Illinois Baseball Players on the 2014 Missouri Valley Preseason All-Conference Team

Illinois baseball players who are named to the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference preseason All-Conference Team.


Chris Godinez, Bradley, hit .320 in 2012, injured in 2013, Chris lives in Lake Bluff, Illinois.

Brock Stewart, Illinois State, hit .330 in 2013, Brock lives in Normal, Illinois.

Greg Partyka, Bradley, hit .309 in 2013, Greg lives in Bartlett, Illinois.

Kevin Kaczmarski, Evansville, hit .339 with 3 triples and 6 home runs, Kevin lives in Cary, Illinois.

Dan Savas, Illinois State, went 10-0 with a 1.79 ERA and 98 strikeouts, Dan is also a Louisville Slugger preseason All-American, Dan lives in Rosemont, Illinois.

Jeremy Rhoades, Illinois State, 6 saves in 2013, Jeremy lives in Wheaton, Illinois.

2012 Illinois State Redbirds High School Showcase Baseball Camps

The Illinois State Redbird baseball program high school showcase baseball camps for 2012 are listed below.  All camps will be held at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Illinois.  Camps will provide position specific instruction, a pro-style workout, game play and a post camp evaluation.  Cost is $175.00.

Saturday August 25, 2012 for players entering the 9th through 12th grades.
Camp starts at 9:00 am, check in at 8:30 am, and ends at 5:00 pm with lunch provided to each player. 

Saturday October 27, 2012 for players entering the 9th through 12th grades. 
Camp starts at 9:00 am, check in at 8:30 am, and ends at 5:00 pm with lunch provided to each player. 

For more information or to register follow the link below.

Illinois State Redbird High School Showcase Camps

Forsythe, Wiesemeyer Earn Missouri Valley Baseball Players of the Week

Southern Illinois Cody Forsythe and Illinois State's Ty Wiesemeyer earn the Missouri Valley Baseball Players of the week awards for the week ending April 22nd.

Senior outfielder Ty Wiesemeyer earned the Player of the Week award by hitting .471 and slugging .824 along with an on base percentage of .526 last week.  Ty had 10 rbi's and three extra base hits, including a grand slam, a triple and a double.  Wiesemeyer is a senior at Illinois State University, a transfer from Heartland Community College and lives in Troy, Illinois.

Southern Illinois Carbondale junior Cody Forsythe won the Pitcher of the Week award by throwing a complete game shutout against Creighton last week.  Cody gave up only four singles and a double while striking out five in the Saluki's 4-0 win.

Cody is from Calvert City, Kentucky.   

Illinois State Redbird Baseball's Long Named to Stopper of the Year Watch List

Illinois State university's Kenny Long was named to the mid season Stopper of the Year watch list for the National Collegiate Writers Association's Stopper of the Year Award.

Long leads the Redbirds with a 1.40 ERA and seven saves in 25 and 2/3rds innings pitched.  Kenny also has 24 strikeouts with only five walks.

Kenny is a senior from Fox River Grove Illinois.

Top Performances by Illinois Players in the Missouri Valley Conference Last Week

Top performances from Illinois baseball players last week in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Illinois State senior outfielder Ty Wiesemeyer had nine hits in a three game series against Southeast Missouri State last week.  Ty had three doubles and six rbi's along with scoring four times.  Wiesmeyer is from Troy Illinois.

Sophomore infielder Donny Duschinsky from Southern Illinois Carbondale went 8-16 at the plate last week.  Duschinsky drove in eight runs, hit a grand slam, a double and a triple.  Donny is from Elk Grove Illinois.

LHP Joe Bircher from Bradley University in Peoria Illinois earned a 6-2 win last week going seven innings and striking out 10. 

Junior RHP Chris Razo from Illinois State got his first Division I victory last week throwin five innings allowing one run on 3 hits with six K's.

Missouri State RHP Clay Murphy threw 6 2/3rd's innings striking out four and not allowing an earned in MSU's victory over Oklahoma State last week.  Murphy is from Wolf Lake Illinois. 

