Riding high after a three-game sweep of Northern Iowa last weekend, the league-leading Illinois State softball team will look to finish off the Valley competition as it travels to Wichita, Kan., to take on the Shockers of Wichita State in the final regular-season series of the year.
After a single game at 5 p.m. on Friday and a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday, the Birds ( 29-16, 17-3) will conclude their season and prepare for the conference tournament in Omaha, Neb., May 10-12.
Wichita State (22-23, 11-12) is currently in fifth place in Valley standings and will be fighting for a spot in the tournament, something the Birds secured last weekend.
Basically we are playing for a regular-season title and high seed in the tournament while Wichita State is trying to get into the tournament, head coach
Melinda Fischer said. But it is just another weekend even though this happens to be the final weekend. We will look at it the same way we have in the past, doing our best from the moment we step onto the field.
A Valley Pitcher of the Year candidate, Kurth will look to dominate the Shockers as she did in 2000 when she gave up only six hits in two games. According to Fischer, however, the Shockers are a different team this year.
Judy Favor (WSUs head coach) has done a nice job turning that program around this year, into a MVC contender, Fischer said. It will be a long trip but we are just looking to keep doing the things we need to do based on some previous performances and work on other aspects of our game before going into the tournament.
Leading the Redbirds in Valley play is Becky McMurtry who has led the team in league action with a .407 average, 24 hits, six doubles and three homers. As a team, Illinois State has hit .270 in conference play, while holding its foes to a .152 batting mark.
Kurth leads the Birds on the mound with a 19-4 overall record, 13-2 in the Valley. Her 1.25 ERA is a team-low and she has 213 strikeouts in 162.0 innings pitched.
