthony Ruffolo UTIL L/R 6-2 210 Jr. Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South 35 Jim Sajewich RHP R/R 6-3 260 R-Jr. Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West 25 Collin Salzenstein SS/2B L/R 5-9 170 R-Sr. St. Louis, Mo./Xavier (Ohio) 2 Mike Stalowy INF R/R 6-0 195 Sr. Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic 39 Stuart Sutton LHP L/L 5-11 185 Fr. Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais 24 Jake Thornton OF/RHP L/R 6-1 180 Fr. St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North 29 Kevin Tokarski INF/OF R/R 5-10 170 So. Downers Grove, Ill./North 16 Travis Weldon UTIL L/R 6-3 180 Fr. Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley 7 Matt Werderitch RHP R/R 6-3 215 So. McHenry, Ill./McHenry 43 Jacob Wielebnicki RHP R/R 6-3 225 Jr. Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South
Roster Breakdown
Seniors:.................................................................... 5 Juniors:.................................................................... 7 Sophomores:.......................................................... 8 Freshmen:............................................................... 9 Illinois:.................................................................... 22 Minnesota:............................................................. 1 Missouri:.................................................................. 4 Texas:...................................................................... 1 Wisconsin:............................................................... 1 Left-Handed Pitchers:........................................... 4 (Ryan Copeland, Evan Kohli, Kenny Long, Stuart Sutton) Right-Handed Pitchers:....................................... 10 (Ryan Camp, Jason David, Quinn Ewert, Ben Hays, Corey Maines, Kyle Nelson, Jim Sajewich, Jake Thornton, Matt Werderitch, Jacob Wielebnicki) Infielders:................................................................ 8 (Ryan Court, Gabe DeMarco, Mark Evans, Evan Kohli, Mark Menaker, Anthony Ruffolo, Mike Stalowy, Kevin Tokarski) Outfielders:............................................................. 9 (Jason David, Quinn Ewert, Eric Mahler, Corey Maines, Cole Marty, Tyler McNeely, Jake Thornton, Kevin Tokarski, Travis Weldon) Catchers:............................................................... 4 (Gabe DeMarco, Landinn Eckhardt, Matt Mirabal, Justin Rahn) Left-Handed Hitters:.............................................. 5 (Evan Kohli, Anthony Ruffolo, Collin Salzenstein, Jake Thornton, Travis Weldon) Right-Handed Hitters:.......................................... 14 (Ryan Court, Jason David, Gabe DeMarco, Landinn Eckhardt, Mark Evans, Quinn Ewert, Eric Mahler, Corey Maines, Cole Marty, Tyler McNeely, Matt Mirabal, Justin Rahn, Mike Stalowy, Kevin Tokarski)
Pronunciations
Ewert ............................................................EE-wert Kohli ........................................................... coal-EE Mahler.........................................................MAY-ler Mirabal...............................................MEER-ah-ball Ruffolo.................................................... ROOF-o-lo Sajewich................................................ SAGE-wich Salzenstein......................................SAUL-zen-steen Stalowy..................................................STAL-o-way Tokarski.................................................. toe-KAR-ski Wielebnicki.........................................WILL-eb-nicki
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
29 :: Trailing 5-3 to Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Central Michigan in 1966, three Redbirds sent three consecutive pitches over the fence and rallied for a
10-5 win. Al Gurski led the charge with a grand slam, followed by solo home runs by Ken Franzen and Jerry Spinner on the next two pitches.
833 career victories
Brownlee ranks in the top-40 among all active NCAA Division I coaches with 833 career victories in 29 seasons as a head coach
brownlee jim
7 conference coach of the year awards Brownlee has been named conference coach of the year in seven different seasons
head coach
6 35+ win seasons
illinois state ‘70 7th season at ISU/30th overall
Brownlee has coached six teams to 35 wins or more, including four teams that topped the 40-win plateau
“
Evansville won the MCC regular season with a mark of 40-18-1 and in 1993, he led the Aces to a 43-18 record, the second-most victories in Evansville history. Brownlee also coached Aaron Gries, the Academic All-America Player of the Year at shortstop in 1993. In 1995, Evansville joined The Valley, and Brownlee continued to succeed, as he posted winning records in five of his eight seasons with the Aces while competing in the MVC. The 2000 season saw Brownlee lead the Aces to a 41-22 record, which earned him Valley Coach of the Year honors, while he also led his team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. In his 14 seasons in The Valley spent between Illinois State and Evansville, Brownlee has produced 15 first-team all-conference players and 22 Valley Scholar-Athlete First-Team members. After his playing career ended and having served a stint in the military, Brownlee became an assistant baseball coach at Illinois State from 1975-76 and served as head coach for the Galesburg team in the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL), before he took the job at Evansville in 1980. He is a member of the Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame, being inducted as a member of the 1969 team, and was also inducted into the Evansville Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2005, after he earned more wins than any other coach in Evansville history. Not only has Brownlee given back to his players in his time as a coach, but he has also been an active leader in promoting baseball, both at the collegiate level and within the communities where he has coached. Since returning to Illinois State in 2003 as head coach, Brownlee has sponsored a variety of hitting and pitching clinics for local youth; revitalized “The Dugout Club,” a group of Redbird baseball friends and supporters that now numbers more than 450; and has helped to raise money for current and future renovations to Duffy Bass Field. He has also enlisted several of his players to help assist in the NCAA Men’s College World Series Youth Education through Sports (YES) Clinic, held each year in conjunction with the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Jim and his wife, Candy (a former Illinois State student), are the parents of two sons - Tim and Ryan, both of whom played for their father while at Evansville. Ryan is currently an assistant coach at Iowa, after he worked two years with his father at Evansville, followed by a four-year stint at James Madison.
”
Coach Brownlee has been a loyal member of the Redbird family for more than four decades as a player, an alumnus and as a coach. Few people care more about the success of Illinois State Athletics. His lifetime record as a baseball coach puts him among the nation’s elite, and I think that it is only fitting that he will spend his last year as a coach at his alma mater in a new stadium. I thank him for his time, service and passion for Illinois State, and I look forward to spending his final year as a coach with him. - Illinois State Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
28 :: Illinois State’s Mike Prior drove in a school-record nine runs on three homers and a triple in a victory over Alabama-Birmingham March 9, 1985. Six days later, Prior clubbed
three more home runs in a game against Montevallo.
Coaching Staff
The 2009 campaign will mark the 30th and final season for Jim Brownlee as a head college coach, having spent the last six years at his alma mater, Illinois State, and 23 years at Evansville. During that time, Brownlee has amassed 833 victories, which ranks him in the top-40 for wins among all active NCAA Division I coaches. He has won seven conference coach of the year awards, produced more than 40 players who have gone on to play professionally and mentored 10 academic All-Americans. Brownlee will lead Redbird baseball into a new era, by coaching ISU in its first season in a new baseball facility, which is scheduled to open during the 2009 season. In his six seasons at ISU, the Redbirds have posted a 132-185 (.416) mark. “People have always asked me how long I’m going to coach, and I’ve always said that I will know when that time comes,” Brownlee said when he announced his plans following last season. “Obviously, we haven’t accomplished what I wanted to in the six years that I’ve been here, but I am really looking forward to next season with the new stadium. (By announcing my retirement, Illinois State Athletics Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger) now has time to get things in place for the 2010 season, so I think the timing is right for Illinois State Athletics and Redbird baseball.” Prior to returning to ISU, Brownlee spent 23 seasons at the helm of the Evansville baseball program. Although the Aces went 7-37-1 in his first season in 1980, the next season, Evansville won 26 games, more wins than the Aces had in their previous three seasons combined. From 1983 to 1985, Brownlee was a three-time Heartland Conference Coach of the Year and led the Aces to league titles all three seasons. In 1988, Brownlee had one of the best seasons of his career as a head coach. He was named the Mid-East Coach of the Year by his peers and the Diamond Sports Company District Coach of the Year, after he led the Aces to a 44-20 record and an NCAA Tournament win over No. 1-ranked Arizona State. That year, Brownlee saw Evansville pitcher Andy Benes named the NCAA Player of the Year and selected No. 1 in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft by the San Diego Padres. Brownlee then brought Evansville to national prominence in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League). In 1991,
13
1 National Championship
As an assistant coach, Kingston helped the 2001 Miami Hurricanes win the College World Series and capture a national championship
kingston mark
6 40+ win seasons
In 12 seasons as an assistant coach, Kingston has helped six teams reach the 40-win plateau, including two 50 win teams
associate head coach
8 NCAA Tournament Appearances
north carolina ‘95
Coaching Staff
second season at ISU
14
Kingston has coached eight teams that have made appearances in the NCAA Tournament
Mark Kingston, who helped Illinois State set school records for wins and scoring as an assistant in 1999, rejoined the baseball coaching staff as associate head coach last summer. Kingston, who spent the last seven years as recruiting coordinator at Tulane University and served as an assistant on the Miami team that won the 2001 College World Series, has coached at the collegiate level for 12 years and is widely respected throughout the sport as one of the top assistants in the nation. Kingston got to work right away with the Redbirds and signed one of the largest and most talented fall recruiting classes in recent years. Kingston’s eight-man recruiting class, vibrant personality and knowledge of the game have already energized the Illinois State baseball program. These elements, along with the new stadium, Illinois State’s rich baseball history and position as a top-level institution, as well as the announcement that Kingston will take over as head coach when Jim Brownlee retires after this season, prompted Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt to call Illinois State baseball a “perfect storm.” Kingston spent the past five seasons as associate head coach for the Green Wave with the responsibility of building the Tulane team through recruiting, coaching Tulane hitters and developing catchers and infielders. At Tulane, Kingston’s recruiting and coaching efforts helped the Green Wave to six postseason appearances, two NCAA Super Regionals and a berth in the College World Series. The 2005 Green Wave team was seeded as the top-team overall while also receiving the top-academic honor in Omaha. Tulane averaged nearly 42 wins per season with Kingston on staff. Praised by many for his ability to transfer knowledge to his players and develop talent, Kingston also has a knack for finding and recruiting talented players. In six of his seven seasons as recruiting coordinator for the Green Wave, Kingston’s classes ranked in the top-25 in the nation. Kingston signed eight of the nation’s Top-100 prospects in 2003 and 2004, and the 2005 class was tabbed as the No. 4 class in the country by Baseball America. Kingston recruited or coached seven players who became All-Americans at Tulane, including James Jurries (2002) and Michael Aubrey (2003). The Green Wave sluggers became the first hitters in 18 years to hit .400 for the season and both earned Conference USA Player of the Year recognition. Aubrey was selected by the Cleveland Indians 11th overall in 2003, the highest Tulane player ever taken in the Major League Draft. Prior to joining the Green Wave staff, Kingston spent two years coaching at Miami (Fla.), where he helped the Hurricanes capture the 2001 College World Series as the No. 1 overall seed. While at Miami, the Hurricanes finished with top-five school single-season marks in batting average, runs scored and slugging percentage, and led the nation with 228 stolen bases in 2001. In the run to the 2001 national title, the ‘Canes had an NCAA-best 17-0 run to end
“
the season and set a College World Series record with 12.3 runs per game while hitting .373 as a team in Omaha. Under Kingston’s tutelage, two Hurricanes players earned All-America honors, three earned Freshman All-America recognition, rookie Kevin Howard was named the 2000 Baseball America National Freshman of the Year and 18 players went on to sign professional contracts. Kingston spent one year as an assistant with the Redbirds and helped put together one of the most impressive seasons in school history. The 1999 Redbirds set a school record for wins in a season (35), runs scored, RBI, doubles, hits and walks, while finishing second in school history in home runs, total bases and batting average. Kingston got his start in coaching at Purdue. In two seasons, he worked his way into the top assistant position while helping the Boilermakers post three of the top-seven batting averages in school history. Kingston helped Purdue place five position players on the All-Big 10 Team after not posting any the year before his arrival. The Northern Virginia native played professionally for five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs organizations. Drafted by the Brewers out of North Carolina in 1992, Kingston spent one season with Milwaukee’s rookie-level team before going on to play for Peoria (A), Daytona (Advanced A) and Orlando (AA) in the Cubs organization. As a player at North Carolina, Kingston was part of the 1989 Tar Heels squad that won an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and advanced to the College World Series, and helped the team win the ACC Tournament and advance to NCAA Regionals in 1990 as a sophomore. Kingston received the Trippe Bourne “Most Dedicated Player” Award for his outstanding work ethic and leadership during his junior campaign, and was named a team captain his senior season. Kingston attended Potomac High School, where he developed into a Collegiate Baseball Top-50 Prospect and was drafted by the New York Yankees after leading his team to the 1988 state championship. In 2006, Kingston was inducted into the Potomac Hall of Fame. In all, Kingston owns a 475-257-2 (.647) record as an assistant coach in 12 seasons in the college ranks. Kingston has coached eight teams to NCAA Tournament berths, four teams that appeared in NCAA Super Regionals, and two that participated in the College World Series. Kingston and his wife, the former Letitia Kelly, have three children, Kailyn Grace, Cameron James and Kathryn Patricia. He also wrote and produced two instructional videos for Championship Productions, “Keys to Consistent Hitting” and “Catching Drills and Fundamentals”. He also was the only assistant coach chosen to write a chapter in “The Baseball Drill Book” produced by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
He’s a very, very classy young man with a nice family. He’s a very hard worker that’s done everything he could do to better himself in baseball – from playing at North Carolina to playing professional baseball, to working at the University of Miami and with different schools, and going with us to win a national championship. There’s no doubt in my mind – no doubt – that Mark Kingston will be an outstanding head coach that will get it done on the field, but will also represent the university with the utmost class.
”
- Miami (Fla.) head coach Jim Morris
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
27 :: Bill Evans throws the second no-hitter of his Illinois State career in a 1-0 win over Lewis in 1964 to become the only pitcher in program history to hurl two no-hitters. Evans
no-hit Southern Illinois during a 10-0 win in 1962.
2 Major League draft Picks
Current has worked with two Major League Baseball Draft picks in Ryan Anetsberger and Kevin Dubler
current mike
9 hitting categories improved
Illinois State batters improved in nine categories in Current’s first year as a full-time assistant working with the hitters
assistant coach blackburn ‘05
third season at ISU
“
First-Year Player Draft. Current also spent time working with former Redbird standout Ryan Anetsberger, who was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 15th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. In summer 2006, Current coached for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the prestigious Cape Cod League, and helped the team to a league championship in his first coaching stint in the league. Current first joined the Illinois State baseball staff after he graduated from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Ill., in May 2005, where he was a twoyear letterwinner at shortstop. As a senior, Current helped the Beavers to a 28-14 record, which ranked as the most wins in a season in school history. Prior to attending Blackburn, Current spent two years at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill. Current, who received his master’s degree in sport management from Illinois State in May 2007, resides in Normal, Ill., with his wife, Heather.
Mike’s number one quality is that he’s smart and number two is that he’s an extremely hard worker who loves baseball. Those are two ingredients that make him a good coach. You don’t have to tell Mike what to do; he jumps in with both feet and gets it done. The other thing is that he’s highly organized and he understands baseball a great deal. He’s going to make a really good head coach someday.
”
Coaching Staff
Bloomington, Ill., native Mike Current enters his second season as a full-time member of the Redbird coaching staff and his fourth season overall at Illinois State. Current was promoted to assistant coach in September 2007, after spending two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach. Under Current, the 2008 Redbird hitters improved in nearly every category from the 2007 season. Current assists in all aspects of the program and works particularly with the outfielders and hitters. Current coordinates Illinois State’s baseball camps and assists associate head coach Mark Kingston with recruiting. In his first season at ISU, the Bloomington High School product mentored then-freshman Kevin Dubler, who went on to be named a 2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention selection at catcher. Dubler continued his success in 2007, as he was a first-team All-MVC selection as a designated hitter. Dubler ended his career at Illinois State as a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist and was selected in the eighth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball
- Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee
15
mike current top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
26 :: Jeremy Accardo finished his career as the Illinois State career leader with 13 saves. Accardo was signed by the San Francisco Giants and saved 30 games while posting a
2.14 ERA for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007.
Player Profiles
ewert
mahler
quinn
eric
outfield/right-handed pitcher
outfield
33 | Sr. | 6-0 | 179 | R/R
17 | Sr. | 5-9 | 165 | R/R
crystal lake, ill./michigan state
schaumberg, ill./gadsen state cc
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 2008 34-28 .232 99 15 23 5 1 4 18 15 27 9-11 Total 34-28 .232 99 15 23 5 1 4 18 15 27 9-11
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2008 14-1 .286 7 Total 14-1 .286 7
Career Bests Hits: 4, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) Runs: 3, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) RBI: 3, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) Hit Streak: 6 (3/29/08-4/11/08)
Career Bests Hits: 1, twice, last vs. Northern Illinois (4/23/08) Runs: 2 vs. Northern Illinois (4/23/08) RBI: 1, twice, last vs. Northern Illinois (4/23/08) Hit Streak: -
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2008 8-4 0-1 9.00 0 0 19.0 24 Total 8-4 0-1 9.00 0 0 19.0 24
R ER BB SO OBA 21 19 8 11 .316 21 19 8 11 .316
Career Bests Innings: 6.2 vs. Eastern Illinois (3/26/08) Strikeouts: 5 vs. Eastern Illinois (3/26/08) 2008: Played in 34 games and appeared in the starting lineup in 28 ... hit .232 with 10 extra base hits, including four home runs ... played summer ball for the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken Sr. League. 2007 (Michigan State): Academic All-Big Ten selection ... finished with an 11.12 ERA in five appearances, and made one start ... struck out two batters in 5.2 innings of work ... batted .333 in four games, and collected one triple in three at-bats ... also recorded two RBI on the year ... played summer ball for the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken Sr. League.
R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 5 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0-0 5 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0-0
2008: Played in 14 games, with one start ... used primarily as a pinch runner and defensive replacement ... scored his first-career run as a pinch runner at Evansville (4/5) ... collected his first-career hit, an RBI single, as a pinch hitter against Northern Iowa (4/13) ... scored a run as a pinch runner against IllinoisChicago (4/15) ... made his first-career start in the outfield against Chicago State (4/19) ... recorded a pinch-hit RBI single on the first pitch he saw at Northern Illinois (4/23) ... also scored a career-high two runs during that game. Gadsen State CC: Academic All-American, while earning dean’s list recognition every semester ... batted .296 his sophomore year, with 44 runs scored and 24 RBI ... named a team captain. Schaumburg HS: Two-year letterwinner. Personal: Born 3-1-87 in Elk Grove, Ill. ... son of Bob and Ruth Mahler ... has one brother, Steve, and one sister, Kristen ... his uncle, Len Mahler, played baseball at Birmingham Southern, while his cousin, Marc Mahler, currently is a member of the baseball team at West Alabama ... major: finance.
2006 (Michigan State): Used primarily out of the bullpen, and made 11 appearances with one start ... posted a 2-1 record with an 8.59 ERA in 22.0 innings of work ... batted .211 on the year with eight hits, three doubles and two RBI in 38 plate appearances ... went 3-for-4 with a career-high three runs scored and two RBI versus Lehigh (3/6) ... pitched four innings of relief, and recorded the win over Seton Hall (3/9) ... earned his second win of the year against Indiana (3/31), throwing 3.2 innings of relief ... pitched for the New Market Rebels (Va.) of the Valley League in the summer.
16
Central HS: Four-year letterwinner in baseball ... batted .430 at the plate, and posted a 10-1 record with a 2.10 ERA his senior season ... helped his team to a school-record 33 wins and a fourth-place finish in the state in 2005 ... named the Northwest Herald Player of the Year ... as a senior, named all-area, allconference and third-team all-state ... a second-team all-state selection by the Truth Prep Report ... batted .440 as a junior, and garnered all-area and allconference honors ... a two-year letterwinner in basketball ... a captain of both his baseball and basketball teams as a senior ... four-year honor roll member. Personal: Born 10-31-86 in Crystal Lake, Ill. ... son of Bill and Cindy Ewert ... has one sister, Laura ... major: marketing/professional sales.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
25 :: In one of the greatest individual turnarounds in Illinois State history, Matt Gainer earned Missouri Valley Tournament MVP honors after hitting .625 in postseason play.
Gainer led the Redbirds in batting average (.377), hits (75), home runs (14), RBI (54) and total bases (134) as a junior in 1994. As a sophomore, Gainer hit .079 in 29 games.
rahn
salzenstein
justin
collin
catcher
infield
8 | Sr. | 6-2 | 195 | R/R
25 | R-Sr. | 5-9 | 170 | L/R
st. louis, mo./meramec cc
st. louis, mo./xavier
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2008 9-6 .280 25 Total 9-6 .280 25
R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 4 7 1 0 0 4 1 6 1-1 4 7 1 0 0 4 1 6 1-1
Career Bests Hits: 2, twice, last vs. Western Michigan (5/13/08) Runs: 2 vs. Robert Morris (4/16/08) RBI: 2 vs. Purdue (4/9/08) Hit Streak: 3 (4/2/08-4/16/08)
Meramec CC: Batted .331 with eight doubles, one home run and 20 RBI in 136 at-bats ... played in 44-of-47 games. Wabash Valley CC: Member of the baseball team. Christian Brothers College HS: Batted .417 as a senior, earning first-team allconference and honorable mention all-state accolades ... a second-team all-state selection as a junior, as well as a first-team all-conference and secondteam all-metro pick ... batted .435 in 31 games as a junior, and led his team to the conference title ... ranks sixth all-time in school history in hits and career hits, 10th in career total bases and ninth in career RBI. Personal: Born 12-22-86 in St. Louis, Mo. ... son of Scott and Laurie Rahn ... has one brother, Jarrod ... brother played baseball at Quincy University ... major: marketing.
