The Illinois State baseball team had announced its presence in the NCAA Tournament’s Louisville Regional the previous day with 18 hits and 14 Brent Headrick strikeouts in a tense win over Indiana.
That earned the Redbirds a dugout opposite No. 11-ranked Louisville. The Cardinals had a boisterous crowd in the stands and 2020 first-round draft choice Reid Detmers on the mound.
ISU outlasted Louisville behind a virtuoso performance from starting pitcher Matt Walker and a critical pinch hit from Jeremy Gaines.
The 4-2 Redbird victory on June 1, 2019 ranks as my No. 4 favorite game to cover during my Pantagraph career.