Illinois State Baseball Picked to Finish 5th in the MVC

In the annual poll by Missouri Valley coaches Illinois State is picked to finish 5th in 2012.  Missouri State who returns seven position players and seven pitchers from last years squad.

Coaches Preseason Poll:
1. Missouri State
2. Creighton
3. Wichita State
4. Indiana State
5. Illinois State
6. Southern Illinois
7. Bradley
8. Evansville

Illinois State returns five starters which include Kevin Tokarski who was an honorable mention All-MVC last year.  On the mound closer Kenny Long will also be back for 2012.

Southern Illinois Carbondale has eight position players and two starting pitchers returning for 2012.  Also back is slugger Chris Serritella who was injured in 2011.

Bradley brings back seven position players and eight pitchers including starter Joe Bircher.

Players from Illinois on The 2012 All-MVC Preseason Team:
Chris Serritella, Southern Illinois
Mike Hollenbeck, Illinois State
Mike Gerber, Creighton
Jordan Sivertsen, Southern Illinois
Mike Tauchman, Bradley
Kenny Long, Illinois State

Illinois Baseball Players on the 2012 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List

Baseball players from Illinois on the National College Baseball Writers Association 2012 Stopper of the Year Watch List.  The following players are on the short list of 45 total relief pitchers from across the nation.


Senior Kyle Glancy from Northern Illinois, Kyle had 12 saves in 24 appearances in 2011.  Glancy attended Oak Park River Forest HS and lives in Oak Park Illinois.

Senior Kenny Long from Illinois State, Kenny recorded 15 saves and had a 0.92 ERA last season.  Kenny went to Dundee Crown HS and lives in Fox River Grove Illinois.

Illinois State University Baseball High School Showcase October 29th

Illinois State University baseball will hold a High School Showcase on October 29th, 2011 at Duffy Bass Field in Normal Illinois.  High school players entering the 9th - 12th grades are eligible.  The showcase will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Players will go through a "pro-style" workout in the morning and play a game in the afternoon.  Players will also receive a t-shirt and lunch.

For more information click on the link below.

Illinois State High School Showcase Camp

Corey Maines from Illinois State Baseball Named MVC Pitcher of the Week

Corey Maines

Right handed pitcher Corey Maines from Illinois State University earns the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week.  Corey recorded a career high 11 strikeouts in a 6-2 win over Oakland on March 25th and upped his record to a perfect 4-0 on the season.  Maines retired the final 16 batters he faced, striking out 9 and giving up only two hits on the day.  Corey leads Illinois State with 37 1/3rd innings pitched, 41 strikeouts and batting average against (.189).

Murphysboro and Dylan Craig Blank Pinckneyville 10-0

Murphysboro senior left handed pitcher Dylan Craig struck out 11 Pinckneyville batters in a five inning 10-0 win on Thursday.  Craig, who has signed with Illinois State University, now has 25 strikeouts in 10 innings this season. 

Other game highlights include a two run homer from Edan Brooks and two run doubles by Zane Heller and Jake Stewart. The lone hit for Pinckneyville came from Hunter Queen in the third inning.

Illinois State Baseball Thumps Miami

The Illinois State Redbirds beat up on the Miami Hurricanes Wednesday 9-2 and moving their record to 8-4 on the season.

Illinois State scored 3 in the sixth on a double by Mike Hollenbeck (Joliet Township High School) and a 2 rbi single by Bryan Huff (Heartland Community College) taking a 4-2 lead.  In the seventh the Redbirds scored another four runs to put the game away with a ground rule double by Ryan Court (Dundee-Crown High School), a single by Hollenbeck and on a bunt from Huff.

Dan Savas went six innings, gave up five hits and struck out 6 earning his second victory of the season.

Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Top Performers from Illinois

Top baseball performances in the Missouri Valley Conference last week from Illinois players.