Career Bests Hits: 3, three times, last vs. Bradley (4/28/07) Runs: 3 vs. Missouri State (4/1/07) RBI: 3 vs. Arkansas (2/24/07) Hit Streak: 8 (4/20/07-5/3/07) 2008-09: Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship recipient for the 2008-09 school year. 2008: Received a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury ... Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship recipient for the 2007-08 school year. 2007: Started in 47 of his 48 games played ... led the team with 10 sacrifice bunts and 18 stolen bases at the top of the Redbird lineup ... his 18 stolen bases ranked fifth overall in The Valley ... his nine swipes in Valley games tied for second-most in the conference ... collected 13 multiple-hit games ... ranked second on the team with 146 defensive assists ... tied for the second-longest hit streak of the season with Kevin Dubler at eight games ... had a hit and scored a run in first game as a Redbird at Texas-Arlington (2/16) ... recorded two hits, scored a run and drove in a season-high three runs in a 12-10 win at No. 5 Arkansas (2/24) ... tied a season-high with three hits and three runs scored in a win over Missouri State (4/1) ... stole a season-high three bases in the second game of a doubleheader against Indiana State (4/15). Xavier: Started 28 of 39 games played ... scored 14 runs ... committed no errors and had 70 putouts en route to a perfect (1.000) fielding percentage ... hit .261 with 40 hits and 25 runs scored as a freshman ... struck out just 10 times in 153 at-bats. Barrington HS: Amassed a .396 batting average as a senior ... posted 21 RBI and 17 stolen bases ... named a first-team all-area and all-conference selection ... helped lead team to a 15-2 conference record, earning the league title and regional championship ... as a junior, hit .405 with 20 RBI ... first-team all-area and all-conference pick as a junior ... helped team to a regional championship. Personal: Born 11-30-85 in St. Louis, Mo. ... son of Skip Salzenstein and Jody Blake ... father was a tennis coach at Saint Louis University ... one of four children ... major: communication studies.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Player Profiles
2008: Spent the season as the backup catcher ... played in nine games, with six starts ... made his first-career start against Eastern Illinois (3/26) ... notched his first-career hit and stolen base at Iowa (4/2) ... also scored a run in that game ... tallied a career-high two RBI in a start at Purdue (4/9) ... recorded two hits and two runs in a start against Robert Morris College (4/16) ... had a hit and an RBI against Saint Louis (4/30) ... tied his career-high with two hits at Western Michigan (5/13).
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 2007 48-47 .250 184 35 46 4 1 0 11 24 21 18-23 2008 - - - - - - - - - - - Total 48-47 .250 184 35 46 4 1 0 11 24 21 18-23
24 :: Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee earned the 800th win of his career after the Redbirds defeated Valparaiso, 5-1, in the home opener. Brownlee, who played for the
1969 College Division National Championship team, sits at 132 wins with the Redbirds prior to his final season at the helm and is the fourth coach in Valley history to go over 800 wins.
17
stalowy
copeland
mike
ryan
infield
left-handed pitcher
2 | Sr. | 6-0 | 195 | R/R
21 | Jr. | 5-10 | 180 | R/L
joliet, ill./joliet catholic
des plaines, ill./elk grove
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2006 34-23 .263 80 2007 45-25 .300 110 2008 52-52 .277 202 Total 131-100 .281 392
R H 2B 3B HR 12 21 4 1 0 13 33 4 1 0 39 56 8 3 0 64 110 16 5 0
RBI BB SO SB-A 7 11 11 3-4 11 11 14 4-7 25 35 27 11-17 43 57 52 18-28
Player Profiles
Career Bests Hits: 3, six times, last vs. Indiana State (5/17/08) Runs: 2, 12 times, last vs. Indiana State (5/17/08) RBI: 3, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) Hit Streak: 12 (4/13/08-4/29/08)
Career Bests Innings: 9.0 vs. Southeast Missouri State (3/10/07) Strikeouts: 11 vs. Chicago State (4/19/08)
2009 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Selection
2008: Made the move to first base and started all 52 games ... recorded a team- and career-high 12-game hitting streak (4/13-4/29) ... finished with 13 multiple-hit games and five multiple-RBI games ... third on the team with 35 walks ... made his first-career appearance on the mound against Saint Louis (4/30) ... batted .277 with a career-high three triples and 25 RBI in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup ... batted .348 against left-handed pitching ... tied career-highs with three hits and three RBI versus Akron (3/14) ... earned Austin Peay Invitational All-Tournament Team (2/29-3/2) honors after batting .300 with four runs and two RBI ... first on the team and ranked No. 4 in the nation with eight sacrifice flies ... recorded a career-high two doubles against nationallyranked Wichita State (3/22) ... walked a career-high three times versus Eastern Illinois (3/26) ... tallied a team- and career-high 14 putouts at Iowa (4/2) ... committed only three errors in 489 chances ... played summer ball for the Grand Lake Mariners of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. 2007: Played in 45 games, with 25 starts ... collected nine multiple-hit games ... third on the team with a .300 average ... had a seven-game hitting streak from April 15-25 in which he had 13 hits, including three doubles ... drove in a seasonhigh two runs and scored two runs against Indiana State (4/15) ... recorded back-to-back three-hit games against Illinois (4/17) and Evansville (4/20) ... tied his season-high with three hits and added two runs scored and a RBI against Saint Xavier (5/5) ... played summer ball for the Grand Lake Mariners of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
18
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H R ER BB SO OBA 2007 13-11 4-3 5.19 0 1 69.1 87 49 40 10 32 .310 2008 14-13 4-7 3.93 1 1 89.1 99 54 39 9 72 .274 Total 27-24 8-10 4.48 1 2 158.2 186 103 79 19 104 .290
2006: Played in 34 games, with 23 starts in the infield ... second on the team with five sacrifice bunts ... posted a four-game hitting streak from April 21-26 ... had a hit in his first-collegiate at-bat against Iowa at the Austin Peay Invitational (2/25) ... tallied four hits, scored two runs and collected four RBI in a four-game set with Central Michigan (3/17-19) ... over the summer, named co-MVP of the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) Tournament, while helping the Twin City Stars to the championship with former ISU teammate Mike Tokarski. Joliet Catholic HS: Hit .375 with 10 doubles and 42 RBI as a senior ... named team captain as a senior ... three-time all-area and all-conference selection ... team placed second at IHSA state tournament as a junior ... hit .368 with 37 RBI as a junior ... lettered in football junior and senior seasons ... a member of the 2004 IHSA Class 5A Football State Championship team.
2008: Made 14 appearances, with a career-high 13 starts on the mound ... an a All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention selection ... finished with only nine walks allowed in a career-high 89.1 innings of work, which ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I players ... received zero run support in three of seven losses and received only one run in another two defeats ... led the team with 72 strikeouts and 89.1 innings pitched ... tied for the team lead with two pickoffs ... allowed only one earned run in five innings of work during his first start at Tennessee Tech (2/24) ... that performance earned him a spot on the Austin Peay Invitational All-Tournament Team ... struck out nine batters and allowed no earned runs in seven innings of work at Bethune-Cookman (3/8) ... struck out a career-high 11 batters in a season-high 8.1 innings pitched against Chicago State (4/19) ... picked up his first-career save in his only relief appearance of the season against Bradley (5/4) ... threw a complete-game and surrendered only five hits at Missouri State (4/25) ... opponents batted .274 against the left-hander ... named a Central Illinois Collegiate League All-Star while playing for the Dupage County Dragons during the summer. 2007: Appeared in 13 games, with 11 starts on the mound ... led the team with four wins ... walked just 10 batters in 69.1 innings pitched ... picked up first career victory in a 12-10 defeat of then No. 5 Arkansas (2/24) ... struck out four and earned a complete-game victory over Southeast Missouri State (3/10), the only complete game of the season by a Redbird hurler ... threw six scoreless innings in a 3-0 defeat of Evansville (4/22) ... struck out a season-high five batters at Bradley (4/29) ... recorded at least one strikeout in 12-of-13 appearances. Elk Grove HS: Chicago Tribune and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) First-Team All-State selection as a senior ... Chicago Sun Times First-Team All-Area selection and all-conference pitcher ... posted a 12-1 record on the mound and a 0.80 ERA in 104 innings pitched ... had a strikeoutto-walk ratio of 143-to-11 and limited opponents to a .123 batting average ... had back-to-back games of 15 and 14 strikeouts ... hit .380 with six home runs and 31 RBI at the plate ... helped Elk Grove post a record-setting 32 wins in his final season and advance to the IHSA state quarterfinals ... as a junior, had a 1.42 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 79 innings ... all-conference and Cook County AllArea selection as a junior ... set a school record for wins with 19 as a freshman. Personal: Born 6-10-88 in Des Plaines, Ill. ... son of Timothy Copeland ... has two older sisters, Lauren and Jennifer ... major: recreation management.
Personal: Born 3-29-87 in Joliet, Ill. ... son of Ed Stalowy and Crystal Pasdertz ... cousin, Nick Cardone, played basketball at St. Francis ... major: physical education.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
23 :: Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk spent the 1994 season as an Illinois State assistant coach while his son, Casey, competed as a Redbird.
demarco
marty
gabe
cole
catcher/infield
outfield
44 | R-Jr. | 5-10 | 180 | R/R
14 | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 205 | R/R
rockford, ill./boylan
galesburg, ill./galesburg
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR 2006 31-22 .238 84 4 20 6 0 0 2007 5-5 .188 16 0 3 0 0 0 2008 37-33 .259 116 16 30 10 0 2 Total 73-60 .245 216 20 53 16 0 2
RBI BB SO SB-A 12 4 21 0-0 0 1 2 0-0 17 20 27 1-3 29 25 50 1-3
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2006 - - - 2007 13-0 .000 2 2008 24-13 .148 54 Total 37-13 .143 56
R H 2B 3B HR - - - - - 1 0 0 0 0 8 8 0 2 0 9 8 0 2 0
RBI BB SO SB-A - - - 0 0 2 0-1 3 6 16 3-3 3 6 18 3-4
Career Bests Hits: 2, three times, last vs. Bethune Cookman (3/8/08) Runs: 2 vs. Bethune Cookman (3/8/08) RBI: 1, three times, last vs. Bethune Cookman (3/8/08) Hit Streak: -
2008: Played in 37 games with a career-high 33 starts, mostly at designated hitter ... suffered a season-ending injury at Northern Illinois (4/23) ... recorded three-straight two-hit games against Tennessee Tech (2/23 & 2/24) and Indiana (2/29) ... collected a career-high two doubles and stole his only base of the season against Indiana (2/29) ... collected two hits against Eastern Kentucky (3/12), including the game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning ... hit his first-career home run at Tennessee Tech (2/23) ... hit an opposite-field home run at Bethune-Cookman (3/8) ... walked a career-high three times against nationally-ranked Wichita State (3/23) and at Evansville (4/5) ... tallied a seasonhigh three RBI at Saint Louis (3/25) ... recorded a career-high three hits (3-for-3) and a career-high 10 putouts at Illinois (4/22) ... finished with seven multiple-hit games and three multiple-RBI games ... recorded a career-high six-game hitting streak (3/9-3/15).
2008: Played in 24 games, with a career-high 13 starts ... recorded his first-career hit and RBI in his first-career start at Tennessee Tech (2/24) ... collected two hits against Indiana (2/29) ... had back-to-back two-hit and one-RBI games against Austin Peay (3/2) and at Bethune-Cookman (3/8) ... scored a career-high two runs at Bethune-Cookman (3/8) ... recorded a career-high two walks at St. Louis (3/25) ... hit his first-career triple at Tennessee Tech (2/24) ... swiped a careerhigh two bags against Lafayette (3/15) ... suffered a heel injury that eventually ended his season ... finished with three multiple-hit games.
2007: Started five games before an elbow injury ended his season ... had a hit in the first game of the season against Texas-Arlington (2/16) ... went 2-for-3 against then No.7 Nebraska at the UTA-Invitational (2/18) ... played summer ball for the DuPage Dragons of the Central Illinois Collegiate Baseball League. 2006: Saw action in 31 games, with 22 starts ... had four multi-hit games ... knocked in a run in his first collegiate game against Austin Peay (2/23) ... tied a team-high with four RBI in a 7-3 win over Iowa (3/29) ... posted at least one RBI in three-consecutive games from April 11-23 ... AFNI Athletics Honor Roll spring 2006.
2007: Played in 13 games, mostly as a defensive replacement in the outfield ... had two at-bats on the season ... recorded eight putouts in the outfield ... scored his lone run of the season against Saint Xavier (5/5). 2006: Redshirted. Galesburg HS: Hit .487 with eight home runs as a senior ... named to the allconference team ... hit 13 doubles as a senior and tied the school single-season record ... also played football and was named offensive and special teams MVP ... helped team to a regional championship as a junior ... also named allconference as a junior. Personal: Born 1-27-87 in Galesburg, Ill. ... son of Dave and Debbie Marty ... grandfather, Merlin, was an All-American basketball player at Loras College ... major: recreation and park administration.
Rockford Boylan HS: Hit .490 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI as a senior ... a firstteam all-state and all-conference selection as a senior ... led all high school players in Illinois with 16 home runs his junior season ... owns 10 career school offensive records. Personal: Born 3-31-87 in Rockford, Ill. ... son of Louis and Karen DeMarco ... father attended Illinois State ... major: finance.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Player Profiles
Career Bests Hits: 3 vs. Illinois (4/22/08) Runs: 2, three times, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) RBI: 4 vs. Iowa (3/29/06) Hit Streak: 6 (3/9/08-3/15/08)
22 :: Dan Freed pitched the Redbirds to two wins on their 1988 season-opening road trip, surrendering no earned runs against Tulane and Marietta. He earned Missouri Valley
Conference First Team honors an was named the Redbirds’ MVP with five wins and a 2.52 ERA.. Freed played in the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds minor league systems.
19
ruffolo
sajewich
anthony
jim
utility
right-handed pitcher
11 | Jr. | 6-2 | 210 | L/R
35 | R-Jr. | 6-3 | 260 | R/R
wheaton, ill./warrenville south
wheaton, ill./glenbard west
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR 2007 12-3 .143 14 3 2 1 0 0 2008 41-21 .270 89 12 24 8 1 0 Total 53-24 .252 103 15 26 9 1 0
RBI BB SO SB-A 0 7 7 4-4 17 16 16 5-6 17 23 23 9-10
Player Profiles
Career Bests Hits: 3 vs. Saint Louis (4/30/08) Runs: 2, five times, last vs. Western Michigan (5/13/08) RBI: 2, four times, last vs. Southern Illinois (5/10/08) Hit Streak: 4 (4/15/08-4/20/08)
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H R ER BB SO OBA 2006 15-13 1-6 6.82 0 0 67.1 90 57 51 23 46 .326 2007 27-0 3-2 2.89 2 0 53.0 47 27 17 20 32 .239 2008 6-5 1-2 7.62 0 0 26.0 45 22 22 5 22 .395 Total 48-18 5-10 5.54 2 0 146.1 182 106 90 48 100 .310 Career Bests Innings: 8.0 vs. Indiana State (4/2/06) Strikeouts: 8 vs. Vermont (3/11/06)
2008: Played in 41 games, making 21 starts ... began the season as the primary pinch hitter, but moved into a starting role at designated hitter ... batted .313 (5-for-16) with two walks and four RBI as a pinch hitter ... recorded his first-career RBI on a sacrifice fly against Bucknell (3/12) ... posted a career-high three hits against Saint Louis (4/30) ... had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored in a comeback win over Bradley (5/2) ... walked a career-high three times at Indiana State (5/16) ... had six multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI games ... played summer ball for the Wheaton White Sox. 2007: Played in 12 games, with three starts as the designated hitter ... a walk and a hit-by-pitch led to two runs scored against then No. 5 Arkansas (2/25) ... walked and scored a run at Northern Iowa (4/6) ... had a double and posted his first-career hit against Indiana State (4/15). Wheaton-Warrenville South HS: Hit .355 with five home runs and 31 RBI as a senior ... also stole 15 bases ... first-team all-conference selection and all-area honorable mention pick in final season ... as a junior, batted .406 with 25 RBI ... swiped 14 bases ... named a first-team all-conference selection and an all-area honorable mention pick ... also played basketball. Personal: Born 5-7-88 in Wheaton, Ill. ... son of Louis and Patia Ruffolo ... sister, Laura, was a gymnast at Illinois ... brother, Louis, attended Illinois State ... plans to major in health science.
2008: Appeared in six games, with five starts, until suffering a season-ending shoulder injury ... received a medical redshirt ... threw a season-high seven innings and allowed only one run to pick up his first win of the year against Eastern Illinois (3/13) ... struck out 22 batters, while walking only five in 26 innings of work ... allowed only two runs in five innings of relief at Tennessee Tech (2/23) ... struck out a season-high five batters at Tennessee Tech (2/23), at BethuneCookman (3/8) and versus Eastern Illinois (3/13). 2007: Led the team with a 2.89 ERA and also appeared in a team-high 27 games, all as a reliever ... ranked ninth overall in the Valley regular season with his 2.89 ERA ... limited opponents to just a .239 batting average in 53.0 innings pitched ... second on the team with two saves and three wins ... allowed the fewest hits and runs among pitchers with at least one inning pitched per team game ... threw 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn a win at Southeast Missouri State (3/9) ... worked five scoreless innings and struck out three in a 2-1, extrainning win over Saint Xavier (5/6) ... named the team’s most valuable pitcher by his coaches and teammates ... played summer ball for the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League. 2006: Appeared in 15 games, with 13 starts on the mound ... 13 starts tied for the team lead ... ranked third on the team with 67.1 innings pitched ... struck out a season-high eight batters against Vermont (3/11) ... picked up first-career victory in eight innings of work at Indiana State (4/2) ... earned a no-decision in an eventual 4-3 win over then-No. 23 Wichita State (5/7) ... pitched for the Faquier Gators of the Clark C. Griffith Collegiate Baseball League over the summer ... appeared in 11 games and posted a 1-0 record with a 2.82 ERA in 38.1 innings of work ... AFNI Athletics Honor Roll fall 2005. Glenbard West HS: Three-time all-conference selection ... also played football for four years ... team advanced to Elite 8 in IHSA state tournament freshman season.
20
Personal: Born 9-14-86 in Chicago, Ill. ... son of John and Debbie Sajewich, and Joan Sajewich ... major: economics.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
21 :: Illinois State topped Valparaiso 9-4 in a six-inning contest at the 1988 Gulf Coast Classic for head coach Duffy Bass’ 700th career win. Redbird pitcher Matt LaBuda earned
the victory with four innings of scoreless relief after Illinois State broke open a 4-4 game in the fourth with four runs. Bass finished his career with 712 wins.
court
wielebnicki jake
ryan
right-handed pitcher
infield
43 | Jr. | 6-3 | 225 | R/R
19 | R-So. | 6-2 | 210 | R/R
darien, ill./hinsdale south
sleepy hollow, ill./dundee-crown
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2007 3-0 1-0 22.50 0 0 4.0 9 2008 7-2 1-0 5.51 0 0 16.1 18 Total 10-2 2-0 8.85 0 0 20.1 27
R ER BB SO OBA 11 10 6 4 .450 14 10 3 6 .273 25 20 9 10 .314
Career Bests Innings: 4.0 vs. Illinois Wesleyan (4/29/08) Strikeouts: 4 vs. Northern Iowa (4/13/08)
2007: Appeared in three games, all in relief ... earned the win in one inning of relief in first-career appearance at Memphis (3/14) ... also pitched against Big Ten foes Iowa (3/28) and Illinois (4/17) ... missed the latter part of the season due to injury. Hinsdale South HS: Did not play his senior year due to injury ... named to the Dean’s List as a senior ... went 7-2 with a 1.90 ERA as a junior ... added 52 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched ... all-area honorable mention selection ... named the team’s most valuable pitcher ... threw a no-hitter in a regional playoff game ... also threw a regular-season no-hitter as a sophomore. Personal: Born 10-14-87 in Hinsdale, Ill. ... son of John and Joanne Wielebnicki ... one of three children ... brother, Josh, is a student manager for the ISU volleyball team, and played volleyball at Lewis University ... major: construction management.
R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A - - - - - - - - 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 6 0-0 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 6 0-0
Career Bests Hits: 1, twice, last vs. Missouri State (4/27/08) Runs: 1 vs. Northern Iowa (4/13/08) RBI: 1 vs. Chicago State (4/19/08) 2008: Played in eight games, with three starts ... had his first-career at-bat against Bucknell (3/12) ... recorded his first-career hit, a double, against Northern Iowa (4/13) ... made his first-career start at Iowa (4/2) ... tallied his firstcareer RBI in his first-career start at third base against Chicago State (4/19) ... recorded a hit at Missouri State (4/27) ... had a sacrifice hit in a start at second base at Indiana State (5/17) ... played for the Anderson Servants in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. 2007: Redshirted. Dundee-Crown HS: Started all 34 games and recorded a .406 average in his final season ... added six home runs and a team-high 41 runs scored as a senior ... had a .966 fielding percentage ... helped his team to the Fox Valley Conference championship ... Fox Valley First-Team All-Conference and AllAcademic selection... Daily Herald and Elgin Courier First-Team All-Area pick ... made starts in every game as a junior and posted a .337 average and a .415 on-base percentage ... named an Illinois State Scholar and was a four-year Super Honor Roll member ... National Honor Society officer.
Player Profiles
2008: Appeared in seven games with two starts ... threw two scoreless innings in his first appearance of the season at Tennessee Tech (2/22) ... allowed only one run on three hits in 2.1 innings of work against Bucknell (3/12) ... earned the win after throwing two innings of relief at Northern Illinois (4/23) ... made his firstcareer start at Illinois Wesleyan (4/29) ... allowed only two runs in a career-high four innings pitched in that game ... made his second-career start at Western Michigan (5/13) ... also made his debut in the batter’s box, getting an at-bat against Northern Iowa (4/13) ... played for the Grand Lake Mariners in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2007 - - - 2008 8-3 .154 13 Total 8-3 .154 13
Personal: Born 5-28-88 in Elgin, Ill. ... son of John and Anita Court ... his father played football and tennis at Illinois State ... major: business teacher education.
21
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
20 :: Mike Prior ended his Illinois State career as the career leader in batting average (.388) and slugging percentage (.715) in 1985. Also a standout defensive back for the
football team, Prior was drafted three times by Major League teams but chose to play in the NFL. Prior intercepted Drew Bledsoe to help the Packers win Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
evans
hays
mark
ben
infield
right-handed pitcher
28 | R-So. | 5-11 | 195 | R/R
15 | So. | 6-5 | 225 | R/R
chicago, ill./mt. carmel
joplin, mo./joplin
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2007 - - - 2008 3-0 .000 3 Total 3-0 .000 3
R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A - - - - - - - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-0
2008: Played in three games, all in a pinch-hitting role ... used mostly as a bullpen catcher ... made his first-career plate appearance at BethuneCookman (3/9) ... also tallied at-bats against Akron (3/14) and Northern Iowa (4/13).
Player Profiles
2007: Redshirted. Mt. Carmel HS: Made appearances in 40 games while hitting .383 with four home runs as a senior ... helped team to a sectional championship ... AllCatholic League selection ... hit .370 with two home runs as a junior ... named to the All-State Tournament team after helping team to a second-place finish in 2005. Personal: Born 12-3-87 in Chicago, Ill. ... son of Harold and Rosemary Evans ... older brother, Matt, played baseball at Benedictine ... major: criminal justice.
