Coming off its third NCAA appearance last season, the Illinois State softball team will start its 2001 season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this weekend at the Bama Bash.
Other teams participating in the tournament hosted by Alabama are Samford and Tennessee Tech. Illinois State last played Samford in 1994 and won 3-0. These are the first meetings with Tennessee Tech and Alabama, a College World Series participant last year.
The Birds will look to their seniors to help start the season off on a winning note as 2000 Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection and conference tournament MVP Nicole Kurth returns to the mound as ISUs strongest pitcher. Kurth led the team last season with a 17-12 record and team-best 1.42 ERA.
Center fielder Bridget Fournie, an all-MVC second team pick last season, and second baseman April Schermann will also contribute to a veteran squad that lost only two regulars from a 27-33 team from last year.
With two, four-year players in Bridget and April and Nicole, a junior college transfer, adjusting so well to our program, I think this season will just be a continuation of last year, ISU head coach
Melinda Fischer said about her seniors. They have experienced the winning of championships and losing of key games, and getting a taste of the NCAAs is huge in terms of knowing what to work for this year to gain another chance at that.
With all these girls experience, leadership and competitive desire are two characteristics that will be very important to carry over into some of the underclassmen, Fischer continued. But after only losing a handful of people from last year and returning a strong sophomore class, the players know what they have to do to get another taste.
Other returning players critical to ISUs success this season, according to Fischer, are sophomore Becky McMurtry, a 2000 MVC all-tournament selection, and junior Jamie Bagnall. McMurtry, a starter as a freshman last year at thirdbase, led the team last year in triples with four and had a .277 batting average while Bagnall batted .213 starting at firstbase.
Becky was another player who played a key role in the surge of our program at the end of last year, Fischer said. She will be a consistent hitter for us this year. Jamie is one of the best defensive players we have and her knowledge of the game at her position will help to keep the infield on the top of things.
While McMurtry will have an impact on ISUs hitting game, Fischer will look to transfers Cutie Taylor and Shae Wesley for added strength. Taylor, who contribute in left field, joins the Redbirds after playing last season at Florida A&M where she led the team with a .350 batting average. Wesley, who will be behind the plate, played at Illinois Central College in East Peoria.
Shae and Cutie will have a direct impact because I think any time a transfer from another program comes here, that is promising because of the amount of experience she can bring, Fischer said. Both players have good versatility on the defensive side and have shown in practice that they are very capable of hitting the ball.
While practice for the Birds has been limited to inside Horton Field House, Fischer said she is ready for the team to get out and play on dirt. Since the Birds returned from their semester trip to Australia, where they were able to experience outside play, the team has been anticipating playing outside and adjusting.
In Australia we improved daily and I saw that because we were outside in a natural environment, Fischer said. It is hard to maintain a good level of consistency when you are practicing and scrimmaging inside so I think it will take this tournament to adjust to playing on dirt again but I know the time we spent in Australia will be beneficial to our games this weekend.
Alabama is a great school and it has the ability to be outside. I dont know much about the other two teams, Fischer continued. It will be a test to get out and see where we are and the only word I can think of to describe my feelings is excited. The players have expectations and so do I so hopefully we can go down there and play like we did in Australia and take steps in the right direction because it cant all happen overnight.
Illinois State faces Tennessee Tech in the game one of the tournament Friday at 11 a.m.