Derek Sprout, Bradley University, Illinois Valley Central High School, the freshman catcher hit .571 with 2 rbi's, a sac bunt and scored three times. 

Infielder Alex Staehely, Creighton University, Benet Academy, the sophomore hit .455 with 10 hits, 4 doubles, and 2 triples and drove in the winning run in a 4-3 10 inning victory over Kansas. 

Matt Mirabal, Illinois State University, Mt. Carmel High School, the junior catcher drove in the winning run in a come from behind victory against UW Milwaukee on Sunday.  In three game stretch Matt went 6-12 with 2 doubles and scored 4 times.

Outfielder Kyle Burnam, Indiana State University, Marshall High School, the junior outfielder went 4-6 at the plate in one game and overall had 2 doubles, 4 rbi's, and scored 4 times.

Jordan Sivertsen, Southern Illinois Carbondale, Carmel Catholic High School, Richmond IL, the junior outfielder went 6-15 at the plate with 3 extra base hits including a home run in a series against South Carolina. 

Left handed pitcher Joe Bircher, Bradley University, Joe went 7 scoreless innings, struck out 7 and gave up only 3 hits in a 4-0 victory.

Left handed pitcher Kenny Long, Illinois State University, Dundee Crown High School, earned a win against UW Milwaukee going 3.2 innings, striking out 6.

Cody Forsythe, Southern Illinois Carbondale, the sophomore pitcher threw a complete game going 8 innings, giving up 7 hits and striking out 6 in a 4-0 loss at South Carolina.


 

Missouri Valley 2011 Pre-Season Top Baseball Players and Teams from Illinois

Top baseball teams and baseball players from Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference based on how coaches voted in a pre-season poll.

Missouri Valley Pre-Season Poll:
#1.  Wichita State
#2.  Illinois State
#3.  Indiana State
#4.  Southern Illinois
#5.  Evansville
#6.  Creighton
#7.  Bradley
#8.  Missouri State

Projected Player of the Year:

Red-Shirt Junior Kevin Tokarski, Illinois State University, .412 batting average, 8 home runs, 25 doubles, 53 rbi's, 33 stolen bases.  Kevin attended Downers Grove North High School and lives in Downers Grove IL.

Top Players to Watch:

Catcher Matt Mirabal, Illinois State University, .323 batting average, 4 home runs, 14 doubles, 42 rbi's.  Matt is from Mt. Carmel High School and lives in Chicago IL.

3B Ryan Court, Illinois State University, .295 batting average, 10 home runs, 14 doubles, 49 rbi's.  Ryan is from Dundee-Crown High School and lives in Sleepy Hollow IL.

Right handed pitcher Corey Maines, Illinois State University, 6 wins 3 losses, 4.60 ERA, 67 strikeouts.  Corey lives in Houston TX.

Left handed pitcher Kenny Long, Illinois State University, 4 wins 4 losses, 9 saves, 1.38 ERA, 74 strikeouts.  Kenny is from Dundee-Crown High School and lives in Fox River Grove IL.

1B Chris Serritella, Southern Illinois University, .374 batting average, 13 home runs, 19 doubles, 64 rbi's.  Chris attended Loyola Academy and lives in Glenview IL.

Outfielder Chris Murphy, Southern Illinois University, .320 batting average, 1 home run, 16 doubles, 31 rbi's, 11 stolen bases.  Chris is from Sewickley PA.

Right handed pitcher Cameron Maldonado, Southern Illinois University.  Cameron is a transfer from Seward County Junior College.

Right handed pitcher Sam Johns, University of Evansville, 5 wins 4 losses, 5.71 ERA, 54 strikeouts.  Sam attended Civic Memorial High School and lives in Bethalto IL.

Outfielder Aaron Conway, Missouri State University, .278 batting average, 7 home runs, 7 doubles, 23 rbi's, 24 stolen bases.  Aaron is from Triad High School and lives in Edwardsville IL.

Kevin Tokarski and Nick Martini earn Preseason All-American Honors







Kevin Tokarski

 Second baseman Kevin Tokarski and outfielder Nick Martini land on the 11th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-American Team.