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2008 17-5 1-3 7.59 2 0 40.1 45 Total 17-5 1-3 7.59 2 0 40.1 45
R ER BB SO OBA 45 34 19 26 .280 45 34 19 26 .280
Career Bests Innings: 6.0 vs. Eastern Kentucky (3/11/08) Strikeouts: 5, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) 2008: Appeared in 17 games, with five starts on the mound ... threw back-toback scoreless outings to start off his college career against Valparaiso (3/1) and at Bethune-Cookman (3/8) ... threw a career-high six innings and struck out five in his first-career start versus Eastern Kentucky (3/11) ... pitched an inning of scoreless relief at Creighton (3/28) and Iowa (4/2) ... threw three scoreless innings to pick up his first-career save at Evansville (4/6) ... struck out four in 4.1 innings of work against Illinois-Chicago (4/15) ... tied his career-high with five strikeouts and picked up his first-career win against Chicago State (4/20) ... made his first-career Missouri Valley Conference start at Missouri State (4/27) ... pitched two scoreless innings of relief at Western Michigan (5/13) ... played for the Joplin Slashers in the Jayhawk League during the summer. Joplin HS: Helped his team to back-to-back conference and district championships ... a three-year letterwinner ... two-time first-team all-conference selection and first-team all-area honoree his senior year ... finished with a 6-2 record his senior season, and went 7-1 during his junior campaign ... a four-year member of the honor roll. Personal: Born 4-20-89 in St. Louis, Mo. ... son of Robert and Lisa Hays ... has one sister, Emma ... major: business administration.
22
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
19 :: Guy Homoly earned NCAA College Division All-America honors after hitting .413 and patrolling center field for the 1969 College Division National Champion Illinois State
Redbirds. Homoly, also a football star at ISU, broke his leg prior to the College Division playoffs, but was instrumental in helping the Redbirds to a 33-5 mark on the season.
maines
mcneely
corey
tyler
outfield/right-handed pitcher
outfield
30 | So. | 6-1 | 190 | R/R
5 | R-So. | 5-11 | 190 | R/R
houston, texas/langham creek
normal, ill./university high
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 2008 38-37 .192 125 14 24 6 1 2 19 10 42 6-10 Total 38-37 .192 125 14 24 6 1 2 19 10 42 6-10 Career Bests Hits: 3 vs. Bradley (5/2/08) Runs: 2, three times, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) RBI: 3, twice, last vs. Bradley (5/2/08) Hit Streak: 6 (4/19/08-5/4/08)
R H 2B 3B HR 2 5 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 0
RBI BB SO SB-A 1 3 10 4-5 0 2 2 1-2 1 5 12 5-7
Career Bests Hits: 2, twice, last vs. Tennessee Tech (2/23/08) Runs: 1, five times, last vs. Eastern Illinois (3/26/08) RBI: 1 vs. Illinois (4/17/07) R ER BB SO OBA 39 34 21 26 .323 39 34 21 26 .323
Career Bests Innings: 9.0 vs. Lafayette (3/15/08) Strikeouts: 6 vs. Robert Morris (4/16/08) 2008: Played in 38 games ... a two-way player, who made 11 appearances on the mound ... started seven games on the hill ... posted four-straight two-hit games to begin the season ... had two hits, including his first-career home run, to go along with three RBI versus Indiana (2/29) ... homered in back-toback games against Indiana (2/29) and Valparaiso (3/1) at the Austin Peay Invitational ... finished that weekend 4-for-13 (.307) with two home runs and six RBI ... also threw a scoreless inning of relief at Austin Peay (3/2) ... after recording a hit at Bethune-Cookman (3/8), went on a 12-game hitting slump (0-for-31) ... broke out of that slump with a hit and two RBI at Evansville (4/5) ... threw a complete game and allowed only one run on five hits, while striking out five versus Lafayette College (3/15) ... that performance earned him Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week (3/17) honors ... collected two hits and two RBI against Chicago State (4/20) ... recorded his first conference victory after a six-inning, two-run performance at Evansville (4/6) ... tallied a career-high three hits and three RBI against Bradley (5/2) ... picked up his third win of the season after throwing 5.2 innings of relief against Robert Morris College (4/16) ... also struck out a career-high six batters during that game ... finished with six multiplehit and five multiple-RBI games ... named a Central Illinois Collegiate League All-Star while playing for the Dubois County Bombers in the summer. Langham Creek HS: Batted .429 with nine home runs and 42 RBI as a senior ... also swiped 16 bases ... garnered third-team all-state and first-team all-Houston honors in both the Houston Chronicle and HSA Baseball for his performance as a senior ... 9-3 on the mound with a 1.01 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 74.0 innings of work ... named MVP of the District 5A Championship ... pitched in the Houston All-Star Game ... helped his team to the regional semi-finals with a 34-4 record ... his team was ranked No. 2 in USA Today and No. 11 in Baseball America ... batted .311 with five home runs and 32 RBI as a junior, and went 7-1 with a 2.30 ERA ... also fanned 88 batters in 61.0 innings pitched ... a member of the honor roll.
2008: Played in seven games, with two starts ... the opening-day starter in right field, but suffered a shoulder injury during the second game of the season, which ended his year ... received a medical redshirt ... collected a season-high two hits and scored a run at Tennessee Tech (2/23) ... also recorded a hit in the first game of the season at Tennessee Tech (2/22) ... stole a base as a pinch runner against Eastern Illinois (3/26) ... recorded three putouts in the field at Tennessee Tech (2/22). 2007: Played in 18 games, with eight starts ... drove in first-career RBI in firstcareer start against Illinois (4/17) ... collected first two hits in a Redbird uniform against Saint Xavier (5/5) ... those two hits also set a season- and career-high ... had a hit, two walks and two stolen bases against Creighton (5/13) ... posted a hit in back-to-back games against Kansas State (5/15) and No. 12 Wichita State (5/18) ... awarded the Coach Duffy Bass “Mr. Hustle” Award by his coaches and teammates ... played summer ball for the Allegany County (N.Y.) Nitros of the New York Collegiate Baseball League ... named to the West Division All-Star Team, batting .308 with a team-best 44 hits ... also hit seven doubles, one home run and 16 RBI. University HS: Set school records for home runs in a season with 11 and in a career with 19 ... added a .444 average in 35 games played ... named team co-caption and MVP ... also named an all-conference selection after helping team win a conference title ... as a junior, hit .436 with five home runs and 11 doubles ... three-time all-conference performer in golf and a member of threeconsecutive state championship teams ... also played basketball. Personal: Born 6-29-88 in Bloomington, Ill. ... son of Michael and Gail McNeely ... his father played baseball at Illinois Wesleyan and played professionally in the minor leagues ...mother threw shot put and discus at Iowa ... major: business administration.
Personal: Born 10-16-88 in Dallas, Texas ... son of John and Twyla Maines ... his father played baseball at both San Diego State and Northern University ... has one sister, Sarah, and one brother, Kevin ... major: business administration.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Player Profiles
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2008 11-7 3-5 7.59 0 1 40.1 53 Total 11-7 3-5 7.59 0 1 40.1 53
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB 2007 17-8 .152 33 2008 7-2 .500 6 Total 24-10 .205 39
18 :: Ed Sennett became Illinois State’s first All-American after being selected to the College Division All-America Team in 1966. Sennett went on to play professionally in the
California Angels system before becoming a high school mathematics teacher and coach. Sennett’s teams won over 400 varsity high school basketball games.
23
nelson
tokarski
kyle
kevin
right-handed pitcher
outfield/infield
40 | So. | 6-1 | 180 | R/R
29 | So. | 5-10 | 170 | R/R
verona, wisc./james madison
downers grove, ill./north
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2008 18-0 2-2 3.26 1 0 38.2 34 Total 18-0 2-2 3.26 1 0 38.2 34
R ER BB SO OBA 20 14 14 29 .238 20 14 14 29 .238
Player Profiles
Career Bests Innings: 6.0 vs. Missouri State (4/27/08) Strikeouts: 5 vs. Bradley (5/2/08) 2008: Made 18 appearances, all in relief ... his 3.26 earned-run average (ERA) was the lowest out of any Redbird relief pitcher ... threw an inning of scoreless relief in his collegiate debut versus Valparaiso (3/1) ... allowed only one run (0.87 ERA) in a seven-game stretch (3/29-4/19) ... opponents batted just .171 during that stretch ... threw three innings of scoreless relief to earn his first-career save at Evansville (4/5) ... allowed no runs in two innings of work at Purdue (4/9) ... pitched a career-high six innings at Missouri State (4/27) ... allowed only one run on three hits, while striking out four during that game ... picked up his first-career win after throwing 4.1 innings and allowing no earned runs against Bradley (5/2) ... threw back-to-back scoreless outings against Southern Illinois (5/9-5/10) ... recorded his second victory in the first game against SIU, throwing 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. James Madison Memorial HS: Recorded an impressive 8-1 record as a senior, with a 0.88 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 63.2 innings of work ... garnered first-team all-conference, first-team all-city, second-team all-district and all-city player of the year honors as a senior ... a WBCA All-Star Classic participant ... named team MVP senior year ... a two-year captain of the baseball team ... helped his team to a regional and sectional title, as the team finished second in the state ... went 4-6 with a 2.30 ERA and 83 strikeouts as a junior, and earned team most valuable player and second-team all-conference honors ... recorded a 6-4 record and a 2.83 ERA as a sophomore, striking out 51 batters ... named second-team all-conference .. also lettered in basketball and soccer. Personal: Born 10-8-88 in Madison, Wis. ... son of Mark and Colleen Nelson ... has one brother, Chad, and two sisters, Ashley and Tori ... his brother, Chad, played soccer at St. Thomas University ... major: business education.
Career Batting Year GP-GS Avg AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-A 2008 52-52 .303 201 46 61 7 2 0 16 29 44 32-41 Total 52-52 .303 201 46 61 7 2 0 16 29 44 32-41 Career Bests Hits: 4, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) Runs: 3, twice, last vs. Chicago State (4/20/08) RBI: 4 vs. Northern Iowa (4/23/08) Hit Streak: 5, three times, last (4/30/08-5/9/08)
2009 Preseason Brooks Wallace Watch List 2008: Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year ... Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Honorable Mention Team ... set a new ISU single-season stolen bases record with 32 ... his 32 stolen bases also led the MVC ... named the team’s most improved player and earned the Duffy Bass “Mr. Hustle” Award ... stole a career-high three bases on four separate occasions ... ranked No. 21 in the nation in stolen bases and No. 16 in stolen bases per game (0.62) ... started all 52 games at shortstop ... recorded 18 multiple-hit and four multipleRBI games ... tied for second on the team with a .303 batting average ... led the team with a .308 average in conference play ... second on the team in hits (61) and runs (46) ... finished in the top-five among Valley freshmen in every offensive category ... batted .321 against right-handers and .322 with runners on base ... recorded his first two collegiate base-hits at Tennessee Tech (2/23) ... recorded his first-career RBI versus Indiana (2/29) ... named to the Austin Peay Invitational All-Tournament team, batting .300 with three hits, two walks and two RBI over the three-day tournament ... collected multiple hits in four-straight games (4/2-4/6) ... notched a career-high with four hits, to go along with three runs against Northern Iowa (4/12) ... also hit a career-high two doubles during that game ... walked a career-high three times in the finale against UNI (4/13) ... batted 4-for-5 with three runs, three stolen bases and two RBI in game one of a doubleheader against Chicago State (4/20) ... stole six bases during the Chicago State series (4/19-4/20) to claim the ISU single-season stolen bases record ... recorded another four-game streak of multiple hits from 4/23-4/27 ... played summer ball for the Dupage Dragons of the Central Illinois Collegiate League. Downers Grove North HS: Named first-team all-state by the Chicago Tribune as a senior, after hitting .441 with eight triples and 20 stolen bases ... also garnered second-team all-state honors by the Chicago Sun-Times as a senior ... first-team all-conference and Daily Herald all-area selection as a junior and senior ... a special mention all-state pick by the Chicago Tribune after hitting .476 with two home runs, five triples, 21 RBI, 40 runs scored and 15 stolen bases as a junior ... batted .333 with 30 runs scored as a sophomore ... helped his team claim the regional championship as a senior ... played for both the Elite Illinois Orioles and the Illinois Sparks ... rated as one of the Chicagoland area’s Top-100 at second base by the Chicago Sun-Times ... also a two-year letterwinner in football.
24
Personal: Born 4-21-89 in Bartlesville, Okla. ... son of Gary and Carol Tokarski ... his father played football at Miami (Fla.) ... has two brothers, Mike and Joe ... Mike played baseball at ISU ... major: business administration.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
17 :: Former Illinois State pitcher Ed Kinsella became the first Redbird player to reach the major leagues in a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1905. Kinsella posted a 0-1
record and returned to the majors in 1910 with the St. Louis Browns, where he went 1-3.
werderitch
camp
matt
ryan
right-handed pitcher
right-handed pitcher
7 | So. | 6-3 | 215 | R/R
31 | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | R/R
mchenry, ill./mchenry
mapleton, ill./limestone community
Career Pitching Year G-GS W-L ERA SV CG IP H 2008 6-0 0-0 12.91 0 0 7.2 9 Total 6-0 0-0 12.91 0 0 7.2 9
R ER BB SO OBA 12 11 9 6 .310 12 11 9 6 .310
Career Bests Innings: 3.1 vs. Saint Louis (4/30/08) Strikeouts: 2, twice, last vs. Northern Iowa (4/13/08)
McHenry HS: A letterwinner in both football and baseball ... used primarily as a closer, and recorded eight saves and four wins as a senior ... named the team captain in baseball his senior year ... helped his team to a second-place finish in the conference and a regional championship with a 21-7 record ... an all-area honorable mention selection at tight end in football ... voted most improved as a junior wide receiver ... member of the honor roll all four years.
Personal: Born 9-10-89 in Peoria, Ill. ... son of Greg and Carrie Camp ... has one sister, MacKenzie, who has committed to play softball at Bradley next season ... both parents attended ISU ... cousin Kurt Bradbury played baseball at Wichita State and cousin Jeff Bradbury played football at Missouri ... plans to major in athletic training or exercise science.
Personal: Born 1-9-89 in Mt. Prospect, Ill. ... son of Ron and Char Werderitch ... has two sisters, Jackie and Julia ... planning to major in renewable energy.
Player Profiles
2008: Made six relief appearances on the season ... allowed one run and struck out one in his collegiate debut at Tennessee Tech (2/22) ... threw a scoreless inning of relief versus Bucknell (3/12) ... pitched one inning of scoreless relief against Northern Iowa (4/13) ... threw a career-high 3.1 innings against Saint Louis (4/30).
Limestone Community HS: Two-year starter in baseball .... named team MVP after going 7-2 with a 1.98 ERA on the mound and batted .380 with 23 runs batted in ... struck out 76 while walking 22 in 53.0 innings ... threw five complete games, including a no-hitter to start the season ... earned First-Team All-Mid Illini Conferece honors and was selected to participate in the ICA All-State game ... helped Limestone win a share of the Mid Illini Conference championship and win a regional championship with a 26-11 record ... Hit .390 with 15 doubles and 25 RBI as a junior ... went 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA and was selected as the team’s MVP ... earned First-Team All-Mid Illini Conference honors ... National Honor Society member.
david
jason
outfield
22 | Fr. | 6-1 | 195 | R/R naperville, ill./nequa valley
Nequa Valley HS: Three-year letter starter in baseball ... Nequa Valley went 91-27 in those three seasons, winning an Illinois State title in 2007 and placed third at the state tournament in 2008 ... tied the school record for home runs in a season with 11 as a senior ... hit .453 with a team-high 52 RBI, and contributed nine doubles ... also starred on the mound, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.58 ERA ... team co-captain and team MVP was named all-state by the Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Prep Baseball Report and the IHSCA ... named Upstate Eight All-Conference and was Naperville Sun All-City and Naperville Daily Herald All-Area ... helped Nequa Valley win the Upstate Eight Conference title in 2006 and 2008. Personal: Born 12-22-89 in Winter Park, Fla. ... son of John and Jane David ... has one brother, John, who played baseball at Indiana ... father played football at UW-Platteville ... high school teammate of ISU freshman Travis Weldon ... plans to major in business.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
16 :: Former Illinois State pitcher Paul Wagner comes within one strike of a no-hitter while pitching for the Pirates against the 1995 NL West Champion Colorado Rockies. With
two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth, Andres Galarraga singled to end the bid. Wagner threw a no-hitter as a Redbird in 1987 against Chicago State.
25
eckhardt
kohli
landinn
evan
catcher
infield/left-handed pitcher
1 | Fr. | 5-9 | 175 | R/R
41 | Jr.-TR | 6-3 | 219 | L/L
st. joseph, mo./central
hutchinson, minn./madison area tc
St. Joseph Central HS: Four-year letterwinner and three-year starter in baseball .... named all-city and all-conference during senior year ... batted .414 with four doubles, six home runs and 28 RBI as a junior ... second-team all-state selection named all-conference, all-city, and all-area by the St. Joseph News Press ... also threw out 7-of-11 would-be base stealers, to go along with his .578 on-base percentage ... helped team capture the Suburban Mid-6 Conference Championship ... president’s honor roll selection as a senior ... named an Illinois State University Presidential Scholar.
Madison Area TC: Two-way player who earned NJCAA Division II Third Team All-America honors in 2008 ... hit .375 with 15 doubles posted a 5-3 record with a 3.46 ERA ... helped the Wolfpack claim their 17th-straight WTCC title with a perfect 10-0 league slate, as well as their secondstraight NJCAA Region XIII championship... All-Wisconsin Technical College Conference (WTCC) pick, in addition to receiving NJCAA AllDistrict and All-Region XIII honors ... as a freshman, hit .275 in 19 games and saved three games in 11 appearances ... struck out 42 in 42.2 innings.
Personal: Born 9-12-89 in St. Joseph, Mo. ... son of Patrick Eckhardt and Karen Fox ... has four siblings, Karleigh, Gannon, Kyler and Ashley ... undecided on potential course of study.
Hutchinson HS: Three-year all-Missota Conference and all-region selection ... named First Team All-State as a senior after hitting .521, one of 10 school records he set.
Player Profiles
Personal: Born 9-24-87 in Denver, Colo. ... son of Robert and Teri Kohli ... has one sister, Julia ... father played baseball at Wyoming ... plans to major in Economics.
long
26
menaker
kenny
mark
left-handed pitcher
infield
18 | R-Fr. | 6-0 | 150 | L/L
26 | Fr. | 6-0 | 185 | R/R
fox river grove, ill./dundee-crown
winnetka, ill./new trier
2008: Redshirted. Dundee-Crown HS: Posted an 11-2 record with a 1.62 ERA as a senior ... ended the season with 121 strikeouts and walked only 22 batters in 85.6 innings of work ... named all-conference and all-area both junior and senior years ... 10-2 with a 3.67 ERA as a junior, striking out 63 batters in 70.6 innings on the mound ... named team MVP senior year ... helped his team win a school-record 28 games, as the team won conference and qualified for the state tournament ... attended the same high school as current Redbird Ryan Court. Personal: Born 1-28-89 in Barrington, Ill. ... son of Ken and Linda Long ... has two sisters, Lisa and Heather ... major: undeclared
New Trier HS: Two-year starter in baseball while guiding New Trier to a 64-6-1 record during that time ... Hit .335 with three home runs, 30 RBI and 12 doubles ... earned team’s gold glove award ... selected to the Central Suburban League all-star game ... Chicago Sun Times All-Area honorable mention ... helped New Trier win the Central Suburban League title in 2007 and 2008 ... Hit .364 as a junior. Personal: Born 5-22-90 in Chicago, Ill. ... son of Edward and Pamela Menaker ... has two sisters, Michelle and Elise, a softball player at Cornell University ... father played baseball in the Baltimore Orioles organization ... uncle Stewart Menaker coached in the Chicago Public League for 30 years and was inducted in the Illinois Coaches Hall of Fame ... plans to major in marketing.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
15 :: The Redbirds scorched the record books in 1999 while setting marks for runs, hits and RBI under the guidance of former head coach Jeff Stewart and current associate
head coach Mark Kingston. Illinois State finished 35-24, the most wins ever by a Redbird team.
mirabal
sutton
matt
stuart
catcher
left-handed pitcher
27 | Fr. | 5-11 | 180 | R/R
39 | Fr. | 5-11 | 185 | L/L
chicago, ill./mt. carmel
bourbonnais, ill./bradley-bourbonnais
Mt. Carmel HS: Three-year letter winner in baseball ... hit .340 with five home runs, 40 runs batted in, 38 runs scored and 10 stolen bases as a senior ... team captain of team that won a regional championship ... named all-conference and participated in the Catholic vs. Public All-Star challlenge at US Cellular Field ... as a junior, hit .380 with 17 steals, five home runs, 48 runs batted in and 17 extra-base hits ... earned all-conference honors ... ranked the No. 2 catching prospect by Prep Baseball Report ... team won a conference and regional championship with a 31-5 overall record ... hit .340 as a sophomore with 25 RBI. Personal: Born 9-23-89 in Chicago, Ill. ... son of Reyes Mirabal and Pam Decook ... has four siblings, Cody, Trevor, Chris and Hailey ... uncle, Joe Jumonville played baseball in the San Diego Padres organization ... plans to major in business administration.
Bradley-Bourbonnais HS: Two-year letter winner in baseball and football ... named team captain of the baseball team during junior and senior seasons ... selected to play in the KCC All-Area Showcase and awarded MVP of the tournament ... helped Bradley-Bourbonnais win a conference championship and knock off No. 1-ranked Carl Sandburg ... co-captain of the football team during senior year ... as a junior, posted a 2.40 ERA in 61.1 innings with 45 strikeouts and 12 walks ... four-year honor roll selection. Personal: Born 6-8-89 in Kankakee, Ill. ... son of Mark and Paula Sutton ... has one sister, Megan ... father was a pole vaulter on the track team at Southern Illinois ... plans to major in education administration with the goal of becoming a college athletics director.
Player Profiles
thornton
weldon
jake
travis
outfield/right-handed pitcher
infield/outfield
24 | Fr. | 6-1 | 180 | L/R
16 | Fr. | 6-3 | 180 | L/R
st. charles, ill./north
naperville, ill./nequa valley
St. Charles North HS: Three-year letter winner in baseball and lettered one year in basketball ... hit .394 as a senior with 28 stolen bases and 20 runs batted in ... named Upstate All-Conference, Daily Herald All-Area and to the Kane County Chronicle All-Area Team ... helped team to a 24-12 record and regional championship ... posted a .465 batting average with 32 steals and a .557 onbase percentage ... collected 15 extra-base hits and 17 runs batted in ... Prep Baseball Report, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times All-State selection ... named Upstate Eight All-Conference ... team went 30-6 and won the school’s first ever regional championship ... batted .365 with 16 steals while earning Upstate Eight All-Conference and Daily Herald All-Area honorable mention honors.
