Illinois State Set to Take on Ninth-Ranked Vanderbilt in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Illinois State baseball team is set for a battle with ninth-ranked Vanderbilt from March 8-10. The three-game series will be the first time the teams meet since 2019, when the Commodores took two out of three games against the Redbirds.

SCHEDULE (AT VANDERBILT)

Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT | SECN+ |

Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CT | SECN+ |

Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT | SECN+ |

ILLINOIS STATE PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Friday: RHP Cameron Mabee (3.94 ERA in 16.0 IP with 16 K over three appearances)

Saturday: RHP Tyrelle Chadwick (5.06 ERA in 16.0 IP with 19 K over three appearances)

Sunday: RHP Tanner Perry (7.56 ERA in 8.1 IP with 10 K over three appearances)

ABOUT THE VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Vanderbilt (11-3) was 42-20 in 2023, going 26-8 at home. The Commodores are 11-3 to start the 2024 season, riding a six-game win streak with wins over Indiana State, Evansville, Louisiana, Houston, Texas, and Eastern Michigan. Vanderbilt is also scheduled to face common opponents with ISU in 2024: Indiana, Belmont, Valparaiso, and UT Martin.

The Redbirds and Commodores have met 17 times previously, with Vanderbilt leading 12-5. Their first meeting was in 1937. ISU won the most recent 3/10/19 matchup, 7-3. Vanderbilt won the first two games of the series, 10-4 and 9-1, but the Redbirds recorded a series finale 7-3 win to avoid the sweep.

Current Illinois State baseball assistant coach, Derek Parola, went 1-for-4 in the win, picking up two RBIs and a run scored against the Commodores.

REDBIRDS VERSUS TOP-10

With Vanderbilt currently ranked 9th in the latest D1Baseball rankings, the weekend series in Nashville marks the 14th, 15th, and 16th time an Illinois State program will face a top-10 program under head coach Steve Holm.

Under Holm, Illinois State has three wins under top-25 programs with wins over #2 Arkansas in 2022, #7 Louisville in 2019, and #1 Vanderbilt in 2019.

SERIES SWEEP AT ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF

Illinois State took its first series sweep since 2022 (at Western Carolina), beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a three-game series March 1-3.

Sophomore Tyrelle Chadwick had a career outing in the series clinching victory in game two, throwing a complete game and striking out a career high 12 Golden Lions. Chadwick, who only allowed one hit and no walks over nine scoreless innings, recorded the first nine-inning one hitter for Illinois State since April 2013.

His 12-strikeout shutout performance is also the first nine-inning complete game for the Redbirds since May 2021 as well as the first nine-inning complete game shutout since 2019.

The performance gained the Kamloops, B.C., native, the title of MVC Pitcher of the Week as well as garnered the attention of D1Baseball as the national organization named Chadwick the best pitcher from week 3 with with a game score of 97. Chadwick was also named the Canadian Baseball Network College Player of the Week.

Chadwick is one of 27 players in the country who have tossed a complete game this season and the only pitcher in the MVC to do so.

TOP-100 ‘BIRDS

As of March 5, the Redbirds currently sit in the top-50 for NCAA DI Baseball in the following team categories: batting average (.311 – 50th), double plays per game (1.00 – 24th), double plays (10 – 48th), fielding percentage (.986 – 10th), hit by pitch (23 – 46th), sacrifice flies (10 – 16th), and shutouts (1 – 27th).

As of March 4, the Redbirds currently sit in the top-50 for NCAA DI Baseball in the following individual categories: complete games – Tyrelle Chadwick (1 – 1st), and ERA – Joe Husak (0.64 – 21st).

DANNY DINGERS (and more)

Sophomore Daniel Pacella reached base at a blistering .625 clip in a three-game series at Little Rock (Feb. 23-25) while going 5-for-11 with a double, a homerun, 4 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. Pacella also walked four times, becoming the first ISU batter with four+ walks in a game since Jordan Libman had four versus Arkansas State in March 2021.

STRONG START TO 2024

In the season opening win over St. Thomas, Illinois State totaled 18 runs and 20 hits to gather the program’s fourth straight season opening win. The 20 hits are the most in a game for the Redbirds since March 2019 when ILS finished with 22 hits at SIUE.

Meanwhile, the 18 runs are the most runs scored in a season opener for ILS since a 27-run outburst at Belmont to start the 2019 season as well.

With the win, Illinois State has won four straight season openers (at Austin Peay, win 13-2 in 2023; at #2 Arkansas, win 3-2 in 2022; at SIUE, win 6-1 in 2021) and 9 of the last 12.

For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball). 

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.