Two outta three aint bad, especially when its defeating the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes three days before a conference matchup against Southern Illinois the same teams currently sharing the conference lead with the Illinois State sofball team.
Illinois State (11-10, 5-0) is set to matchup against the Salukis (18-8, 5-0) in Carbondale, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday at the IAW Fields. Last season, the Birds won two of their three games against the Salukis on the Illinois State turf.
After splitting with Iowa on Wednesday, 5-1, 4-0, head coach
Melinda Fischer says she feels confident that her team is ready to go head to head with the Salukis.
I thought we played well the first game against Iowa. In the second game we had some trouble making adjustments, but then did some things to correct that this week, Fischer said.
Were going into an exciting weekend with both teams being undefeated in conference. Were looking to pick it up again and get back on the winning track, Fischer added. Southern (Illinois) has played some tough teams and a win will be a good thing to shoot for and a great early matchup for us.
Junior Audra Rast and freshman Amy Harre will be battling it out on the mound this weekend, each holding high marks in Valley standings.
Harre, a righty for the Salukis, has earned Valley Pitcher of the Week twice already this season holding a .15 ERA and a 9-4 overall record. She currently leads the conference in ERA and the most saves in the Valley pitching categories.
Rast has thrown five straight victories, including Wednesdays win over No. 19 Iowa, and is currently leading the MVC in strikeouts per seven innings with an average of 6.90. Rast holds a 1.15 ERA, which falls directly below Harre, and carries a 8-2 overall record.
This weekend, the Birds will look to continue their conference win streak while senior Cutie Taylor continues to chase the Illinois State single-season home run record set by Heather Stella who had 13 in 1999. Taylor has blasted six home runs this season matching her 2001 total.
With senior utility player Jamie Bagnall still out with a shoulder injury, Fischer will continue to fill the left side of the infield with freshmen Mandy Garner, Dominique Borba and Kate Stake who have been very successful in the Redbird lineup. Each of the players are batting well above the .200 mark and are averaging a fielding percentage of .942.
The Birds and Salukis face off Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. and again on Easter Sunday at noon.