Nequa Valley HS: Two-year letterwinner in baseball .... hit .464 while leading team in hits, doubles, triples and runs scored ... led the area with 59 hits ... team co-captain and all-conference selection ... All-Daily Herald team ... Nequa Valley went 33-7 to win the Upstate Eight Conference Championship and placed third at the state tournament ... played in just 17 games as a junior after suffering from a pulled hamstring ... team won state championship in 2007. Personal: Born 8-17-89 in Winfield, Ill. ... son of Thomas and Barbara Weldon ... has one sister, Mary ... high school teammate of ISU freshman Jason David ... plans to major in finance or actuarial science.
Personal: Born 8-15-89 in Arlington Heights, Ill. ... son of Jim and Nancy Thornton ... has three sisters, Amanda, Emily and Erica ... plans to major in business administration.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
14 :: Dave Bergman became the first Illinois State player to win a World Series, as the Detroit Tigers claimed the 1984 world title. Bergman played first base for the Tiger team
that finished 104-58 and first in the American League East Division under Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson. In all, Bergman made four appearances in postseason play.
27
Opponents 28
Belmont
BRadley
Creighton
Eastern Illinois
Evansville
Feb. 20-22 | Nashville, Tenn.
May 8-10 | Peoria, Ill.
May 1-3 | Normal, Ill.
March 25 | Charleston, Ill.
March 20-22 | Normal, Ill.
City:........................Nashville, Tenn. Enrollment:............................. 5,017 Nickname:.............................Bruins Colors:........ Navy, Red and White Conference:................Atlantic Sun Head Coach:.............. Dave Jarvis Home Field:............ Greer Stadium LF - 325 CF - 400 RF - 327 2008 Record:.......................... 25-33 Record vs. ISU:........................... 1-0 Media Relations Contact: Marcel Pourtout (P) 615.460.8023 (E) mediarelations@mail.belmont.edu
City:.................................. Peoria, Ill. Enrollment:............................. 5,873 Nickname:........................... Braves Colors:................... Red and White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:.......Elvis Dominguez Home Field:............... O’Brien Field LF - 310 CF - 400 RF - 310 2008 Record:.......................... 26-28 Record vs. ISU:....................... 96-96 Media Relations Contact: Bobby Parker (P) 309.677.2624 (E) bparker@bradley.edu
City:.......................... Omaha, Neb. Enrollment:............................. 7,051 Nickname:........................ Bluejays Colors:...................Blue and White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:................. Ed Servais Home Field:....CU Sports Complex LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 37-21 Record vs. ISU:....................... 63-33 Media Relations Contact: Rob Beuerlein (P) 402.280.5801 (E) robertbeuerlein@creighton.edu
City:.......................... Charleston, Ill. Enrollment:........................... 12,040 Nickname:....................... Panthers Colors:.................... Blue and Gray Conference:................ Ohio Valley Head Coach:.............. Jim Schmitz Home Field:................ Monier Field LF - 340 CF - 380 RF - 340 2008 Record:.......................... 27-30 Record vs. ISU:.................... 83-79-1 Media Relations Contact: Ben Turner (P) 217.549.7965 (E) bwturner@eiu.edu
City:......................... Evansville, Ind. Enrollment:............................. 2,593 Nickname:..................Purple Aces Colors:.......Purple, Orange, White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:...............Wes Carroll Home Field:............ Braun Stadium LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 14-42 Record vs. ISU:.................... 36-44-1 Media Relations Contact: Tom Benson (P) 812.589.9862 (E) tb39@evansville.edu
www.belmontathletics.com
www.bubraves.com
www.GoCreighton.com
www.eiupanthers.com
www.gopurpleaces.com
Illinois
Illinois Wesleyan
Indiana State
IOwa
Minnesota
March 31 | Normal, Ill.
April 28 | Normal, Ill.
March 27-29 | Normal, Ill.
April 1 | Normal, Ill.
March 6 | Minneapolis, Minn.
City:........................Champaign, Ill. Enrollment:........................... 42,326 Nickname:..................Fighting Illini Colors:............... Orange and Blue Conference:.......................... Big 10 Head Coach:............. Dan Hartleb Home Field:...................Illinois Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 31-25 Record vs. ISU:....................... 43-29 Media Relations Contact: Ben Taylor (P) 217.333.5540 (E) bktaylor@illinois.edu
City:....................... Bloomington, Ill. Enrollment:............................. 2,140 Nickname:.............................Titans Colors:............... Green and White Conference:.......................... CCIW Head Coach:...........Dennis Martel Home Field:...... Horenberger Field LF - 320 CF - 380 RF - 310 2008 Record:.......................... 33-11 Record vs. ISU:....................... 70-82 Media Relations Contact: Stew Salowitz (P) 309.556.3206 (E) salowitz@iwu.edu
City:......................Terre Haute, Ind. Enrollment:........................... 10,679 Nickname:................... Sycamores Colors:........ Royal Blue and White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:.........Lindsay Meggs Home Field:...........Sycamore Field LF - 340 CF - 402 RF - 340 2008 Record:.......................... 18-32 Record vs. ISU:....................... 92-66 Media Relations Contact: Mike Williams (P) 812.237.4161 (E) mwilliams73@isugw.indstate.edu
City:....................... Iowa City, Iowa Enrollment:........................... 30,561 Nickname:.....................Hawkeyes Colors:.................. Gold and Black Conference:.......................... Big 10 Head Coach:.............. Jack Dahm Home Field:..... Duane Banks Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 22-33 Record vs. ISU:........................... 7-9 Media Relations Contact: Jennifer Stumpff (P) 319.335.9411 (E) jennifer-stumpff@uiowa.edu
City:.................. Minneapolis, Minn. Enrollment:........................... 50,833 Nickname:......... Golden Gophers Colors:..............Maroon and Gold Conference:.......................... Big 10 Head Coach:........ John Anderson Home Field:................ Siebert Field LF - 330 CF - 380 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 20-35 Record vs. ISU:........................... 6-1 Media Relations Contact: Steven Geller (P) 612.624.9396 (E) gelle014@umn.edu
www.fightingillini.com
www.iwu.edu
www.GoSycamores.com
www.hawkeyesports.com
www.gophersports.com
Missouri State
Murray State
Northern Illinois
Northern Iowa
Northwestern
April 10-12 | Normal, Ill.
Feb. 27-March 1 | Murray, Ky.
April 17-19 | Waterloo, Iowa
April 22 | Normal, Ill.
City:........................Springfield, Mo. Enrollment:........................... 21,688 Nickname:............................. Bears Colors:............ Maroon and White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:.............. Keith Guttin Home Field:...........Hammons Field LF - 315 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 40-17 Record vs. ISU:....................... 44-27 Media Relations Contact: Ben Adamson (P) 405.742.7585 (E) benadamson@missouristate.edu
City:............................... Murray, Ky. Enrollment:........................... 10,100 Nickname:............ Thoroughbreds Colors:.................. Navy and Gold Conference:................ Ohio Valley Head Coach:........Rob McDonald Home Field:.............. Reagan Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 21-30 Record vs. ISU:........................... 1-4 Media Relations Contact: John Brush (P) 270.293.0590 (E) john.brush@murraystate.edu
April 7 | Normal, Ill. April 14 | DeKalb, Ill.
City:.................... Cedar Falls, Iowa Enrollment:........................... 12,609 Nickname:....................... Panthers Colors:......... Purple and Old Gold Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:.................Rick Heller Home Field:......Riverfront Stadium LF - 335 CF - 380 RF - 335 2008 Record:.......................... 30-24 Record vs. ISU:.................... 34-37-1 Media Relations Contact: Kara Moran (P) 319.273.5455 (E) kara.moran@uni.edu
City:............................. Evanston, Ill. Enrollment:............................. 8,000 Nickname:........................Wildcats Colors:............... Purple and White Conference:.......................... Big 10 Head Coach:.............Paul Stevens Home Field:........ Rocky Miller Park LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 21-28 Record vs. ISU:......................... 12-7 Media Relations Contact: Nick Brilowski (P) 847.467.3831 (E) brilowski@northwestern.edu
www.missouristatebears.com
www.GoRacers.com
www.unipanthers.com
www.NUsports.com
City:................................ DeKalb, Ill. Enrollment:........................... 25,254 Nickname:.......................... Huskies Colors:............Cardinal and Black Conference:........... Mid-American Head Coach:............... Ed Mathey Home Field:............. McKinzie Field LF - 312 CF - 395 RF - 322 2008 Record:.......................... 28-26 Record vs. ISU:.................... 54-73-1 Media Relations Contact: Zach Peters (P) 815.508.3375 (E) zpeters2@niu.edu www.niuhuskies.com
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
13 :: Between 1954-56, Illinois State won three-consecutive Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. The Redbirds began the run by posting a then-school-record 19
wins in 1954 and finished with a .792 winning percentage - one of the top-five seasons in school history.
Notre Dame
Purdue
SIU-Edwardsville
South Dakota St.
March 12 | San Antonio, Texas May 12 | Joliet, Ill.
April 8 | West Lafayette, Ind.
May 15-17 | Normal, Ill.
March 7 | Minneapolis, Minn.
April 24-26 | Carbondale, Ill.
City:................West Lafayette, Ind. Enrollment:........................... 40.090 Nickname:.................Boilermakers Colors:.................. Gold and Black Conference:.......................... Big 10 Head Coach:....... Doug Schreiber Home Field:..............Lambert Field LF - 340 CF - 408 RF - 340 2008 Record:.......................... 32-26 Record vs. ISU:....................... 13-11 Media Relations Contact: Matt Rector (P) 765.494.3196 (E) rector@purdue.edu
City:........................Edwardsville, Ill. Enrollment:........................... 13,601 Nickname:....................... Cougars Colors:................... Red and White Conference:................ Ohio Valley Head Coach:..............Gary Collins Home Field:.............. Roy Lee Field LF - 330 CF - 390 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 24-25 Record vs. ISU:........................ 5-6-1 Media Relations Contact: Bruce Robidou (P) 618.650.3155 (E) rrobido@siue.edu
City:......................... Brookings, S.D. Enrollment:........................... 11,995 Nickname:.................. Jackrabbits Colors:..................Yellow and Blue Conference:......... Summit League Head Coach:............. Ritchie Price Home Field:........ Erv Heuther Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 22-27 Record vs. ISU:........................... 0-1 Media Relations Contact: Jason Hove (P) 605.688.4623 (E) Jason.Hove@sdstate.edu
City:........................Carbondale, Ill. Enrollment:........................... 20,983 Nickname:........................... Salukis Colors:............ Maroon and White Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:..........Dan Callahan Home Field:.........Abe Martin Field LF - 340 CF - 390 RF - 340 2008 Record:.......................... 34-23 Record vs. ISU:.................... 76-71-1 Media Relations Contact: Jeff Honza (P) 618.453.5470 (E) honz@siu.edu
www.purduesports.com
www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC
www.GoJacks.com
www.siusalukis.com
City:.................... Notre Dame, Ind. Enrollment:............................. 8,352 Nickname:................. Fighting Irish Colors:.................... Gold and Blue Conference:....................... Big East Head Coach:......... Dave Schrage Home Field:......Frank Eck Stadium LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:....................... 33-21-1 Record vs. ISU:......................... 8-16 Media Relations Contact: Michael Bertsch (P) 574.631.8642 (E) mbertsc1@nd.edu www.und.com
Southern Illinois
UT-Pan American
UT-San Antonio
Trinity University
Valparaiso
TBA
March 13-14 | San Antonio, Texas
March 10 | San Antonio, Texas
March 11 | Nashville, Tenn.
May 13 | Valparaiso, Ind.
City:............................ St. Louis, Mo. Enrollment:........................... 12,309 Nickname:..........................Billikens Colors:........ Royal Blue and White Conference:..................Atlantic 10 Head Coach:...Darin Hendrickson Home Field:.............Billiken Center LF - 330 CF - 403 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 24-29 Record vs. ISU:....................... 21-38 Media Relations Contact: Brian Kunderman (P) 314.977.3346 (E) bkunderm@slu.edu
City:....................... Edinburg, Texas Enrollment:........................... 14,099 Nickname:...........................Broncs Colors:.......Green, Orange, White Conference:............. Independent Head Coach:....Manny Mantrana Home Field:.......Edinburg Stadium LF - 325 CF - 400 RF - 325 2008 Record:.......................... 21-25 Record vs. ISU:...........First Meeting Media Relations Contact: Bernie Saenz (P) 956.381.2240 (E) saenzb@utpa.edu
City:..................San Antonio, Texas Enrollment:........................... 28,534 Nickname:................ Roadrunners Colors:.......... Orange, Blue, White Conference:...................Southland Head Coach:.... Sherman Corbett Home Field:............. Wolff Stadium LF - 335 CF - 405 RF - 340 2008 Record:.......................... 39-19 Record vs. ISU:...........First Meeting Media Relations Contact: Brian Hernandez (P) 210.458.4907 (E) brian.hernandez1@utsa.edu
City:..................San Antonio, Texas Enrollment:............................. 2,700 Nickname:.............................Tigers Colors:............ Maroon and White Conference:............................. SCA Head Coach:.............Tim Scannell Home Field:......E. M. Stevens Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 35-15 Record vs. ISU:...........First Meeting Media Relations Contact: Justin Parker (P) 210.999.8447 (E) jparker@trinity.edu
City:....................... Valparaiso, Ind. Enrollment:............................. 3,980 Nickname:..................... Crusaders Colors:.................Brown and Gold Conference:......... Horizon League Head Coach:....... Tracy Woodson Home Field:.................. Bauer Field LF - 330 CF - 400 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 21-35 Record vs. ISU:...................... 5-18-1 Media Relations Contact: Ryan Wronkowicz (P) 219.617.2466 (E) Ryan.Wronkowicz@valpo.edu
www.slubillikens.com
www.utpabroncs.com
www.goUTSA.com
www.trinity.edu
www.valpoathletics.com
Opponents
Saint Louis
2009 Travel Plans
Western Michigan March 8 | Minneapolis, Minn. April 29 | Normal, Ill. City:...................Kalamazoo, Mich. Enrollment:........................... 24,818 Nickname:.........................Broncos Colors:.................Brown and Gold Conference:........... Mid-American Head Coach:.............. Randy Ford Home Field:.............. Hyames Field LF - 325 CF - 400 RF - 340 2008 Record:....................... 29-23-1 Record vs. ISU:....................... 11-12 Media Relations Contact: Kristin Keirns (P) 269.998.8062 (E) kristin.keirns@wmich.edu www.wmubroncos.com
Wichita State April 3-5 | Wichita, Kan. City:........................... Wichita, Kan. Enrollment:........................... 14,298 Nickname:....................... Shockers Colors:............... Black and Yellow Conference:........... Missouri Valley Head Coach:...Gene Stephenson Home Field:................ Eck Stadium LF - 330 CF - 390 RF - 330 2008 Record:.......................... 48-17 Record vs. ISU:....................... 81-15 Media Relations Contact: Tami Cutler (P) 316.978.3336 (E) tcutler@goshockers.com
Nashville, Tenn.
San Antonio, Texas
Murray, Ky.
Wichita, Kan.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Waterloo, Iowa
(Feb. 20-22) Comfort Inn and Suites 5566 Franklin Pike Circle Brentwood, TN 37027 615.221.5001
(Feb. 27-March 1) Best Western University Inn 1503 N 12th Street, Murray, KY 42071 270.753.5353
(march 6-8) The Depot 225 Third Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55401 612.758.7812
(march 10-14) Holiday Inn Dtwn Market Sq. 318 W. Durango Blvd. San Antonio, TX 78204 210.225.3211
(April 24-26) Hampton Inn 2175 Reed Station Parkway Carbondale, IL 62901 618.549.6900
(April 3-5) Holiday Inn Select 946 S Rock Rd. Wichita, KS 67207 316.686.7131
(april 17-19) Ramada Inn 205 W. 4th St. Waterloo, IA 50701 319.233.7560
Wichita, Kan. (May 20-22) TBD
www.goshockers.com
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Carbondale, Ill.
12 :: Illinois State joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1982. The Redbirds defeated Southern Illinois, 1-0, in 1982 for the program’s first Missouri Valley Conference victory
and defeated the Salukis in 1984 for the program’s first MVC Tournament victory.
29
Overall statistics
Overall Record: 22-30 :: Missouri Valley: 6-18 :: Home: 7-12 :: Away: 8-18 :: Neutral: 7-0 Hitting Statistics Player AVG GP-GS AB 27 Dubler, Kevin .358 52-52 190 29 Tokarski, Kevin .303 52-52 201 26 Cherney, Kyle .303 52-51 175 38 Calvird, Ronnie .283 51-51 191 2 Stalowy, Mike .277 52-52 202 44 DeMarco, Gabe .259 37-33 116 24 Konsler, Kevin .258 45-42 155 30 Maines, Corey .192 38-37 125
R 47 46 33 29 39 16 25 14
H 68 61 53 54 56 30 40 24
2B 3B HR 23 3 9 7 2 0 14 1 5 11 2 1 8 3 0 10 0 2 13 1 3 6 1 2
RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% 56 124 .653 44 4 23 1 .481 3 0 15-18 301 34 2 .994 16 72 .358 29 2 44 0 .395 1 7 32-41 104 144 23 .915 31 84 .480 40 8 41 6 .447 3 0 5-10 45 98 17 .894 25 72 .377 23 3 34 6 .365 2 2 3-5 100 128 14 .942 25 70 .347 35 7 27 3 .389 8 2 11-17 435 51 3 .994 17 46 .397 20 3 27 3 .381 0 0 1-3 12 0 1 .923 32 64 .413 12 4 53 5 .322 3 1 9-9 77 4 2 .976 19 38 .304 10 3 42 1 .259 5 3 6-10 80 12 8 .920
5 McNeely, Tyler 17 Mahler, Eric 8 Rahn, Justin 11 Ruffolo, Anthony 33 Ewert, Quinn 10 Weston, Dan 19 Court, Ryan 14 Marty, Cole 28 Evans, Mark 43 Wielebnicki, Jacob
3 5 4 12 15 12 1 8 0 0
3 2 7 24 23 16 2 8 0 0
0 0 1 8 5 6 1 0 0 0
0 2 4 17 18 9 1 3 0 0
Totals................... Opponents...........
.500 .286 .280 .270 .232 .219 .154 .148 .000 .000
7-2 14-1 9-6 41-21 34-28 30-24 8-3 24-13 3-0 1-0
6 7 25 89 99 73 13 54 3 1
0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
3 2 8 34 42 22 3 10 0 0
.500 2 .286 0 .320 1 .382 16 .424 15 .301 9 .231 2 .185 6 .000 0 .000 0
.273 52-52 1725 309 471 113 16 26 275 694 .294 52-52 1793 347 528 100 26 43 318 809
1 1 0 4 2 3 0 0 0 0
2 2 6 16 27 19 6 16 2 0
0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
.667 .375 .308 .396 .339 .322 .250 .233 .000 .000
.402 264 45 387 29 .378 .451 173 65 332 31 .374
0 0 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0
1-2 0-0 1-1 5-6 9-11 0-0 0-0 3-3 0-0 0-0
7 4 43 2 38 36 6 27 0 1
0 0 5 0 4 4 6 0 0 3
0 0 1 1 4 0 0 2 0 1
1.000 1.000 .980 .667 .913 1.000 1.000 .931 .000 .800
32 20 101-136 1350 582 89 18 37 67-97 1366 498 59
.956 .969
Season Review
LOB - Team (412), Opp (389). DPs turned - Team (39), Opp (41). CI - Team (0), Opp (1). IBB - Team (8), Dubler 3, Cherney 1, Konsler 1, DeMarco 1, Stalowy 1, Calvird 1, Opp (12). Picked off - Marty 2, Tokarski 1, Calvird 1, Maines 1, Weston 1, Cherney 1, McNeely 1, Dubler 1.
Pitching Statistics Player ERA W L APP GS CG SHO CBO SV IP H 42 Theisen, Eric 3.74 5 5 25 4 0 0 1 3 53.0 53 21 Copeland, Ryan 3.93 4 7 14 13 1 0 0 1 89.1 99 39 Cox, Tyler 4.55 4 4 13 9 1 0 1 0 63.1 70
R ER BB SO 23 22 22 25 54 39 9 72 42 32 26 57
2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 10 0 4 197 .269 5 8 1 2 8 21 5 8 361 .274 4 7 0 1 4 15 2 4 250 .280 8 7 4 1 5
40 Nelson, Kyle 3.26 32 Newsome, Chris 5.40 43 Wielebnicki, Jacob 5.51 15 Hays, Ben 7.59 30 Maines, Corey 7.59 35 Sajewich, Jim 7.62 4 Sorce, Dan 7.87 33 Ewert, Quinn 9.00 7 Werderitch, Matt 12.91 2 Stalowy, Mike 27.00
20 4 14 45 39 22 49 21 12 2
3 1 5 5 12 9 9 7 2 1
Totals.............. Opponents...........
2 0 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 0
2 0 0 3 5 2 1 1 0 0
18 3 7 17 11 6 19 8 6 1
0 0 2 5 7 5 3 4 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
38.2 5.0 16.1 40.1 40.1 26.0 50.1 19.0 7.2 0.2
34 5 18 45 53 45 70 24 9 3
14 3 10 34 34 22 44 19 11 2
14 3 3 19 21 5 34 8 9 0
29 3 6 26 26 22 49 11 6 0
0 1 2 4 2 4 4 2 0 0
6 0 3 3 3 3 5 3 0 1
143 20 66 161 164 114 208 76 29 4
.238 .250 .273 .280 .323 .395 .337 .316 .310 .750
2 1 1 5 0 0 3 2 6 0
4 1 8 11 5 2 4 3 4 1
1 0 0 1 0 0 5 2 0 0
2 1 1 2 3 0 2 2 1 0
3 0 0 4 5 1 4 2 1 0
5.72 22 30 52 5.36 30 22 52
52 52
3 6
1 4
1 2
6 450.0 528 347 286 173 332 100 26 43 1793 6 455.1 471 309 271 264 387 113 16 26 1725
.294 .273
37 45
65 45
14 6
18 32
37 20
PB - Team (4), Dubler 3, Rahn 1, Opp (14). Pickoffs - Team (9), Cox 2, Sorce 2, Copeland 2, Hays 1, Dubler 1, Sajewich 1, Opp (9). SBA/ATT - Dubler (52-72), Cox (11-18), Hays (1417), Rahn (15-16), Copeland (8-12), Sajewich (4-9), Sorce (6-9), Maines (6-8), Nelson (4-7), Theisen (5-7), Ewert (4-4), Werderitch (2-3), Newsome (3-3).
