Illinois State travels to No. 10 Miami, USF

[March 13, 2012]  CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- With a 10-game winning streak on the line, the Illinois State baseball team will try to beat a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since 2008 as the Redbirds play a single game at No. 10 Miami on Tuesday, followed by another single game at South Florida on Wednesday.

The Redbirds (10-3), who have not faced a ranked foe since 2010, will play the Hurricanes (12-3) in Coral Gables, Fla., at 5 p.m. Central time Tuesday, followed by a 6 p.m. Wednesday matchup with the Bulls (10-6) at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa, Fla. ISU beat the Hurricanes for the first time last season, 9-2, on March 9, 2011. The Redbirds have never played USF.

Illinois State third-year head coach Mark Kingston returns to Miami, where he served as an assistant coach during the 2001 season, when the Hurricanes won the College Baseball World Series.

"It's with a lot of pride that I'm able to take our program back to Miami to play the Hurricanes," Kingston said. "These next two games present a great challenge for us, and we expect to be competitive."

The Redbirds' 10-game winning streak is the longest unbeaten stretch since ISU earned 10 wins and one tie without a loss in 1984. With a win Tuesday, Illinois State will establish its longest winning streak since an 11-game stretch in 1976.

Redbird freshman right-hander Jeremy Rhoades (1-0) will make his first collegiate start against Miami, while junior right-hander Matt Schmitt (1-0) will start at USF. Offensively, senior catcher Matt Mirabal looks to extend a nine-game hitting streak.

Miami enters Tuesday's midweek game with its only three losses coming to No. 1 Florida. The Hurricanes are led by Peter O'Brien, who is hitting .345 with a team-high 16 RBIs, including four home runs.

USF's offense is paced by Daniel Rockhold's 15 RBIs with two home runs.

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Redbird game notes

[Text from file received from Illinois State]