Illinois State head softball coach
Melinda Fischer is looking at this weekends conference series against the Southern Illinois Salukis as just another conference weekend where her team has to be ready to play.
But this weekend isnt just another conference weekend as SIU comes to Normal riding a seven-game win streak and second-place standing in the Missouri Valley Conference, one loss behind first-place Illinois State who remains undefeated in league play (8-0).
With that said, the Salukis will be looking to hand the Redbirds their first MVC loss and take over the top spot in the conference. The Birds will be concentrating on taking care of business, which according to Fischer is taking care of themselves.
This weekend is just another conference weekend and we will take the approach of taking care of our business and ourselves, Fischer said. It will be another learning experience for the team who has got to come ready to play.
With an impressive 19-9 record, ISU has proved it is ready to play since the beginning of the season but so has Southern Illinois, which brings an overall record of 23-9 into this weekends series.
While the matchup will be interesting in itself, another interesting matchup will be on the mound as Southerns Erin Stremsterfer, a five-time MVC Pitcher of the Week this season, will likely face ISUs Nicole Kurth, the reigning pitcher of the week.
The faceoff this weekend will definitely be on the mound between Erin and Nicole, Fischer said. They both have had good seasons so far and Erin has really got Southern hot right now. She leads them in pitching and hitting and is a flat-out tough player who has given an awesome contribution to that program.
Kurth lead the Birds with a 1.56 ERA and 5-0 record in Valley play. She currently has 104 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched. Stremsterfer has a league-best 0.47 ERA with 214 SO in 149 innings pitched.
The three-game series begins Saturday at noon with a doubleheader at the Redbird Softball Complex. Game three is scheduled for noon on Sunday.