30
Overall.............................................. 22-30 Conference.........................................6-18 Non-Conference............................. 16-12 Home games.................................... 7-12 Away games..................................... 8-18 Neutral site......................................... 7-0 Day games...................................... 19-26 Night games....................................... 3-4 vs Left starter................................... 4-10 vs Right starter.............................. 18-20 1-Run games...................................... 6-8 2-Run games...................................... 1-3 5+Run games.................................. 8-11 Extra innings....................................... 3-3 Shutouts.............................................. 1-4
ISU Scored 0-2 runs...........................2-12 ISU Scored 3-5 runs............................. 2-8 ISU Scored 6-9 runs...........................10-9 ISU Scored 10+ runs........................... 8-1 Opponent 0-2 runs.............................. 9-1 Opponent 3-5 runs.............................. 5-9 Opponent 6-9 runs.............................. 6-9 Opponent 10+ runs...........................2-11 ISU Scored in 1st inning ..................11-9 ISU Scored first............................... 14-11 Opponent scored in 1st....................6-13 Opponent scored first.......................8-19
After 6 leading...................................15-5 After 6 trailing....................................5-25 After 6 tied........................................... 2-0
Opponent 0 home runs ...................13-8 Opponent 1 home run......................7-16 Opponent 2+ HRs................................ 2-6
After 7 leading...................................14-4 After 7 trailing....................................5-21 After 7 tied........................................... 1-2
ISU made 0 errors............................... 2-6 ISU made 1 error............................ 10-11 ISU made 2+ errors........................ 10-13
After 8 leading...................................16-2 After 8 trailing....................................2-20 After 8 tied........................................... 2-4
Opponent made 0 errors..................7-11 Opponent made 1 error....................6-10 Opponent made 2+ errors................. 9-9
ISU hit 0 home runs....................... 10-24 ISU hit 1 home run.............................. 9-2 ISU hit 2+ home runs.......................... 3-4
ISU Out-hit opponent.........................15-6 Out-hit by opponent...........................7-21 Hits are tied.......................................... 0-3
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
11 :: Illinois State played in the 1976 NCAA Mideast Regional for its first apperance in a Division I postseason baseball tournament. The Redbirds topped Southern Illinois, 5-2, in
the opening game but fell to host-school Eastern Michigan, 3-0, and then Michigan, 5-4.
Game-by-Game Results
Overall Record: 22-30 :: Missouri Valley: 6-18 :: Home: 7-12 :: Away: 8-18 :: Neutral: 7-0
() extra inning game
% at Austin Peay Invitational
^ neutral site * Missouri Valley Conference
Inning-by-inning
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 EX Total
Illinois State
38
31
46
37
23
31
39
36
25
3
309
Opponents
45
41
59
34
37
45
30
30
22
4
347
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
MVC Record Pitcher Att. Time 0-0-0 Sorce (L 0-1) 145 2:35 0-0-0 Maines (L 0-1) 114 3:05 0-0-0 Copeland (W 1-0) 137 3:00 0-0-0 Cox (W 1-0) 75 3:12 0-0-0 Copeland (W 2-0) - 2:23 0-0-0 Theisen (L 0-1) 417 2:43 0-0-0 Theisen (W 1-1) - 3:17 0-0-0 Copeland (L 2-1) 101 2:00 0-0-0 Theisen (L 1-2) 101 3:04 0-0-0 Theisen (W 2-2) 75 3:30 0-0-0 Cox (W 2-0) 100 3:30 0-0-0 Sajewich (W 1-0) 100 2:25 0-0-0 Copeland (W 3-1) 101 2:36 0-0-0 Maines (W 1-1) 102 2:10 0-1-0 Sajewich (L 1-1) - 1:57 0-2-0 Copeland (L 3-2) 100 2:12 0-3-0 Maines (L 1-2) 50 2:45 0-3-0 Theisen (L 2-3) 135 2:55 0-3-0 Nelson (L 0-1) 225 3:14 0-4-0 Copeland (L 3-3) 245 2:00 0-5-0 Maines (L 1-3) 285 2:49 0-6-0 Sajewich (L 1-2) 357 1:55 0-6-0 Theisen (W 3-3) 238 3:14 1-6-0 Copeland (W 4-3) - 2:40 2-6-0 Cox (W 3-0) - 2:40 3-6-0 Maines (W 2-3) 145 2:23 3-6-0 Hays (L 0-1) 377 2:32 3-7-0 Theisen (L 3-4) 52 2:21 3-8-0 Cox (L 3-1) 64 3:15 3-9-0 Maines (L 2-4) 43 2:48 3-9-0 Theisen (W 4-4) 73 2:46 3-9-0 Maines (W 3-4) 92 2:56 3-9-0 Copeland (L 4-4) 65 2:39 3-9-0 Cox (W 4-1) 245 2:15 3-9-0 Hays (W 1-1) 163 2:15 3-9-0 Maines (L 3-5) 468 2:21 3-9-0 Wielebnicki (W 1-0) 273 2:55 3-10-0 Copeland (L 4-5) 837 2:20 3-11-0 Cox (L 4-2) 1280 2:07 3-12-0 Hays (L 1-2) 476 2:14 3-12-0 Sorce (W 1-1) 397 2:09 3-12-0 Hays (L 1-3) 67 2:59 4-12-0 Nelson (W 1-1) 144 2:46 4-13-0 Cox (L 4-3) 102 2:11 5-13-0 Theisen (W 5-4) 331 2:15 5-14-0 Copeland (L 4-6) 212 2:06 5-15-0 Cox (L 4-4) - 2:48 6-15-0 Nelson (W 2-1) 263 3:14 6-15-0 Ewert (L 0-1) 301 2:35 6-16-0 Copeland (L 4-7) - 3:34 6-17-0 Theisen (L 5-5) - 2:06 6-18-0 Nelson (L 2-2) 207 2:39
10 :: Dave Bergman became Illinois State’s first NCAA Division I All-America selection when he was named to The Sporting News’ 1974 All-America Team. Bergman hit .363
during his career at Illinois State and went on to play 17 seasons in the major leagues.
Season Review
Illinois State Opponent Overall Date Opponent Result Score R-H-E R-H-E Inn. Record Feb. 22 at Tennessee Tech L 1-8 1-4-1 8-9-1 9 0-1-0 Feb. 23 at Tennessee Tech L 10-11 10-14-2 11-19-2 9 0-2-0 Feb. 24 at Tennessee Tech W 8-5 8-14-2 5-10-1 9 1-2-0 Feb. 29 vs Indiana^% W 12-5 12-17-2 5-12-1 9 2-2-0 March 1 vs Valparaiso^% W 9-3 9-11-1 3-9-3 9 3-2-0 March 2 at Austin Peay% L 6-9 6-8-0 9-11-0 9 3-3-0 March 8 at Bethune Cookman W 9-8 9-14-0 8-16-4 (10) 4-3-0 March 8 at Bethune Cookman L 0-3 0-3-3 3-7-0 9 4-4-0 March 9 at Bethune Cookman L 6-7 6-10-0 7-9-1 (10) 4-5-0 March 11 vs Eastern Kentucky^ W 3-2 3-9-5 2-7-0 (10) 5-5-0 March 12 vs Bucknell^ W 13-6 13-11-1 6-10-1 9 6-5-0 March 13 vs Eastern Illinois^ W 7-1 7-8-1 1-6-0 9 7-5-0 March 14 vs Akron^ W 8-7 8-11-2 7-12-2 9 8-5-0 March 15 vs Lafayette College^ W 2-1 2-4-3 1-5-0 9 9-5-0 March 22 #15 WICHITA STATE* L 1-12 1-3-2 12-11-0 7 9-6-0 March 22 #15 WICHITA STATE* L 4-6 4-8-3 6-7-2 9 9-7-0 March 23 #15 WICHITA STATE* L 2-7 2-4-0 7-13-1 9 9-8-0 March 25 at Saint Louis L 8-9 8-7-2 9-16-0 9 9-9-0 March 26 EASTERN ILLINOIS L 5-7 5-7-3 7-9-1 (11) 9-10-0 March 28 at Creighton* L 0-4 0-5-1 4-6-2 9 9-11-0 March 29 at Creighton* L 6-15 6-8-3 15-12-0 9 9-12-0 March 30 at Creighton* L 0-5 0-5-1 5-10-2 9 9-13-0 April 2 at Iowa W 7-6 7-11-1 6-10-2 9 10-13-0 April 5 at Evansville* W 11-1 11-11-1 1-8-2 9 11-13-0 April 5 at Evansville* W 7-0 7-8-1 0-2-0 9 12-13-0 April 6 at Evansville* W 6-2 6-11-1 2-6-1 9 13-13-0 April 9 at Purdue L 4-5 4-6-0 5-6-0 9 13-14-0 April 11 NORTHERN IOWA* L 1-2 1-3-1 2-7-1 9 13-15-0 April 12 NORTHERN IOWA* L 7-11 7-11-2 11-15-2 9 13-16-0 April 13 NORTHERN IOWA* L 7-24 7-9-1 24-20-2 7 13-17-0 April 15 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO W 8-6 8-7-3 6-9-3 9 14-17-0 April 16 ROBERT MORRIS COLLEGE W 12-9 12-16-3 9-9-2 9 15-17-0 April 19 CHICAGO STATE L 6-7 6-7-2 7-14-4 9 15-18-0 April 20 CHICAGO STATE W 13-1 13-16-1 1-8-0 7 16-18-0 April 20 CHICAGO STATE W 15-5 15-13-2 5-5-1 7 17-18-0 April 22 at Illinois L 4-10 4-6-2 10-17-2 9 17-19-0 April 23 at Northern Illinois W 14-10 14-15-2 10-16-2 9 18-19-0 April 25 at Missouri State* L 1-4 1-7-0 4-5-0 9 18-20-0 April 26 at Missouri State* L 1-3 1-8-1 3-8-1 9 18-21-0 April 27 at Missouri State* L 4-8 4-11-4 8-7-0 9 18-22-0 April 29 at Illinois Wesleyan W 7-4 7-8-1 4-9-0 9 19-22-0 April 30 SAINT LOUIS L 8-16 8-17-0 16-15-0 9 19-23-0 May 2 BRADLEY* W 16-12 16-14-6 12-21-3 9 20-23-0 May 3 BRADLEY* L 2-12 2-5-7 12-9-1 8 20-24-0 May 4 BRADLEY* W 5-1 5-8-0 1-5-0 9 21-24-0 May 9 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* L 3-4 3-8-1 4-9-2 9 21-25-0 May 10 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* L 5-10 5-7-3 10-18-0 9 21-26-0 May 10 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* W 2-1 2-8-1 1-5-1 (12) 22-26-0 May 13 at Western Michigan L 4-5 4-10-1 5-10-1 (10) 22-27-0 May 16 at Indiana State* L 0-4 0-4-1 4-7-1 9 22-28-0 May 16 at Indiana State* L 1-11 1-7-1 11-13-1 7 22-29-0 May 17 at Indiana State* L 8-12 8-14-1 12-9-0 9 22-30-0
31
Team Batting
At bats: 41 Runs scored: 16 Hits: 17 RBIs: 15 Doubles: 7 Triples: 3 Home runs: 3 Total bases: 28 Walks: 13 Strikeouts: 18 Sac hits: 2 Sac flies: 4 Stolen bases: 8 Hit by pitch: 3 Caught stealing: 3 Runners LOB: 15 Hit into DP: 3
Team Fielding Putouts: Assists: Errors: Passed balls: DPs turned:
36 17 7 1 2
Season Review
Team Pitching
Innings pitched: 12.0 Runs allowed: 24 Earned runs: 23 Walks allowed: 11 Strikeouts: 11 Hits allowed: 21 Doubles allowed: 6 Triples allowed: 3 Homers allowed: 4 Wild pitches: 4 Hit batters: 6
Individual Batting At bats: 6 Runs scored: 4 Hits: 4 RBIs: 6 Doubles: 2 Triples: 1 Home runs: 2 Total bases: 10 Walks: 4 Strikeouts: 4 Sac hits: 2 Sac flies: 1 Stolen bases: 3 Hit by pitch: 1 Caught stealing: 2 Runners LOB: 6
Individual Fielding
32
Putouts: Assists: Errors: Passed balls:
14 9 3 1
Individual Pitching
Innings pitched: Runs allowed: Earned runs: Walks allowed: Strikeouts: Hits allowed: Doubles allowed: Triples allowed: Homers allowed: Wild pitches: Hit batters:
9.0 11 9 6 11 13 6 2 2 3 4
3 games vs Bradley (5-02) 2 games vs Chicago State (4-20) vs Chicago State (4-20) 2 games vs Indiana State (5-17) 2 games vs Evansville (04-05) vs Wichita State (3-23) 4 games vs Bucknell (3-12) vs Chicago State (4-20) 2 games 2 games vs Southern Illinois (5-10) vs Evansville (4-5) vs Southern Illinois (5-10) 2 games vs Bradley (5-3) 4 games 10 games
2008 MVC standings Team Wichita State Missouri State Creighton Northern Iowa Southern Illinois Bradley Indiana State Illinois State Evansville
vs Southern Illinois (5-10) vs Northern Iowa (4-13) vs Northern Iowa (4-13) vs Robert Morris (4-16) 5 games vs Bradley (05-02-08) vs Bradley (05-02-08 vs Tennessee Tech (2-23) vs Northern Iowa (4-12) vs Saint Louis (4-30) 2 games
MVC Overall Record Pct Record Pct Home Away Neutral Streak 19-5 .792 48-17 .738 33-8 14-9 1-0 L2 18-6 .750 40-17 .702 22-6 15-10 3-1 L1 16-8 .667 37-21 .638 22-6 12-12 3-3 L2 14-10 .583 30-24 .556 11-7 12-11 7-6 L2 12-12 .500 34-23 .596 16-6 11-9 7-8 W1 10-14 .417 26-28 .481 13-8 11-13 2-7 L5 9-15 .375 18-32 .360 8-7 10-25 0-0 W4 6-18 .250 22-30 .423 7-12 7-15 8-3 L5 4-20 .167 14-42 .250 11-17 2-22 1-3 L5
2008 MVC Awards
5 games Dubler vs Bradley (5-2) 7 games Konsler vs Bradley (5-2) 9 games 16 games 2 games Dubler vs Indiana St. (5-17) Dubler vs Evansville (4-5) 3 games Weston vs Evansville (4-5) 32 games 5 games 45 games Maines vs Bradley (5-4) Calvird vs Evansville (4-5)
First Team
2 games Calvird vs Evansville (4-6) Calvird vs Bradley (5-3) 4 games
Second Team
C 1B 2B SS 3B OF OF OF DH UT SP SP SP RP RP
Maines vs Lafayette (3-15) Copeland vs Bradley (5-2) 2 games Sorce vs Tenn. Tech (2-22) Copeland vs Chicago St. (4-19) 4 games Copeland vs Bradley (5-2) 2 games 5 games Werderitch vs Creighton (3-29) 2 games
C 1B 2B SS 3B OF OF OF OF DH UT SP SP SP RP RP
Mark Kelly, Southern Illinois Darin Ruf, Creighton Ryan Strausborger, Indiana State Brandon Douglas, UNI Conor Gillaspie, Wichita State Andy Dirks, Wichita State Ben Woodbury, Missouri State Dan Brewer, Bradley Ben Carlson, Missouri State Brett Douglas, UNI Tim Clubb, Missouri State Rob Musgrave, Wichita State Anthony Capra, Wichita State Pat Venditte, Creighton Matt Frevert, Missouri State Kevin Dubler, Illinois State Brett Featherston, UNI Josh Workman, Wichita State Dusty Coleman, Wichita State Brayden Drake, Missouri State Chris Schmidt, Indiana State Colby Luttrell, Bradley Dane Embury, UNI Robbie Knight, Creighton Clint McKeever, Wichita State Chris Playter, Missouri State Jeremy Hauer, Creighton Guido Fonseca, UNI Mike Nihsen, Creighton Eric Theisen, Illinois State Joe Gonzalez, UNI
Honorable Mention
Grant Escue, 1B, Bradley; Matt Fritz, 2B, Bradley; Steve Winkelmann, 3B, Creighton; Tyler Lairson, 3B, Southern Illinois; Derek Melton, DH, Evansville; Brady Shoemaker, OF, Indiana State; Nick Ciolli, OF, Indiana State; Nolan Keane, OF, Missouri State; Deric Manrique, OF, UNI; Kenny Williams Jr., OF, Wichita State; Ryan Copeland, SP, Illinois State; Buddy Baumann, SP, Missouri State; Shawn Joy, SP; Southern Illinois, Aaron Shafer, SP, Wichita State; Kori Jensen, RP, Bradley; Adam Curynski, RP, Southern Illinois; Khol Nanney, RP, Wichita State.
Newcomer of the Year Jeremy Hauer, Creighton
Freshman of the Year Kevin Tokarski, Illinois State
Pitcher of the Year
Tim Clubb, Missouri State
Joe Carter Player of the Year: Brandon Douglas, UNI
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
9 :: The Redbirds finished the 1966 season with a 28-4 record and claimed the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletics Conference championship with a 9-1 mark in league play. The .875
winning percentage is the top mark for any team in Illinois State history and put the Redbirds in the NCAA College Division Mideast Regional - the program’s first postseason appearance.
kevin dubler
eric eckenstahler
SEASON LEADERS Hits
Todd Schroeder (90)............ 81 Scott Huss (85).......................81 Jared Dufault (01).................80
Home Runs
Runs
Scott Huss (85).......................68 Jeff Allen (98).........................66 Brian House (84)....................64
At-bats
Scott Huss (85).....................251 John LaRocco (85)..............237 Scott Huss (86).....................237
On Base Percentage
Kevin Tokarski (08)................ 32 Brian House (81)....................27 Bob Daggy (80).....................24
Walks
Todd Schroeder (90)............ 10 Mike Prior (85) .........................8 Wendell Good (58) ................7 Scott Huss (86) .......................7 Jared Dufault (01)...................7
Brad Bouris (02)....................505 Jon Peacock (02)................502 Ryan Duncheon (99)..........500 Ryan Duncheon (99)............52 Ryan Duncheon (00)............45 Kevin Dubler (08)...................44
Doubles
Kevin Dubler (08)...................23 Greg Mote (94)......................22 Three tied with.......................20
Runs Batted In
Brad James (91)....................75 Mike Prior (85)........................70 Chris Gurchiek (86)................70
Slugging Percentage
Mike Prior (85)......................875 Ryan Duncheon (98)..........802 Lynn Wade (83)...................767
Hit-by-Pitch
Jim Pyfer (97).........................21 Jay Molina (04)......................21 Matt Bolt (05).........................21
Games
Loren White (85)....................72 Todd Reeser (85)...................71 Scott Huss (85).......................70 Scott Huss (86) ......................70 Frank Mustari (86) .................70
Stolen Bases
Triples
Batting Average
Bob Riggenbach (56).........443 Bob Zubeck (50)..................440 Dave Koopman (77)...........416
Games Started
Tony Simmonds (87-91).......271 Seth Von Behren (97-00).....262 Lynn Wade (79-83)..............258
Innings Pitched
Ryan Duncheon (97-00).......58 Frank Mustari (84-87).............48 Brad James (88-91)...............34
Strikeouts
Ryan Duncheon (97-00).....474 Todd Schroeder (88-92)......464 Jeff Allen (96-98)..................447
B.J. Burkhart (99)...............105.0 Todd Keck (94).................104.2 Ed Stryker (90)...................104.1 James Goff (34)...................126 Neal Cotts (01)....................113 Mike Rzadski (49).................111 Irish O’Reilly (66)...................111
Saves
Tim Hallam (76)........................9 Bill Brabec (95).........................9 Jeremy Accardo (02).............8 Butch Law (69).........................8
Putouts
Appearances
Jesse Griswold.....................514 Todd Schroeder (90)...........492 Todd Reeser (85).................483 Seth Von Behren (98)..........483
Complete Games
Todd Mitchell (99)...............195 Mark Dorencz (93)...............186 Mark Dorencz (92)...............185
Earned-Run Average
Todd Reeser (85).................998 Jim Warning (74).................997 Paul Popovich (95)..............996
Jim Sajewich (07)..................27 Kyle Zaleski (04).....................25 Eric Theisen (08).....................25 James Goff (37).....................10 Jim Olivieri (76).........................8 Paul Wagner (89)....................8 Bob Housman (70).............0.98 Paul Sperry (69)...................1.03 Todd Walker (81)................1.16
Wins
Irish O’Reilly (66).....................10 Bob Reibel (84)......................10 Doug Boehm (85)....................9 Matt Hodges (85)....................9 Steve Hecker (01)....................9
Hits
Matt Herges (92)....................16 Brian Forystek (99).................15 Todd Keck (93)......................15 Todd Keck (94)......................15
Assists
Fielding Percentage
Errors
Tom Carlucci (85)..................35 Tony Simmonds (88)..............29 Randy Gentile (89)................27
Home Runs
On Base Percentage
walks
Ryan Duncheon (97-00).....141 Greg Mote (92-96)..............103 Mark Dorencz (89-93)...........98
doubles
Ryan Duncheon (97-00).......59 Greg Mote (92-96)................58 Seth Von Behren (97-00).......58
runs batted in
Ryan Duncheon (97-00).....210 Frank Mustari (84-87)...........178 Brad James (88-91).............167
slugging percentage
Mike Prior (82-85).................715 Ryan Duncheon (97-00).....701 Guy Homoly (68-69)............699
hit-by-pitch
Jay Molina (03-06).................65 Matt Bolt (04-07)....................55 Jim Pyfer (94-97)....................25
games
Tony Simmonds (87-91).......238 Scott Huss (83-87)................237 Mark Dorencz (89-93).........226
At-Bats
Tony Simmonds (87-91).......868 Seth Von Behren (97-00).....810 Lynn Wade (79-83)..............786
Triples
Jared Dufault (98-01)............19 Lynn Wade (79-83)................18 Mike Prior (83-85)...................15
Batting Average
Mike Prior (82-85).................388 Les Helleman (52-56)...........378 Dave Bergman (71-75).......365
runs
Lynn Wade (79-83)..............193 Seth Von Behren (97-00).....184 Tony Simmonds (87-91).......177
Stolen Bases
Brian House (81-84)...............60 Tom Hennrich (78-82)............57 Mike Prior (83-85)...................55.
