"We are excited for the 2014 season to arrive, and we are working
hard to be prepared," said defending Missouri Valley Conference
Coach of the Year Mark Kingston. "This schedule will provide us with
challenging Southern road games early, preparing us for the always
tough Missouri Valley Conference. We are also looking forward to our
first full home schedule with FieldTurf, allowing our fans many
opportunities to see us play."Illinois State will play 2013 NCAA
tournament participants Central Arkansas, Illinois, Wichita State
and Florida in addition to 30-plus game winners Dallas Baptist and
Missouri State.
The Redbirds open the season with a 17-game road trip, starting
with a three-game series at Murray State in Kentucky (Feb. 14-16).
ISU then makes two trips to the Deep South, first visiting
Jonesboro, Ark., for a four-game set at Arkansas State (Feb. 21-23)
and then traveling to Central Arkansas for a four-game series (Feb.
28-March 2). Following a one-game trip to Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville (March 3), Illinois State will fly to
Florida for five games over spring break. The Redbirds will once
again compete in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter
Haven, Fla. Opponents have not yet been determined for the four-game
set (March 7-9). ISU will travel to Gainesville, Fla. for a single
game at Florida (March 12).
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Illinois State will open the home portion of its 2014 schedule
with an eight-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series
versus Western Illinois (March 14-16). After a return trip from SIUE
(March 19), the Redbirds begin Missouri Valley Conference
competition with a three-game tilt versus in-state foe Bradley
(March 21-23). The homestand concludes with one game versus Big Ten
opponent Illinois (March 25).
The Redbirds will visit Indiana State (March 28-30) before
returning to Duffy Bass Field for a nonconference game against
Eastern Illinois (April 1). The newest Valley opponent, Dallas
Baptist, will visit Normal (April 4-6) for a three-game series.
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ISU travels to DeKalb to play Northern Illinois (April 8) and
continues nonconference play with a pair of games at Duffy Bass
Field, welcoming NAIA Robert Morris (April 10) and Division III
Webster (April 13). The Redbirds will embark on a five-game road
swing beginning with Illinois (April 15). ISU will continue MVC
play with a three-game tilt at Missouri State (April 18-20) and
participate in the annual Horenberger-Bass Classic at Illinois
Wesleyan (April 22).
Illinois State will close April with a five-game homestand,
beginning with Division III MacMurray (April 23). Southern Illinois
will play a three-game series at Duffy Bass Field (April 25-27), and
Big Ten opponent Purdue closes the homestand (April 29).
The Redbirds conclude nonconference play with a three-game series
at Western Illinois (May 2-4). After a three-game set at Evansville
(May 9-11), Illinois State will conclude the regular season at home
versus Wichita State (May 15-17).
The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference championship will be hosted
by Indiana State (May 20-24) in Terre Haute, Ind.
Game times, promotions and opponents will all be finalized over
the next few weeks. Live audio for all 54 Illinois State games will
be available on WJBC.com and GoRedbirds.com, with select broadcasts
on WZND-FM 103.3 in Bloomington-Normal.
Illinois State enters the 2014 season following its best regular
season in school history. The 2013 Redbirds won the Missouri Valley
Conference title outright for the first time in school history, won
a program-record 39 games and had a MVC-record eight first-team
all-Valley selections.
[Text from
news release received from
Illinois State University] |