After splitting two games in the Diamond Fun & Sun Classic, the Illinois State softball team (1-1) returns to Florida this weekend for the Florida State Seminole Classic in Tallahassee.
Louisville will be Illinois States first opponent at 9 a.m. CST on Friday. It will mark the second time in as many years that the two teams have met. The Cardinals defeated the Birds, 1-0 in their Red & Black Classic last season.
Head coach
Melinda Fischer feels her teams experience in Miami will help them in this tournament.
We were able to see a lot of things in the outdoor practice and the two games that we had last week, Fischer said. We will still be experimenting with lineups and combinations on the field this weekend. In practice this week, we really concentrated on hitting fundamentals and feeling comfortable at the plate.
Minnesota and Florida A&M round out the field of five teams in the tournament, all but Illinois State are playing their season openers. ISU is 7-10 all-time against the tournament field. The Birds take on Florida A&M at 1 p.m. on Friday. Then they face Minnesota at 9 a.m. and host Florida State at 11 a.m. on Saturday. All times are CST.
The match-up between ISU and Florida A&M on Friday was originally supposed to be the second of the season; however, the first ISU-Florida A&M contest (at the Diamond Fun & Sun Classic) was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Redbirds lead the series, 3-0. The Gophers of Minnesota are 3-4 against Illinois State and the Redbirds have managed just one win over host Florida State in six attempts.