Appearances
Dan Freed (84-88).................73 Kyle Zaleski (01-04)................70 Todd Graham (96-00)...........64
complete games
Eric Eckenstahler (96-00)......16 Matt Herges (90-92)..............10 Brian Forystek (97-00)..............9 Ed Stryker (89-90).....................9 Neal Cotts (99-01)...................9
Earned Run Average
Paul Sperry (68-70).............1.41 Bob Graczyk (69-70)..........1.54 Buzz Capra (67-69).............1.58
Games Started
Todd Keck (93-96).................52 Brian Forystek (97-00)............47 Eric Eckenstahler (96-00)......46
Innings Pitched
Todd Keck (93-96)............328.0 Doug Boehm (82-85)........308.2 Brian Forystek (97-00).......293.2
strikeouts
Eric Eckenstahler (96-00)....313 Mike Rzadski (48-51)............295 Brian Forystek (97-00)..........288
Saves
Jeremy Accardo (01-03)......12 Tim Hallam (76)........................9 Bill Brabec (95).........................9
Putouts
Todd Reeser (81-85)..........1293 Seth Von Behren (97-00)...1126 Paul Popovich (92-95).......1097
assists
Mark Dorencz (89-93).........680 Tony Simmonds (87-91).......533 Greg Mote (92-96)..............506
erroRs
Mark Dorencz (89-93)...........78 Tony Simmonds (87-91).........77 Randy Gentile (85-89)...........76
Fielding Percentage
Paul Popovich (92-95).........991 Seth Von Behren (97-99).....990 Todd Reeser (81-85)............989
Wins
Paul Sperry (68-70)................31 Doug Boehm (81-85).............28 Dan Freed (85-88).................22
TEam Highs and Lows Highest Batting Avg................... .326 (1985) Lowest Batting Avg.................... .206 (1960) Most Hits........................................ 673 (1999) Fewest Hits....................................... 88 (1957) Most Runs...................................... 433 (1999) Fewest Runs.................................... 47 (1957) Most Doubles................................ 128 (2000) Fewest Doubles................................ 7 (1957)
Most Triples...................................... 28 (1990) Fewest Triples.................................... 2 (1963) Most Home Runs............................. 87 (1985) Fewest Home Runs........................... 1 (1964) Most RBI......................................... 396 (1999) Fewest RBI....................................... 36 (1957) Most Stolen Bases......................... 139 (1976) Fewest Stolen Bases....................... 22 (1963)
Most Victories................................. 35 (1999) Fewest Victories.............................. 11 (1965) Most Inn. Pitched....................... 502.0 (1999) Fewest Inn. Pitched................... 100.0 (1957) Most Strikeouts.............................. 438 (2004) Fewest Strikeouts............................ 42 (1957) Fewest Walks................................... 48 (1957) Most Walks.................................... 262 (1997)
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Lowest ERA................................... 1.53 (1970) Highest ERA.................................. 8.14 (1980) Most Strikeouts/Game.................. 9.6 (1966) Fewest Strikeouts/Game.............. 3.5 (1954) Most Walks/Game...................... 6.22 (1958) Fewest Walks/Game................... 3.12 (2003)
8 :: Mike Rzadski struck out 20 batters in a 19-0 win over Southern Illinois in 1949 to set the Illinois State single-game strikeout record. Rzadski’s catcher during the contest was
Duffy Bass.
History and Records
Ryan Duncheon (99)............23 Frank Mustari (85) .................19 Mike Prior (85) .......................19 Brad James (91) ...................19
Career Leaders
33
History and Records 34
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
batting Avg. (2.5 AB/G)
Guy Homoly......................................413 Ernie Pedersen..................................347 Tom Monschein................................304 Rich Olson.........................................380 Dave Bergman.................................400 Dave Bergman.................................351 Mike Schneider.................................347 Greg Linhart......................................342 Mike Martinez...................................316 Jeff Zitek............................................370 Mike Mayerck...................................352 Dave Griffin.......................................368 Bob Daggy........................................375 Bryan House......................................338 Lynn Wade........................................404 John LaRocco..................................389 Mike Prior...........................................413 Chris Gurchiek..................................342 Scott Huss..........................................355 Don King............................................344 Dave Wyss.........................................326 Todd Schroeder................................405 Todd Schroeder................................352 Terry Beyna.......................................317 Dan Latka.........................................320 Matt Gainer......................................377 Matt Gainer......................................343 Jeff Allen...........................................311 Ryan Knox.........................................369 Ryan Duncheon...............................411 Ryan Duncheon...............................354 Ryan Duncheon...............................363 Jared Dufault....................................394 Jon Peacock....................................406 Nate Whitney....................................339 Nate Whitney....................................344 Ryan Anetsberger............................329 Chris Frank.........................................333 Ryan Anetsberger............................328 Kevin Dubler......................................358
Runs
Guy Homoly........................................33 Tom Monschein..................................26 Tom Monschein..................................25 Dave Nichols.......................................25 Bergman & Hogan.............................25 Dave Bergman...................................26 Gary Krieger........................................23 Jeff Gilbert..........................................35 Greg Linhart........................................26 Jeff Zitek..............................................22 Mike Bock............................................23 Lynn Wade..........................................31 Rick Powell..........................................34 Tom Hennrich......................................49 Mike Prior.............................................44 Bryan House........................................49 Mike Prior.............................................63 Frank Mustari.......................................40 Meece & Mustari................................41 Tony Simmonds...................................45 Scott Lothery.......................................42 Tony Simmonds...................................43 Todd Schroeder..................................48 Renaldo Gallagher............................34 Mark Dorencz.....................................50 Greg Mote..........................................51 Andy Scholfield..................................47 Tyler Turnquist......................................34 Ryan Knox...........................................54 Jeff Allen.............................................66 Duncheon & Knox..............................59 Seth Von Behren.................................57 Jared Dufault......................................58 Jon Peacock......................................44 Jeremy Pickrel ...................................42 Nate Whitney......................................41 Matt Bolt..............................................44 Matt Bolt..............................................43 Kevin Dubler........................................36 Kevin Dubler........................................46
Hits
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Tom Klein.............................................47 Ernie Pedersen....................................33 Tom Monschein..................................34 Rich Olson...........................................38 Dan Hogan.........................................43 Dave Bergman...................................40 Mike Bonczyk......................................36 Gary Krieger........................................53 Mike Martinez.....................................42 Greg Linhart........................................44 Mike Mayerck.....................................38 Lynn Wade..........................................46 Lynn Wade..........................................44 Tom Hennrich......................................46 Lynn Wade..........................................59 Prior & House.......................................54 Mike Prior.............................................76 Scott Huss............................................58 Frank Mustari.......................................65 Tony Simmonds...................................57 Tony Simmonds...................................68 Todd Schroeder..................................81 Todd Schroeder..................................69 Terry Beyna.........................................52 Mark Dorencz.....................................70 Matt Gainer........................................75 Greg Mote..........................................72 Dan Latka...........................................56 Jason Sands........................................73 Ryan Duncheon.................................79 Knox & Mitchell...................................78 Jared Dufault......................................79 Jared Dufault......................................80 Jon Peacock......................................76 Jeremy Pickrel....................................64 Nate Whitney......................................75 Ryan Anetsberger..............................68 Ryan Anetsberger..............................67 Kevin Dubler........................................63 Kevin Dubler........................................68
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Fox & Homoly........................................8 Ernie Pedersen......................................7 Bob Newman.......................................7 Mitch Nowicki.......................................9 Dan Hogan...........................................7 Bergman & Reifeiss..............................5 Ted Nelson............................................6 Gary Krieger........................................10 Greg Linhart..........................................7 Greg Linhart..........................................9 Mike Mayerck.....................................14 Mike Bock............................................10 Mike Bock............................................10 House & Rhodes...................................9 Lynn Wade..........................................15 Bryan House........................................15 Scott Huss............................................14 Frank Mustari.......................................12 Scott Meece.......................................12 Ray Ledinsky.......................................13 Wyss & Simmonds...............................15 Todd Schroeder..................................20 Brad James.........................................16 Terry Beyna.........................................13 Austin & Dorencz................................13 Greg Mote..........................................22 Greg Mote..........................................17 Dan Latka...........................................17 Tyler Turnquist......................................16 Seth Von Behren.................................18 Ryan Knox...........................................16 Ryan Duncheon.................................20 Ryan Cantrell......................................16 Peacock, Cantrell..............................17 Jeremy Pickrel....................................17 Nate Whitney......................................16 Three tied with....................................13 Dubler & O’Brien................................13 Kevin Dubler........................................20 Kevin Dubler........................................23
Doubles
kevin tokarski
tom weighaus 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Triples
Tom Klein...............................................6 Steve Pultorak.......................................4 Dave Nichols.........................................4 Rich Olson.............................................6 Mitch Nowicki.......................................2 Three tied with......................................1 Mike Bonczyk........................................4 Jeff Zitek................................................4 Koopman, Martinez.............................3 Jeff Zitek................................................5 Hennrich, Schoenberg........................2 Lynn Wade............................................3 Jim Rhodes............................................4 Lynn Wade............................................4 Mike Prior...............................................4 Prior & Earl.............................................3 Mike Prior...............................................8 Scott Huss..............................................5 Chris Gurchiek......................................5 Tony Simmonds.....................................3 Lothery, Simmonds...............................3 Todd Schroeder..................................10 Kevin Gockel........................................5 Beyna & Dorencz.................................3 Austin & Beyna.....................................2 Dan Latka.............................................3 Stephen Gadlage................................2 Dan Latka.............................................4 Jason Sands..........................................6 Four tied with........................................3 Jared Dufault........................................6 Jared Dufault........................................3 Jared Dufault........................................7 Scott Legan..........................................2 Four tied with........................................2 Chris Shepherd.....................................4 Five Players............................................2 Ryan Anetsberger................................3 Mike Tokarski.........................................3 Dubler & Stalowy..................................3
ryan duncheon 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Home Runs
Guy Homoly..........................................7 Brownlee & Gardner............................1 Dave Nichols.........................................2 Mitch Nowicki.......................................7 Rich Olson.............................................4 Dave Bergman.....................................3 Gary Krieger..........................................2 Gilbert & Krieger...................................4 Greg Linhart..........................................3 Jeff Zitek................................................5 Bock & Schoenberg.............................2 Dave Griffin...........................................7 Mike Bock..............................................7 Daggy & Wade....................................4 Lynn Wade..........................................15 Mike Prior...............................................7 Mike Prior.............................................19 Frank Mustari.......................................10 Frank Mustari.......................................15 Ledinski & Wyss.....................................4 Scott Lothery.........................................8 Scott Lothery.......................................12 Brad James.........................................19 Maurice Austin......................................6 Mark Dorencz.......................................8 Matt Gainer........................................14 Matt Gainer........................................12 Jeff Allen...............................................6 Ryan Knox.............................................8 Allen & Duncheon..............................18 Ryan Duncheon.................................23 Ryan Duncheon.................................13 Mike Saunches...................................13 Jon Peacock........................................9 Jeremy Pickrel....................................12 Jeremy Pickrel....................................11 Matt Bolt................................................5 Kevin Dubler..........................................4 Matt Bolt................................................7 Kevin Dubler..........................................9
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
7 :: Former Redbird pitcher Neal Cotts became the second Illinois State player to win a World Series, as the Chicago White Sox claimed the 2005 crown. Cotts, a reliever for the
White Sox, gave up one hit and didn’t allow an earned run in six appearances during the playoffs. Cotts earned the win in game two against the Houston Astros.
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Stolen Bases
Guy Homoly........................................18 Tom Monschein..................................11 Mark Chuvala.......................................7 Mike Reifeiss..........................................6 Jim Warning..........................................7 Dave Bergman...................................12 Blake Tekotte......................................10 Blake Tekotte......................................23 Dave Koopman..................................13 Greg Linhart........................................11 Wes Schoenberg..................................9 Bob Daggy..........................................24 Bryan House........................................27 Tom Hennrich......................................16 Mike Prior.............................................19 Bryan House........................................20 Mike Prior.............................................20 Ray Ledinsky.........................................9 Gurchiek, Watson..............................11 Tony Simmonds.....................................9 Three tied with......................................8 Mark Dorencz.....................................10 Tony Simmonds...................................13 Renaldo Gallagher............................21 Maurice Austin....................................18 Andy Schofield...................................14 Andy Schofield...................................14 Jeff Allen.............................................10 Gavric, Pyfer.......................................11 Allen & Turnquist.................................12 Todd Mitchell......................................14 Seth Von Behren.................................16 Ed Tolzien.............................................12 Jeremy Accardo..................................9 Jeremy Pickrel....................................15 Jeremy Pickrel ...................................16 Matt Bolt..............................................16 Kevin Dubler..........................................8 Collin Salzenstein................................18 Kevin Tokarski......................................32
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
RBI
Tom Klein.............................................29 Ernie Pedersen....................................18 Mark Chuvala.....................................19 Bergman & Nowicki...........................23 Dave Bergman...................................22 Rich Olson...........................................19 Mike Bonczyk......................................21 Jeff Gilbert..........................................36 Tom Wieghaus....................................17 Tom Wieghaus....................................27 Mike Mayerck.....................................19 Dave Griffin.........................................33 Mike Bock............................................32 Lynn Wade..........................................31 Lynn Wade..........................................45 Mike Prior.............................................37 Mike Prior.............................................70 Frank Mustari.......................................48 Frank Mustari.......................................46 Dave Wyss...........................................36 Dave Wyss...........................................44 Brad James.........................................42 Brad James.........................................75 Terry Beyna.........................................30 Maurice Austin....................................43 Matt Gainer........................................54 Matt Gainer........................................54 Jeff Allen.............................................28 Tyler Turnquist......................................47 Ryan Duncheon.................................68 Ryan Duncheon ................................64 Ed Tolzien.............................................57 Mike Saunches...................................68 Jon Peacock......................................48 Jeremy Pickrel....................................39 Matt Bolt..............................................40 Kris Jenkins...........................................34 Jesse Griswold....................................38 Kevin Dubler........................................37 Kevin Dubler........................................56
Buzz Capra............................................7 Housman & Sperry................................5 Three tied with......................................3 DeWerff & Steinbach...........................4 John DeWerff........................................5 Dave Opyd...........................................7 Mike Mackie.........................................7 Neubauer, Huber.................................7 Mark Huber...........................................6 Mark Huber...........................................4 Tim Hallquist..........................................4 Three tied with......................................3 Three tied with......................................5 Duane Johnson....................................6 Doug Boehm........................................6 Boehm, Reibel......................................6 Boehm, Hodges....................................6 Dan Freed.............................................5 Freed, Wagner.....................................6 Dan Freed.............................................5 Paul Wagner.........................................8 Ed Stryker...............................................8 Matt Herges..........................................8 Duffy & Herges......................................4 Casey Fisk..............................................7 Three tied with......................................6 Brian Okrasinski.....................................7 Jason Pearson......................................4 Keola Delatori.......................................7 Brian Forystek........................................6 Eric Eckenstahler..................................8 Cotts & Forystek....................................7 Steve Hecker........................................9 Three tied with......................................4 Kyle Zaleski............................................6 Kyle Bloom ...........................................6 Eric Theisen............................................6 Ian Berger..............................................6 Ryan Copeland....................................4 Eric Theisen............................................5
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Buzz Capra.......................................68.1 Paul Sperry.......................................56.2 Bob Housman..................................53.1 Bob Newman..................................50.2 Mark Wronkiewicz...........................46.2 Dave Opyd......................................62.2 Dave Opyd......................................70.2 Jim Olivieri........................................69.2 Mark Hubera....................................87.1 Mark Huber......................................49.1 Tim Millner.........................................48.1 Don Borgini.......................................45.1 Todd Walker.....................................54.1 Duane Johnson...............................52.2 Doug Boehm...................................53.1 Doug Boehm...................................73.0 Dan Freed........................................60.0 Dan Freed........................................61.2 Dan Freed........................................88.1 Dan Freed........................................82.0 Scott Brown......................................93.0 Ed Stryker........................................104.1 Matt Herges.....................................80.1 Matt Herges.....................................94.2 Paul O’Malley..................................88.0 Todd Keck......................................104.2 Kevin McMahon..............................79.1 Brian Okrasinski................................70.2 Eric Eckenstahler.............................75.2 B.J. Burkhart.....................................80.0 B.J. Burkhart...................................105.0 Neal Cotts........................................97.0 Neal Cotts........................................87.1 Mike Quinlan....................................73.0 Kyle Bloom.......................................77.2 Kyle Bloom.......................................75.0 Eric Theisen.......................................69.0 Ian Berger.........................................84.2 Eric Theisen.......................................79.1 Ryan Copeland...............................89.1
Innings Pitched
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Strikeouts
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Buzz Capra.......................................... 71 Paul Sperry..........................................60 Bob Housman.....................................40 Bob Newman.....................................50 Tom Thezan.........................................29 Jim Alton.............................................36 Dave Boyd..........................................43 Jim Olivieri...........................................50 Mark Huber.........................................66 Tim Millner............................................56 Tim Millner............................................37 Don Borgini..........................................32 Greg Troemel......................................35 Dave Wampler...................................26 Doug Boehm......................................27 Greg Troemel......................................58 Jay Darnell..........................................43 Jay Darnell..........................................48 Dan Freed...........................................57 Dan Freed...........................................41 Scott Brown.........................................61 Ed Stryker.............................................65 Matt Herges........................................61 Matt Herges........................................90 Paul O’Malley.....................................62 Paul O’Malley.....................................72 Kevin McMahon.................................53 Brian Okrasinski...................................51 Eric Eckenstahler................................96 Brian Forystek......................................68 Eric Eckenstahler................................74 Neal Cotts.........................................104 Neal Cotts.........................................113 Kyle Bloom..........................................55 Kyle Bloom..........................................79 Kyle Bloom..........................................85 Ned Schauff........................................61 Ian Berger............................................69 Eric Theisen..........................................44 Ryan Copeland..................................72
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Paul Sperry.......................................1.03 Bob Housman..................................0.98 Dan Steinbach................................2.98 John DeWerff...................................2.08 Mark Wronkiewicz...........................2.12 Mike Mackie....................................1.86 Mike Mackie....................................1.84 Tim Hallam........................................1.37 Mark Huber......................................1.36 Dave Arvola.....................................1.53 Tim Hallquist.....................................3.72 Don Borgini.......................................6.35 Todd Walker.....................................1.16 Duane Johnson...............................2.05 Doug Boehm...................................3.54 Tom Hammerton.............................2.70 Jay Darnell.......................................3.32 Matt Hodges....................................3.94 Paul Wagner....................................2.40 Dan Freed........................................2.52 Cory Tasche.....................................1.93 Ed Stryker..........................................3.36 Nick Boratto.....................................3.78 Tom Duffy.........................................3.19 Brian Okrasinski................................2.68 Mark Hahn.......................................3.44 Brian Okrasinski................................3.18 Kevin McMahon..............................3.33 Brian Forystek...................................3.26 Jason Pearson.................................3.92 B.J. Burkhart.....................................3.34 Neal Cotts........................................3.25 Neal Cotts........................................2.89 Mike Quinlan....................................3.95 Dave Macdonald...........................3.93 Todd Stein........................................3.98 Eric Theisen.......................................3.00 Kitt Kopach......................................4.17 Jim Sajewich....................................2.89 Eric Theisen.......................................3.74
ERA
6 :: Illinois State, seeded sixth in the six-team field at the 1994 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, upset top-seeded Wichita State in the first round and went on to claim its
first MVC Tournament title by beating Bradley in the finals.
History and Records
dan freed
WINS
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
35
Dave bergman
Kyle Bloom
National Honors College Division Coach of the Year
1969
Duffy Bass
College Division All-America
1966 1969
P OF
Ed Sennett Guy Homoly
Sporting News All-America Team
1974
2000 2008
OF
Dave Bergman
Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team P P INF
Kyle Bloom Dave MacDonald Kevin Tokarski
ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest First Team
1998 2001
OF DH
Jeff Allen Mike Saunches
History and Records
NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
36
1976
1B OF
Gary Krieger Mike Bonczyk
MVC Honors 1983 1984 1985 1988 1989 1990 1993 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2005 2007 1982 1983 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997
All-MVC First Team
OF SP 2B OF C SP SP DH SP UT UT 3B OF C DH SP OF C P OF DH SS OF DH
Lynn Wade Doug Boehm Bryan House Mike Prior Loren White Dan Freed Bruce Prybylinski Dave Wyss Paul Wagner Todd Schroeder Maurice Austin Tyler Turnquist Jeff Allen Ryan Duncheon Ryan Duncheon Eric Eckenstahler Jared Dufault Ryan Duncheon Neal Cotts Jared Dufault Mike Saunches Jeremy Accardo Matt Bolt Kevin Dubler
All-MVC Second Team SP SS DH 3B 3B SP C SS C 1B OF SS SP 1B 2B RP OF
Duane Johnson Paul Giersz Jay Hoffman Frank Mustari Frank Mustari Paul Wagner Don King Tony Simmonds Don Prybylinski Todd Schroeder Brad James Mark Dorencz Paul O’Malley Matt Gainer Greg Mote Bill Brabec Ryan Knox
Jared dufault
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2006 2007 2008
P RP OF SS SP 3B U 2B DH OF 3B 3B C RP
Guy Homoly
Eric Eckenstahler Jason Pearson Ryan Knox Todd Mitchell Brian Forystek Seth Von Behren Ryan Cantrell Jon Peacock Brad Bouris Jeremy Pickrel Ryan Anetsberger Ryan Anetsberger Kevin Dubler Eric Theisen
All-MVC Honorable Mention
1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 1985 1989 1990 1994 1997 1999
2B OF SP C 3B OF OF SP SS OF OF OF RP 2B 3B UT OF OF SP OF P 2B OF OF OF SP OF 1B OF SP RP P OF OF RP RP RF C 2B CF 1B UT SP
Randy Gentile Scott Lothery Cory Tasche Don Prybylinski Tony Simmonds Brad James Scott Lothery Ed Stryker Mark Dorencz Tom Duffy Andy Schofield Dan Latka Brian Okrasinski Don Spaniak Greg Mote Matt Gainer Andy Schofield Dan Latka Brian Okrasinski Jeff Allen Jason Pearson Todd Mitchell Mane Gavric Jim Pyfer Jared Dufault Neal Cotts Ed Tolzien Ed Tolzien Ryan Cantrell Mike Quinlan Jeremy Accardo Kyle Bloom Nate Whitney Nate Whitney Kyle Zaleski Eric Theisen Matt Bolt Kevin Dubler Jesse Griswold Kris Jenkins Jesse Griswold Kyle O’Brien Ryan Copeland
1994 2008 1993 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2004 2005 2006 1992 1994 1998 1999 2000
Frank Olivieri
MVC Tournament MVP OF
Matt Gainer
MVC Freshman of the Year INF
Kevin Tokarski
MVC Player of the Week SS UT 1B OF C OF 1B C 3B OF DH OF 2B RF
Mark Dorencz Casey Fisk Seth Von Behren Jeff Allen Ryan Duncheon Ryan Knox Seth Von Behren Ryan Duncheon Seth Von Behren Ryan Cantrell Mike Saunches Matt Bolt Lee Fischer Matt Bolt
MVC PITCHER of the Week SP SP RP RP SP SP SP SP
Corey Tasche Paul O’Malley Jason Pearson Jason Pearson Eric Eckenstahler B.J. Burkhart Neal Cotts Eric Eckenstahler
Mike Prior
2001 2002 2003 2005 2007
Neal Cotts Brian Forystek Neal Cotts Neal Cotts Mike Quinlan Dave Macdonald Matt Fowles Ned Schauff Eric Theisen
MVC SCHOLAR ATHLETE FIRST TEAM
1984 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004
C P P OF 1B SS 3B 2B OF 3B RP SP SP RP OF SP SP OF OF
Jim Pacanowski Brad Lueders Bob Reibel Greg Bee Todd Reeser Jason Sands Jason Sands Jay Anderson Ryan Knox Jason Sands David Schoeberlein Neal Cotts Eric Eckenstahler David Schoeberlein Ryan Cantrell Neal Cotts Dave Schoeberlein Ryan Cantrell Nate Whitney
MVC All-Tournament Team C C P 2B OF UT P OF SP DH OF
Loren White Don Prybylinski Ed Stryker Don Spaniak Matt Gainer Casey Fisk Mark Hahn Ryan Knox B.J. Burkhart Ryan Duncheon Ryan Knox
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
SP SP SP SP SP RP RP SP SP
Paul Wagner
neal cotts
5 :: Lee “Buzz” Capra became Illinois State’s first alumnus to be named a Major League All-Star in 1974. Capra finished ninth in Cy Young voting and earned a spot on the
National League All-Star Team while pitching for the Atlanta Braves. He finished the season with a 16-8 record and led the NL with a 2.28 ERA.
