Hope is fragile in Normal, Illinois.
Every spring, Illinois State stretches toward a postseason that almost never arrives, a dream so rare it feels borrowed when it comes. Just four times in the program’s history have the Redbirds reached the NCAA Tournament, only twice this century. And yet, each close call seems to reset the clock, convincing players, coaches and fans that maybe next year will be different.
In 2024, belief felt less like hope and more like certainty. Illinois State had its best season in half a decade, surging to the brink of the field of 64 before falling to Evansville in the Missouri Valley semifinal. The loss lingered, but came with undeniable promise—that the Redbirds had a core worth waiting for, a group seasoned enough to return stronger and finally push beyond the league’s ceiling.
But almost before the campaign’s dust had settled, the roster dissolved. Four regular contributors entered the transfer portal and quickly made high-major commitments. What looked like the beginning of a breakthrough instead became the outline of a cautionary tale.
“We got slaughtered by the portal,” head coach Steve Holm told Baseball America.
The aftermath was a season that played to dampened expectations. Illinois State opened with just three wins in its first 13 games in 2025, the low point a pair of blowouts at Oklahoma State—16-1 and 18-1 over a miserable 14 innings—that underscored how far the program had fallen from its promise of the year before.
To its credit, the team steadied. The Redbirds clawed back to finish 28-28, a .500 mark that suggested resilience but not resurgence. For Holm, the numbers mattered less than the hollowness of what could have been. Before his team had even played a game, the ceiling had already been lowered.
“We had really high hopes for that group in 2025,” Holm said, “and basically overnight, it was gone.”
Illinois State has become one of the faces of modern turnover. The offseason that followed 2024 swooped through like a tornado, picking up pieces and scattering them across the country. The pain continued a year later when five key contributors transferred to power-conference programs.
For players and their agents, exploring transfer options can be a rational move. A change of scenery can mean better competition, more exposure, or simply a clearer path to playing time. In many cases, a jump to a bigger program improves draft stock, maximizes NIL potential and…