Illinois State University second baseman Kevin Tokarski earned his fifth and sixth All-American honors as the redshirt junior was named to both the NCBWA and Louisville Slugger preseason All-American third-teams.  Tokarski hit .412 with 25 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs and 53 rbi's last season for the Redbirds.  Kevin is from Downers Grove North High School.



Nick Martini



Kansas State outfielder Nick Martini, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and a second team ABCA All-American following his sophomore season, earned third team honors on the 2011 NCBWA All-American Team.  Martini hit .416 with 4 homers, 17 doubles and 59 rbi's for the Wildcats as a sophomore.  Nick is from Prairie Ridge High School and lives in Crystal Lake, IL.

Illinois State Baseball Signs Six to National Letters of Intent

Illinois State University Head Baseball Coach Mark Kingston announced the signing of six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.

Four of the signees are from the Bloomington-Normal area and two are junior college transfers from Heartland Community College.

Illinois State Redbird Baseball Signees:

INF - Matt Anderson - Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, IL

LHP - Dylan Craig - Murphysboro High School, Murphysboro, IL

INF - Zac Johnson - Heartland Community College, Bloomington, IL

INF - Joe Kelch - East Peoria High School, East Peoria, IL

LHP - Joel Leonard - Catlin High School, Catlin, IL

RHP - Chris Razo - Heartland Community College, Chillicothe, IL

 

Illinois State Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked #40 by Collegiate Baseball News

The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has ranked Illinois State University at #40 in the Division I baseball recruiting poll for 2010-2011.

Eleven players which include seven freshman, three junior college transfers and one division I transfer make up the recruiting class for Illinois State.

Three of the freshman, catcher Mike Hollenbeck - 14th round by the Boston Red Sox,  pitcher Johnny Lieske - 35th round by the Texas Rangers, infielder Brock Stewart - 40th round by the New York Mets, turned down professional contracts to join the Redbirds this season.

  

Illinois State University Baseball Hitting Clinics

Illinois State University baseball will hold fall and winter hitting clinics for elementary, junior high and high school aged participants.

The first clinic will start Sunday October 24th and sessions will meet once a week until November 22nd.  An additional hitting clinic will start Sunday January 16th and go five weeks, meeting once a week.

For additional information please follow the link below:
ISU Hitting Clinics

 

Illinois State University High School Baseball Showcase Camp October 30th

Illinois State University will host a high school baseball showcase camp at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, IL on October 30th 2010.  The camp is open to High School players, starts at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm and costs $165.00.

The camp is designed for serious high school players who want to find out what it takes to play at the college level.

For registration and contact information follow the link below.

ISU High School Showcase Camp



 

D1 Illinois Baseball Results

Illinois State University was the only game scheduled for Illinois teams on Monday March 1st as they beat Western Michigan 7-3.  Kevin Tokarski went 3-5 with two rbi's, Ryan Court 3-4, and E. Colhli 2-4 with  a dinger and 2 rbi's.  Ryan Camp got his first win by going 7 innings giving up only 4 hits and two runs.

Illinois State Baseball's Kevin Tokarski Named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week

Baseball in Illinois News
courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference

Kevin Tokarski, So. 2B, Illinois State



Tokarski tripled on the first pitch of the 2010 season and scored after a hit by Chad Hinshaw on the second, to key an offensive outburst for the Redbirds at the Riverview Inn Classic. Tokarski had a team-best seven hits, including four for extra-bases as the team hit .336 over the season's first three games. In addition to the triple, Tokarksi stole three bases and belted three doubles, including one with the bases loaded to push across the tying runs in the ninth inning of Sunday's win over Austin Peay. Tokarksi was 3-for-4 in the 15-8 win with a pair of runs scored and reached base six times. The redshirt sophomore, who garnered Valley Freshman of the Year and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honorable mention honors in 2008, missed the majority of last season while recovering from wrist surgery.