Illinois STate Honors Retired Numbers
13 12 9
Coach Duffy Bass OF Dave Bergman P Lee “Buzz” Capra
1994 1998 2003
DUFFY BASS
ISU Hall of Fame Stanley Changnon Howard Hancock James Johnson William Kuhfuss Richard Tate Fred Young Richard Baldrini Paul Benjamin John Dal Santo Larry Kindred Dean Burridge Marvin Hamilton Clifford Horton Milton Kadlec Richard Kavanagh Bob Riggenbach Bill Sarver Lee “Buzz” Capra Richard Conrad Harold E. Frye Guy Homoly Paul Sperry Sam Chicas Roger Francour Les Hellemann Frank Olivieri Ernie Pedersen Tom Klein Henry Porter Harrison Russell Dan Hogan Larry Hallaert George Matthews Dave Trayser Dave Bergman Tom Hodgson Rich Olson Glen Jacquat Duffy Bass James Bowers Carl Eichstaedt Joe Garnero Irish O’Reilly Harold Swartzbaugh Henry Kaiser Claude Kracik 1969 Baseball Team Jim Tague Mike Prior John Swart Ed Sennett Glen Honsbruch Tom Wieghaus Mark Huber
Head Coach 1964-88 713-457-18 Record 1969 NCAA College Division National Championship 1969 College Division Coach of the Year Inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1995 Took his ISU teams to six post-season NCAA Tournaments Taught as a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Recreation.
DAVE BERGMAN First Base/Outfield 1971-74 .365 Career Batting Average 63 Career RBI First Redbird NCAA Division I All-American Played 17 Major League seasons with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers
LEE “BUZZ” CAPRA
Student-Athlete of the Year OF
Matt Gainer
Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2B P
Starting Pitcher 1967-69
Jay Anderson Josh Kauten
17-5 Career Record 1.58 Career ERA
All-Americans
1969 NCAA College Division National Championship
All-MVC First Team
Played seven Major League seasons with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves
6
24
Named an All-Star in 1974. Finished 9th in Cy Young voting after posting a 16-8 record and a 2.28 ERA.
All-Mvc Selections
98
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
History and Records
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1985 1986 1989 1991 1995 1996 2000 2000 2004
Retired Numbers
4 :: Fifty years before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, George Green coached Illinois State’s baseball team in 1897, thereby becoming the
university’s first African-American head coach. The local barber had reportedly played professionally before pro baseball became segregated in the 1890s.
37
YeaR-BY-YEAR RESULTS
History and Records
Team W L T
38
pct
Team W L T
REDBIRD HEAD COACHES
pct
1890
2
0
0 1.000
1956
18 10
0 .642
1894
6
3
0 .667
1957
15 10
0 .600
1895
7
2
0 .778
1958
18 13
0 .580
1896
1
3
0 .250
1959
8
17
0 .320
1901
1
2
0 .333
1960
12 12
0 .500
1902
0
6
0 .000
1961
20 11
0 .645
1904
0
4
0 .000
1962
13 15
0 .464
1905
1
7
0 .125
1963
12 16
0 .428
1907
1
7
0 .125
1964
13 19
0 .406
1908
0
1
0 .000
1965
11 16
0 .407
1909
9
1
0 .900
1966
28
4
0 .875
1911
1
7
0 .142
1967
20 13
1 .602
1912
5
4
0 .555
1968
27
7
0 .794
1913
1
4
0 .200
1969
33
5
0 .868
1914
0
7
0 .000
1970
22
7
0 .758
1915
1
6
1 .187
1971
17 20
0 .459
1916
1
7
0 .125
1972
21 12
0 .636
1917
2
1
0 .667
1973
21 11
0 .656
1920
7
2
0 .777
1974
20 14
0 .588
1921
5
4
0 .555
1975
21 19
0 .525
1922
2
6
0 .333
1976
26 18
0 .590
1923
2
6
0 .333
1977
13 22
1 .375
1924
1
6
0 .166
1978
14 19
0 .424
1925
4
7
0 .363
1979
16 16
0 .500
1926
4
7
0 .363
1980
17 26
0 .395
1927
4
9
0 .307
1981
29 13
0 .690
1928
7
5
0 .583
1982
24 19
3 .554
1929
6
7
0 .461
1983
27 15
0 .642
1930
7
8
0 .466
1984
33 14
1 .697
1931
5
5
0 .500
1985
34 18
3 .645
1932
5
7
0 .416
1986
24 31
3 .439
1933
5
10
1 .343
1987
30 23
0 .566
1934
12
4
0 .750
1988
21 25
2 .458
1935
7
7
0 .500
1989
26 34
0 .433
1936
11
7
0 .611
1990
26 31
0 .456
1937
10 10
0 .500
1991
27 33
0 .450
1938
10 10
0 .500
1992
21 31
0 .403
1939
10 10
0 .500
1993
28 31
0 .474
1940
9
8
0 .529
1994
30 29
0 .508
1941
9
10
0 .473
1995
25 28
1 .472
1942
9
7
1 .558
1996
19 34
0 .358
1943
9
5
0 .642
1997
29 26
0 .527
1944
7
8
0 .466
1998
32 22
0 .592
1945
9
5
0 .642
1999
35 24
0 .593
1946
3
11
0 .214
2000
27 28
0 .490
1947
7
7
0 .500
2001
31 22
0 .584
1948
10 14
1 .420
2002
24 30
0 .444
1949
15 11
0 .576
2003
23 29
0 .442
1950
11 11
1 .500
2004
21 34
0 .381
1951
16
8
0 .667
2005
26 27
0 .490
1952
8
18
0 .307
2006
20 33
0 .377
1953
7
19
0 .269
2007
20 32
0 .384
1954
19
5
0 .791
2008
22 30
0 .423
1955
15 10
0 .600
1,516-1,464-20 .508
George binnEwies 1909 9-1 (All Games)
Harrison Russell 1911-23 27-54-1 (All Games)
Clifford horton 1924-32 43-61 (All Games)
Howard Hancock 1933-46 120-112-2 (All Games)
Harold Frye 1947-63 224-207-2 (All Games)
Duffy Bass 1964-88 713-457-18 (All Games)
Jeff Stewart 1989-2002 380-403-1 (Spring Only)
Jim Brownlee 2003-present 132-185 (Spring Only)
No-hitters YEar Pitcher Score 1962 Bill Evans Illinois State 10, Southern Illinois 0 1964 Bill Evans Illinois State 1, Lewis 0 1966 Irish O’Reilly Illinois State 2, Illinois Wesleyan 0 1969 John Zotz Illinois State 2, Southeast Louisiana 0 1971 John Shay, Dan Steinbach, Illinois State 5, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 0 Bob Newman, Phil Fox, Bob Seeds 1976 Jim Olivieri, Jim Roach, Illinois State 9, Valparaiso 0 Gary Neubauer, Tim Hallam 1981 Duane Johnson Illinois State 6, Illinois-Chicago 0 (7) 1982 Dave Wampler Illinois State 16, Valparaiso 0 (5) 1987 Paul Wagner Illinois State 9, Chicago State 0
MILESTONE VICTORIES Win Score Year Significance 1 Illinois State 13, Illinois Wesleyan 9 1890 First Victory 100 Illinois State 3, Illinois Wesleyan 0 1933 100th Victory 200 Illinois State 13, Illinois Wesleyan 10 1944 200th Victory 300 Illinois State 9, Western Illinois 1 1954 300th Victory 400 Illinois State 4, Indiana Central 0 1961 400th Victory Illinois State 2, Keesler Air Base 0 1964 Duffy Bass’ First Career Victory Illinois State 6, Youngstown State 3 1966 First Postseason Victory 500 Illinois State 3, Southern Alabama 0 1967 500th Victory Illinois State 12, Missouri State 0 1969 College Division National Championship 600 Illinois State 4, MacMurray 0 1971 600th Victory 700 Illinois State 4, Southeast Missouri 1 1976 700th Victory Illinois State 5, Southern Illinois 2 1976 First Division I Postseason Victory 800 Illionis State 29, Illinois Wesleyan 9 1981 800th Victory Illinois State 1, Southern Illinois 0 1982 First Missouri Valley Conference Victory Illinois State 17, Southern Illinois 6 1984 First Missouri Valley Tournament Victory 900 Illinois State 5, Bradley 1 1985 900th Victory Illinois State 9, Valparaiso 4 1988 Duffy Bass’ 700th Career Victory 1,000 Illinois State 2, Marietta 0 1988 1000th Victory 1,100 Illinois State 9, Northeastern Illinois 0 1992 1,100th Victory Illinois State 18, Bradley 10 1994 Missouri Valley Tournament Championship 1,200 Illinois State 12, Canisius 2 1996 1,200th Victory 1,300 Illinois State 14, Seton Hall 12 2000 1,300th Victory 1,400 Illinois State 8, Indiana State 5 2003 1,400th Victory 1,483 Illinois State 5, Valparaiso 1 2008 Jim Brownlee’s 800th Career Victory 1,500 Illinois State 13, Bucknell 6 2008 1,500th Victory
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
3 :: In 1964, legendary head coach Duffy Bass was hired to take over the Illinois State baseball program. Bass guided the program to a 712-457-18 record and to six postseason tournaments.
Bass earned 1969 NCAA College Division Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Redbirds to the College Division National Championship. Bass was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1995.
ALL-TIME RECORD VS. Opponents Team W L T First Last Indiana Central 6 0 0 1961 1970 Indiana Southeast 2 0 0 1982 1982 Indiana State 66 92 0 1948 2008 Iona 1 0 0 2001 2001 Iowa 9 7 0 1975 2008 Ithaca College 1 0 0 1984 1984 Jackson State (Miss.) 1 2 0 1970 1978 Jacksonville 0 1 0 2004 2004 Jacksonville State 1 0 2 1980 1980 Kansas State 2 4 0 1990 2007 Kentucky 1 2 0 1975 2005 Kentucky Wesleyan 2 1 0 1965 1967 Kirksville 2 0 0 1936 1936 Lafayette 1 0 0 2008 2008 Lake Forest 2 0 0 1964 1964 Lakeland 4 0 0 1966 1969 Lamar 0 2 0 1993 1993 Lambuth (Tenn.) 1 0 0 1937 1937 LaSalle 2 0 0 1984 1984 Lewis 17 9 0 1956 1992 Liberty 0 1 0 2002 2002 Lincoln 18 16 0 1894 1929 Louisiana State 6 8 0 1966 1980 Louisiana Tech 0 3 0 1935 1990 Louisville 8 8 0 1976 2007 Loyola-New Orleans 5 7 0 1968 1972 Lynn 1 0 0 1997 1997 MacMurray 16 2 0 1965 1979 Maine 2 0 0 1994 1994 Marietta (Ohio) 8 7 1 1981 1988 Marist 0 2 0 1996 2000 Maryville (Mo.) 3 0 0 1982 1986 Massachusetts 1 0 0 2005 2005 McKendree 12 4 0 1959 1992 Memphis 5 20 0 1972 2007 Miami (Fla.) 0 3 0 1992 1997 Miami (Ohio) 0 1 0 2005 2005 Middle Tennessee State 4 7 0 1968 1999 Millikin 15 13 0 1904 1983 Minnesota 1 6 0 1993 2006 Minnesota-Mankato 2 1 0 1963 1963 Minot State (N.D.) 2 0 0 1984 1984 Mississippi 0 4 0 1974 1977 Mississippi College 3 2 0 1941 1979 Mississippi Southern 4 1 0 1964 1967 Mississippi State 0 2 0 1990 1990 Missouri 1 6 0 1989 2006 Missouri-Rolla 7 0 0 1981 1986 Missouri State 27 44 0 1969 2008 Monmouth (Ill.) 0 1 0 1922 1922 Monmouth (N.J.) 2 0 0 1998 1999 Montevallo (Ala.) 0 1 1 1985 1985 Murray State 4 1 0 2003 2004 Nebraska 0 4 0 1994 2007 Nevada 0 1 0 1994 1994 New Mexico 1 0 0 2007 2007 New Orleans 5 17 0 1971 1987 Nicholls State (La.) 0 1 0 1970 1970 UNC-Asheville 1 0 0 2003 2003 UNC-Charlotte 1 2 0 1995 1995 North Central (Ill.) 4 3 0 1927 1938 North Florida 0 1 0 2004 2004 North Park 3 1 0 1967 1968 Northeastern Illinois 34 7 0 1975 1998 Northern Illinois 73 54 1 1930 2008 Northern Iowa 37 34 1 1940 2008 Northern Kentucky 13 0 0 1978 1985 Northwestern 7 12 0 1926 2006 Northwestern State (La.) 1 1 0 1957 1994 Notre Dame 16 8 0 1951 1979 Oakland City (Ind.) 1 0 0 1965 1965 Ohio Dominican 2 0 0 1979 1979 Ohio 1 1 0 2000 1995
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
Team W L T First Last Oklahoma State 0 2 0 1990 1994 Olivet (Mich.) 2 0 0 1981 1987 Olivet Nazarene 2 0 0 1998 1998 Oral Roberts 0 1 0 2002 2002 Pace 3 0 0 1992 1999 Penn 1 1 0 2003 2003 Penn State 0 1 0 2003 2003 Puget Sound 1 0 0 1969 1969 Purdue 11 13 0 1946 2008 Quincy 4 1 0 1954 1959 Rhode Island 1 0 0 2000 2000 Rhodes (Tenn.) 4 3 0 1964 1967 Robert Morris College (Ill.) 1 0 0 2008 2008 Rockford 2 0 0 1980 1980 Rutgers 0 1 0 2001 2001 St. Ambrose 1 0 0 1994 1994 St. Joseph’s (Ind.) 4 2 0 1995 2000 St. Joseph’s (Pa.) 0 1 0 1984 1984 Saint Louis 38 21 0 1936 2008 St. Mary’s 2 0 0 1980 1980 St. Viator 1 5 0 1927 1932 St. Xavier 11 12 0 1989 2007 Sam Houston State 0 1 0 1993 1993 Seton Hall 3 1 0 1996 2000 Shurtleff 0 3 0 1909 1933 South Alabama 3 2 0 1967 1988 South Dakota State 1 0 0 2005 2005 Southeast Missouri State 9 3 1 1976 2007 Southeastern Louisiana 5 8 0 1958 1976 Southern Illinois 71 76 1 1948 2008 Southern Mississippi 1 2 0 2006 2006 SIU-Edwardsville 6 5 1 1970 1989 Southern Indiana 0 1 1 1977 1977 Spring Hill (Ala.) 1 1 0 1967 1968 Stetson 1 2 0 2005 2005 Tennessee-Martin 1 0 0 1994 1994 Tennessee Tech 1 2 1 1986 2008 Texas A & M 0 3 0 1993 1993 Texas-Arlington 0 1 0 2007 2007 Texas Christian 1 0 0 1990 1990 Troy State 1 1 0 1989 1989 Truman State 2 0 0 1936 1936 Tulane 4 10 0 1968 1989 Tuskegee (Ala.) 1 0 0 1969 1969 Union (Tenn.) 1 0 0 1970 1970 Upper Iowa 2 0 0 1940 1942 Valparaiso 18 5 1 1969 2008 Vanderbilt 4 4 0 1937 2005 Vermont 1 0 0 2006 2006 Villanova 2 0 0 1984 1999 Wagner 4 0 0 1998 2001 Washington (Mo.) 16 10 1 1938 1971 Wayne State (Mich.) 2 1 0 1973 1989 West Chester (Penn.) 1 0 0 1979 1979 West Virginia 0 1 0 2001 2001 Western Illinois 80 73 1 1925 2003 Western Kentucky 12 11 0 1983 2005 Western Michigan 0 2 0 1956 2008 Wichita State 15 81 0 1984 2008 William Carey 1 2 0 1967 1968 Wingate 1 0 0 1983 1983 Winona State (Minn.) 1 0 0 1905 1905 Winthrop 0 1 1 1995 1995 Wisconsin 2 0 0 1991 1991 UW-La Crosse 0 0 1 1984 1984 UW-Milwaukee 20 2 0 1965 2005 UW-Oshkosh 4 2 0 1968 1972 UW-Platteville 3 0 0 1950 1952 UW-Whitewater 5 0 0 1969 1973 Wittenburg (Ohio) 1 1 0 1966 1968 Xavier 3 1 0 1994 1994
2 :: The Redbirds open play in 2009 at the newly-constructed stadium surrounding award-winning Duffy Bass Field. The $3.2 million project included chair-back seating for 1,000
spectators, ticket booths, an open concourse with concession stands, bathrooms and a state-of-the-art press box facility.
History and Records
Team W L T First Last Akron 1 1 0 1997 2008 Alabama 0 2 0 1991 1991 Alabama-Birmingham 8 11 0 1983 1991 Arkansas 2 7 0 1950 2007 Arkansas State 3 0 0 1949 1974 Auburn 3 2 0 1983 1991 Augustana 0 1 0 1915 1915 Aurora 2 0 0 1979 1979 Austin Peay 7 12 0 1982 2008 Ball State 8 8 0 1971 2006 Belmont 0 1 0 2005 2005 Bellarmine 17 5 0 1976 1980 Bethune-Cookman 1 2 0 2008 2008 Birmingham Southern 0 1 0 1990 1990 Boston College 1 0 0 1996 1996 Bradley 96 96 0 1901 2008 Brooklyn (N.Y.) 1 0 0 1986 1986 Brown 0 2 0 1974 1974 Brown’s Business College 1 0 0 1913 1913 Bucknell 2 0 0 2005 2008 Butler 7 2 0 1973 2004 California-Santa Barbara 1 0 0 2002 2002 Canisius 1 0 0 1996 1996 Carthage 1 0 0 1949 1949 Centenary (La.) 6 2 0 1957 1971 Central Connecticut State 1 0 0 1996 1996 Central Florida 1 0 0 1984 1984 Central Michigan 34 16 1 1951 2006 Charleston (W. Va.) 2 0 0 1989 1989 Chicago 10 3 0 1938 1958 Chicago State 8 5 1 1985 2008 Cincinnati 1 0 0 1998 1998 Colorado State 2 0 0 1990 1990 Columbia 1 0 0 1997 1997 Concordia 2 0 0 1945 1945 Connecticut 1 1 0 2004 2004 Cornell 1 0 0 2005 2005 Creighton 33 63 0 1984 2008 Cumberland (Tenn.) 0 2 0 1937 1937 Cutler 1 0 0 1983 1983 David Lipscomb 1 0 0 2005 2005 Davidson College 1 1 0 1995 1995 Dayton 6 3 0 1974 2006 Delta State (Miss.) 4 2 1 1968 1971 DePaul 1 1 0 1948 1948 Detroit Mercy 1 0 0 1973 1973 Duquesne 1 0 0 1998 1998 East Carolina 0 1 0 2001 2001 Eastern Illinois 79 83 1 1907 2008 Eastern Kentucky 2 1 0 1941 2008 Eastern Michigan 12 18 0 1951 1962 Eureka 35 28 0 1894 1950 Evansville 44 36 1 1948 2008 Fairleigh Dickinson 2 1 0 1996 2005 Florida Atlantic 4 0 0 1997 2001 Florida International 2 2 0 1992 1998 Florida State 0 1 0 2004 2004 Fordham 1 0 0 2002 2002 Fresno State 0 3 0 1994 2003 Georgia State 4 0 0 1983 1983 Georgia Tech 0 3 0 1983 1983 Gonzaga 0 2 0 2002 2003 Grand View (Iowa) 9 1 0 1984 1988 Hiram (Ohio) 1 0 0 1967 1967 Hoopston 0 1 0 1896 1896 Houston 0 1 0 1993 1993 Huntington (Ind.) 1 0 0 1983 1983 Illinois 29 43 0 1904 2008 Illinois-Chicago 27 10 0 1967 2008 Illinois College 11 17 0 1914 1937 Illinois Institute of Tech. 6 1 0 1950 2006 Illinois Wesleyan 82 70 0 1890 2008 Indiana 2 1 0 2000 2008
39
History and Records
1969 College division national champions
40
The 1969 Redbird baseball team claimed Illinois State’s first, and only, team national championship, when it won the NCAA College Division (now Division II) National Championship at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo. Under the direction of legendary head coach Duffy Bass, the 1969 Redbird baseball team went 33-5 overall. The following was taken from the August 1969 NCAA News: “Illinois State University is the 1969 College Division baseball champion. The Redbirds convincingly throttled the opposition in the second annual tournament, at Springfield, Mo., winning the four-team, doubleelimination tournament in three days. The wins were so convincing that Coach Duffy Bass used just three pitchers who gave up a total of two earned runs while beating Puget Sound 5-3, Southwest Missouri 5-1 and 12-0. Illinois State put five men on the All-Tourney team: catcher Dave Trayser, first baseman Tom Klein, second baseman Ernie Pedersen, right fielder Larry Hallaert and pitcher Bob Graczyk. Klein was named the most valuable player, edging teammate Buzz Capra. Capra pitched one game, played short in the other two. He made two outstanding plays in the first Southwest Missouri game at short. Klein had six hits in 13 at bats, hit two triples and a double and drive in six runs. He also scored three runs.” Illinois State won the championship without one of its top players, Guy Homoly, who missed the entire postseason after breaking his leg. Not only was the championship significant because it was the first of its kind by an Illinois State team, but it also proved, along with the softball team’s second-place finish in 1969 and basketball program’s increasing success, that Illinois State University was ready to take the next step and move to Division I. The 1969 College Division National Championship also served as the crowning moment of a golden decade for Illinois State baseball as the program posted winning records in 9-of-10 seasons from 1966 to 1976.
tom klein
1969 College Division Baseball Championship ROSTER
No. Name Pos. B/T Class Hometown 1 Dave Trayser C R/R JR Park Forest, Ill. 3 Larry Hallaert P L/L SR Hillside, Ill. 4 Tom Monschein INF R/R SO Staunton, Ill. 5 Dennis Fox INF R/R JR Bloomington, Ill. 6 Jim Brownlee INF R/R JR Lake Villa, Ill. 7 Greg Patton INF L/R JR Granite City, Ill. 8 Butch Law P R/R FR Waukegan, Ill. 9 Buzz Capra P R/R SR Chicago, Ill. 12 Rich Gordon P R/R SO Oak Lawn, Ill. 14 Ernie Pederson INF L/R JR Evergreen Park, Ill. 17 John Zotz P R/R JR Danville, Ill. 18 Mike Frase INF R/R SR Arlington Heights, Ill. 19 Bob Housman P L/L SO Oak Lawn, Ill. 20 Bob Gawlik OF L/R SR Chicago, Ill. 21 Steve Pultorak 1B L/R SO Westchester, Ill. 22 Gordon Murphy INF R/R SR Danville, Ill. 23 Tom Klein INF R/R JR Maywood, Ill. 25 Dave Zibert C R/R JR Pekin, Ill. 26 Don Witherow INF L/R SR Roxana, Ill. 28 Paul Sperry P R/R JR Blue Mountain, Ill. 37 Bob Graczyk P R/R SO Bellwood, Ill. Head Coach: Assistant Coach:
13 31
Duffy Bass Larry Winterholter
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
No.
1 :: The 1969 Redbird baseball team claimed Illinois State’s first team national championship when it won the NCAA College Division (now Division II) National Championship.
Under the direction of head coach Duffy Bass, the Redbirds went 33-5 overall and cruised through the tournament at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo.
Postseason History 1966 College Division Mideast Regional Springfield, ohio
Wittenberg 9, Illinois State 2 Illinois State 6, Youngstown 3
1967 College Division Mideast Regional Normal, Ill.
Illinois State 9, Kentucky Wesleyan 5 Illinois State 6, Hiram College 0
1968 College Division Mideast Regional
1967 Mideast regional Champs
1969 College Division Mideast Regional Cleveland, Miss.
Illinois State 7, Tuskegee 6 Illinois State 4, Valparaiso 0 Illinois State 7, Delta State 6
College Division National Championship Springfield, Mo.
Illinois State 5, Puget Sound 3 Illinois State 5, Missouri State 1 Illinois State 12, Missouri State 0
1970 College Division Mideast Regional Normal, Ill.
Illinois State 8, Union 1 SIU-Edwardsville 4, Illinois State 3 Nichols State 6, Illinois State 4
1976 NCAA Mideast Regional YPSILANTI, MiCH.
Illinois State 5, Southern Illinois 2 Eastern Michigan 3, Illinois State 0 Michigan 5, Illinois State 4
History and Records
In 1966, Illinois State had one of the best seasons in school history while claiming the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown and posting a blistering .875 winning percentage with a 28-4 mark, but the team failed in its quest to capture the Mid-East Regional. The ‘67 team used the momentum, and the loss, to capture the previously elusive regional title. Led by team MVP Dick Conrad, Les Coates, Lee Boyko and Steve Heaton on offense and in the field, and Ed Sennett, Joe Wischnowski and Buzz Capra on the mound, the Redbirds topped Kentucky Wesleyan and Hiram College in Normal for the crown. Illinois State’s win over Hiram College in the championship snapped the school’s 14-game winning streak. The Redbirds didn’t advance any further, however, as the NCAA did not have a College Division National Tournament until 1968.
Jackson, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee State 3, Illinois State 2 (11) Illinois State 8, Wittenberg 2 Middle Tennessee State 6, Illinois State 0
1994 NCAA Midwest Regional I
1994 MVC Tournament Champs Illinois State, seeded sixth in the six-team field, upset Wichita State in the first round and went on to claim its first Missouri Valley Tournament crown by defeating Bradley in the finals. Illinois State, subsequently, represented the Missouri Valley Conference, its first NCAA appearance as a member of the conference, in the NCAA Midwest I Regional at Stillwater, Okla. The Redbirds were defeated by top-seeded Oklahoma State, 8-2, and were eliminated by fifth-seeded Northwestern State, 8-2. Illinois State, which recorded its first winning season in seven years, reached the 30-win plateau for the first since a 30-23 mark in 1987. The Redbirds shocked the 1994 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Field by becoming the first sixth seed to win it all.
Stillwater, Okla.
Oklahoma State 8, Illinois State 2 Northwestern State 8, Illinois State 2 ^Automatic bids to the NCAA College Division National Tournament weren’t implemented until the 1968 season. *Illinois State was a member of the NCAA College Division (now referred to as NCAA Division II) until 1971.
41 NCAA PostSeason Tournament Appearances
7
All-Time NCAA Postseason REcord
13-11
NCAA College Division Postseason REcord
12-7
NCAA Division I Postseason RecorD
1-4
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
Illinois State won the Mid-East Regional that included Delta State, Tuskegee and Valparaiso to advance to the College Division Baseball Championship at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo. It was Illinois State’s fourth-consecutive appearance in a regional, and one of five in a row. Illinois State won the ‘67 regional but didn’t receive a national bid.
History and Records
Redbirds in the Pros
42
Name Pos. Organization Signed Jeremy Accardo RHP San Francisco Giants 2003 Ryan Anetsberger 3B Florida Marlins 2007 Jeff Allen OF San Francisco Giants 1998 Scott Behrens RHP Atlanta Braves 1990 Dave Bergman OF/1B New York Yankees 1974 Terry Beyna 3B Houston Astros 1993 Kyle Bloom LHP Pittsburgh Pirates 2004 Don Borgini RHP San Francisco Giants 1981 Lee Boyko OF San Francisco Giants 1968 Bill Brabec RHP Toronto Blue Jays 1995 Bob Breitzman 2B Chicago Cubs 1968 Scott Brown RHP Pittsburgh Pirates 1989 B.J. Burkhart LHP Milwaukee Brewers 1999 Lee “Buzz” Capra RHP New York Mets 1969 Rick Carone C Chicago White Sox 1990 Andy Cotner LHP New York Mets 1991 Neal Cotts LHP Oakland Athletics 2001 Tyler Cox LHP Pittsburgh Pirates 2008 Bob Daggy OF Detroit Tigers 1984 Keola Delatori RHP Chicago Cubs 1998 Mark Dorencz SS Houston Astros 1993 Kevin Dubler C Chicago White Sox 2008 Ryan Duncheon C Los Angeles Angels 2000 Eric Eckenstahler LHP Detroit Tigers 2000 Brian Forystek LHP Baltimore Orioles 2000 Matt Fowles RHP Arizona Diamondbacks 2005 Dan Freed RHP Montreal Expos 1988 Dan Frega RHP Cleveland Indians 2006 Randy Gentile IF Minnesota Twins 1989 James “Pim” Goff LHP New York Yankees 1934 Art Goreham RHP San Francisco Giants 1950 Jeff Gowan OF St. Louis Cardinals 1978 Bob Graczyk RHP San Diego Padres 1970 Dave Griffin OF/1B San Francisco Giants 1982 Chris Gurchiek OF Kansas City Royals 1987 Lee Handley OF Chicago Cubs 1956 Steve Hecker RHP Toronto Blue Jays 2001 Heith Heiberger LHP Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 Curt Heidenreich RHP Cincinnati Reds 1980 Matt Herges RHP Los Angeles Dodgers 1993 Dan Hogan SS New York Mets 1973 Guy Homoly OF San Francisco Giants 1969 Tom Houk SS Minnesota Twins 1988 Bryan House IF/OF Texas Rangers 1984 Mike Howard IF Minnesota Twins N/A Brad James OF Atlanta Braves 1990 Joe Kanitzke C San Francisco Giants N/A
Name Pos. Organization Signed Jason Karnuth RHP St. Louis Cardinals 1997 Josh Kauten RHP Detroit Tigers 2004 Larry Kindred OF Not available 1942 Tom Klein 1B Not available 1971 Ryan Knox OF Milwaukee Brewers 1999 Dan Kolb RHP Texas Rangers 1994 Kitt Kopach RHP Chicago Cubs 2006 Bob Lazarewicz LHP Not available 1961 Ray Ledinsky OF Los Angeles Angels 1989 Greg Linhart SS Philadelphia Phillies 1978 Tim Millner RHP Chicago Cubs 1979 Todd Mitchell SS New York Yankees 1999 Barry Molencupp C Los Angeles Dodgers 1978 Frank Mustari 3B Los Angeles Dodgers 1987 Mitch Nowicki C San Francisco Giants 1974 Paul O’Malley RHP Houston Astros 1994 Rick O’Neill 2B Atlanta Braves 1990 Henry “Irish” O’Reilly LHP Boston Red Sox 1966 Jason Pearson LHP Florida Marlins 1998 Ernie Pederson 2B Atlanta Braves 1971 Jeremy Pickrel OF Minnesota Twins 2004 Mike Prior OF Houston Astros 1986 Bruce Prybylinski RHP New York Yankees 1988 Don Prybylinski C St. Louis Cardinals 1990 Bob Riggenbach OF San Francisco Giants 1956 Jim Roach RHP Chicago White Sox 1976 Paul Robinson P Chicago Cubs 1955 Mike Saunches 1B New York Yankees 2002 Andy Schofield OF St. Louis Cardinals 1995 Todd Schroeder 1B Pittsburgh Pirates 1990 Anthony Shelby OF New York Yankees N/A Ed Sennett RHP Los Angeles Angels 1967 Paul Sperry RHP San Francisco Giants 1970 Todd Stein LHP Arizona Diamondbacks 2004 Ed Stryker RHP Los Angeles Dodgers 1990 Drew Thomas RHP San Diego Padres 1998 Ed Tolzien 1B Los Angeles Angels 2001 Tyler Turnquist IF/OF Houston Astros 1998 Lynn Wade OF Cleveland Indians 1982 Paul Wagner RHP Pittsburgh Pirates 1986 Loren White C Montreal Expos 1985 Nate Whitney OF San Diego Padres 2004 Tom Wieghaus C Montreal Expos 1978 Joe Wischnowski RHP San Francisco Giants 1967 Jeff Zitek IF San Francisco Giants 1978 Bob Zubeck IF Chicago Cubs 1950
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
Lee “Buzz” Capra was drafted by the New York Mets after the 1969 season, ending one of the greatest pitching careers by a Redbird. Capra went 17-5 with a 1.58 ERA during the championship season. Capra went on to star for the Atlanta Braves and earned a spot on the 1974 National League All-Star team.
Major League Pitching Totals
Major League Batting Totals
MLB NOTES 1905 - Ed Kinsella became Illinois State’s first major league player when he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1974 - Buzz Capra became Illinois State’s first alum to be named a Major League All-Star while pitching for the Atlanta Braves. Capra compiled a 16-8 record and led the National League with a 2.28 ERA. He finished ninth in Cy Young voting and 20th in MVP voting.
SLG SB CS .367 19 14 .200 0 0 .000 0 0
1984 - Dave Bergman became the first Illinois State player to win a world series while playing first base for the Detroit Tigers.
Jeremy Accardo - RHP - Toronto Blue Jays Accardo started the 2008 as the Blue Jays closer but his season ended after 16 games. Accardo posted an 0-3 record with four saves in 12.1 innings before elbow and forearm problems forced him to the disabled list. Accardo had hoped to capitalize on a breakout 2007 season in which he recorded career highs in wins (4), innings pitched (67.1), games (64), strikeouts (57), and saved 30 games in 35 chances. Accardo began the 2007 campaign with a 21.2 inning streak of scoreless baseball - the second-longest streak in Blue Jays history.
1995 - Paul Wagner came within one strike of a no-hitter while pitching for the for the Pirates against the NL West Champion Colorado Rockies.
Player Years G AB Dave Bergman 1975-1992 1349 2679 Ed Kinsella 1905-1910 13 15 Tom Wieghaus 1981-1984 8 11
R 312 2 0
H 2B 3B 690 100 16 3 0 0 0 0 0
HR 54 0 0
RBI 289 1 1
BB 380 6 1
SO BA 347 .258 0 .200 3 .000
OBP .348 .429 .077
Active player Notes
Ryan anetsberger - 3B - Florida Marlins (Greensboro Grasshoppers - High Class A) Anetsberger was named a mid-season All-Star in the New-York Penn League in 2007 and spent the entire 2008 season at Class A Greensboro. Anetsberger hit .265 with 16 doubles and three home runs in 69 games. Kyle Bloom - LHP - Detroit Tigers The 2008 season was a wild ride for Bloom - one that saw him begin the year as the opening-day starter for the Pirates’ Class AA affiliate Altoona Curve, be demoted to the bullpen, excel in a second chance in the rotation and dominate in the Hawaiian Winter League. Bloom posted the lowest ERA for a starter (1.50) in Hawaii and was the 9th pick in the Rule 5 Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He will likely make his MLB debut in 2009.
1994 - Gene Budig, former Illinois State University president, began a seven-year term as president of the American League.
2003 - Matt Herges posted a career-best 2.62 ERA in 79 innings with the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. Herges followed up the campaign with 23 saves as the Giants closer in 2004. 2004 - Dan Kolb saved 39 games while posting a 2.98 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers to be named a National League All-Star. Kolb saved 60 games in a two-year stint with the Brewers.
Neal Cotts - LHP - Chicago Cubs In 2008, Cotts posted his lowest ERA (4.29) since his amazing 2005 campaign that saw the lefty go 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA while helping the White Sox win the World Series. He appeared in 50 games for the Cubs and struck out 43 batters in 35.2 innings. He’s continuing to emerge as the go-to lefty in the Wrigley Field bullpen.
2007 - Neal Cotts became the second Illinois State player to win a World Series while pitching for the White Sox. Cotts earned the win in Game 2 against the Houston Astros.
Tyler Cox - LHP - Pittsburgh Pirates (State college spikes - short-season class a) Cox cruised through Gulf Coast League competition after being drafted in June, posting a 1.79 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 13 games. Cox struck out 42 in 45.1 innings and made seven starts. He earned a late-season call-up to State College where he’ll likely begin the 2009 season.
2007 - Jeremy Accardo emerged as one of the top closers in baseball after he saved 30 games for the Toronto Blue Jays. Accardo posted a 2.14 ERA that season.
Kevin Dubler - C - Chicago white sox (bristol sox - short-season class A) The Johnny Bench Award Semi-Finalist was selected in the 8th round by the Chicago White Sox in June and hit .238 while adjusting to professional baseball in the Appalachian League. Dubler had 15 RBI in 31 games. Matt Herges - RHP - CLEVELAND INDIANS Herges appeared in 58 games for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and notched 46 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. He posted a 3-4 record with a 5.04 ERA. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in January.
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
History and Records
Player Years W L WL% ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO Jeremy Accardo 2005-2008 7 16 .304 3.99 173 0 0 0 37 178.1 168 79 14 57 132 Buzz Capra 1971-1977 31 37 .456 3.87 142 61 16 5 5 544.1 479 234 60 258 362 Neal Cotts 2003-2008 10 10 .500 4.51 265 5 0 0 1 245.1 231 123 35 122 226 Eric Eckenstahler 2002-2003 1 0 1.000 3.80 27 0 0 0 0 23.2 23 10 1 17 25 Matt Herges 1999-2008 40 34 .541 3.94 537 4 0 0 34 656.1 701 287 61 249 447 Jason Karnuth 2001-2005 0 0 .000 2.70 7 0 0 0 0 6.2 8 2 1 4 1 Ed Kinsella 1905-1910 1 4 .200 3.49 13 7 4 0 0 67.0 81 26 0 19 21 Danny Kolb 1999-2007 11 23 .324 4.36 290 0 0 0 73 286.2 301 139 20 134 177 Jason Pearson 2002-2003 0 0 .000 23.63 4 0 0 0 0 2.2 5 7 1 3 4 Paul Wagner 1992-1999 29 45 .392 4.83 160 84 6 2 3 598.2 640 321 64 255 452
2008 - Kyle Bloom was selected in the first round of the Rule 5 Draft by the Detroit Tigers, a move that will likely make him the 11th Illinois State pitcher to pitch in the Major Leagues when he debuts during the 2009 season.
Capra may have been the staff ace, but the Redbirds also received strong performances all season from several other pitchers, including Paul Sperry and John Zotz. Zotz threw a no-hitter during the 1969 season, a 2-0 win over Southeast Louisiana.
43
Redbird Dugout Club Membership
DUGOUT CLUB MEMBERS
Call 309.438.5151 for more information Name_________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________ City____________________________________________________ State__________________________________________________ Zip_____________________________________________________ Home Phone___________________________________________ Work Phone____________________________________________ E-mail Address_________________________________________ Baseball Alumni
Yes ______
No ______
Years Attended ISU_____________________________________ Coach ________________________________________________
Redbird Supporters
Parent/Friend_ _________________________________________ Cost of Membership: $50 In addition to helping fund the Illinois State Baseball Program, members will receive an Illinois State Baseball T-Shirt, a copy of the 2009 Redbird Baseball Media Guide, every issue of RBI - the Redbird Baseball Insider Newsletter. The 2009 Dugout Club Membership is valid August 2008-September 2009. Circle Size:
S
Membership
M
L
New ______
Circle Form of Payment:
XL
XXL
Renewal ______
Cash or
Check
Credit Card (circle card type):
Visa
Master Card
Bob Gawlik Jean Girardi Wendell Good Rich Gordon Scott Greco Bob Grisolano Jeff & Andrea Griswold Rich Groetken Rick Harmon Mike & Beth Havenga Bob & Lisa Hays Tommy Henrich Ken Hoffacker Jay Hoffman Dan “Duck” Hogan Guy Homoly Chuck Hoscheidt Mike & Sheri Ihde Brian James Jim Johnson Aaron C. Johnston Woody & Sue Jones Todd Keck Scott Greco & Kelly Dove Jerry Kerber Tom Kessler Tom Klein Teri Kohli Robert & Mary Kohli David & Stephanie Konsler Claude Kracik Kevin Lavery John Lawson Al Lieberman Ken & Linda Long Jeff Lord Larry & Maureen Lyons Bob & Ruth Mahler John & Twyla Maines Dave & Debbie Marty Steve Matthews Mike Matthews Scott Matthews Michael McCuskey Mike & Gail McNeely Scot Meece Pam Menaker Rollie & Mary Mercer Herb Merville Steve Metz Reyes Mirabel Barry Molencupp Tom Monschein
Sherman Morgan Myra Morgan Gordon Murphy Mark & Collen Nelson Steve & Lisa Newman Dave & Julie Nichols Dr. Richhard Nickelson Mitch Nowicki Craig Olmstead Crystal Pasdertz Ernie and Sue Pedersen George Petersen Mike Prior Dan Purdom Scott & Laurie Rahn Jim Rice Clarence Richardson Bill Robinson Chris Rohlen Lou & Patia Ruffolo Joan Sajewich John & Debbie Sajewich Skip Salzenstein Matt Seipp John Setlak Marty Shipley Darin Shrader Gene Shrader Charles Smalley Dave Snyder Sam Sorce Ed Stalowy Straka Family Gary & Connie Sullivan John Sutter Mark & Paula Sutton Gerry Sytar James Tague Steven Thomas Jim & Nancy Thornton Leon Toepke Ray Torry Dave & Kathy Trayser Terry Vance Pat Wartnow Laura & Mark Watters Ron Weingartner Thomas & Barbara Weldon Ron & Char Werderitch Tom Wieghaus John & Joanne Wielebnicki Don Witherow
Redbird Corporate sponsors Discover
Credit Card Number____________________________________
44
Jeremy Accardo Leonard Ackman Steve Anderson William Anderson Jay Anderson Gary & Helen Anetsberger David Arvola Al Beckman Mike Bock Pete Bolt Bill Brabec Bill Brown Warren Brownlee Candy Brownlee Dr. Victor Buehler Patrick Busch Ronni & Linda Calvird Greg & Carrie Camp Tom Carlucci Ron Clausing Les Coats Doug & Kathy Collins Dick Conrad Tim Copeland John & Anita Court Mark Damas Tony D’Anza John & Jane David Ron Davis Pam Decook Sante & Mary DeMarco Louis & Karen DeMarco Rusty DePew Phil Dinelli Tom Dufault John Dzuris Amy Earley Patrick Eckhardt Dennis Ehrhardt Bill Ellena Bud & Rosemary Evans Thom Ewen Bill & Cindy Ewert Bill Fecht Harlan Ferry Randy & Cindy Fight Roy Fowles Jim & Karen Fox Ken Franzen Karl Fricke Stephen Gadlage Paul Gaumer Tom Gawlik
Expiration______________________________________________ Cardholder’s Signature:
707 Liquors AFNI American Junior Baseball Bouchard Group Brewe Ha’s Budget Liquors Classic Apparel Country Financial Dennis Fox, DDS Elroy’s First Site
Franke Construction R.W. Garrett Agency Harper Oil ISU Credit Union ISU ROTC Jim’s Steak House Jimmy John’s McDonald’s Parkway Auto Laundry Pub II Radio Bloomington
Schooners Sign-a-Rama Speed Lube State Farm Insurance State Farm Agent Mike Wehrenberg The Movie Fan Truck Insurance Specialists Van Gundy Insurance VFW Post 454 Young America
_______________________________________________________ Return Address: Illinois State University Athletics Baseball Office/Dugout Club Campus Box 7130 Normal, IL 61790-7130
top-40 Moments in Redbird baseball history
Current Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee hit safely while starting at third base in one of Illinois State’s three-straight victories to capture the 1969 NCAA College Division National Championship.