March 10, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. - California natives Amber Smith and Stacy Birk have been the keys to the Redbird offense as of late, and Illinois State head softball coach Melinda Fischer and her staff hope they continue that this weekend at the Western Kentucky Invitational in Bowling Green, Ky. The 'Birds (8-6) will be looking to extend their seven-game winning streak this weekend.
"Amber has been a huge part of our offense this year," Fischer said. "The one thing that really stuck out in my mind when we recruited her is that she always seemed to be able to come up with big hits when the rest of her team was struggling. She found a way to put the bat on the ball, and she's continued to do that since she's been here."
Smith, a freshman from Fairfield, Calif., currently leads the Redbirds with 15 hits, four home runs, 15 RBI and an eight-game hitting streak. Meanwhile, Birk batted .727 at the Plant City Tournament last weekend and picked up three wins in the circle en route to being named the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week. It marked the first time in the history of the honor that one player received both distinctions in the same week. The junior right hander followed that honor up by being named Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
"What an awesome achievement for Stacy," Fischer said.. "She's getting more confidence and she looks more on top of her game when she's able to contribute pitching-wise and at the plate."
Illinois State has enjoyed a wealth of success in tournaments hosted by Western Kentucky. In the last two seasons, the 'Birds are 7-1 in Bowling Green with their only loss being a 3-0 decision against WKU in 2004.
"This weekend we're excited about getting some more games in and its really important for us at this point to get back out on the field," Fischer said. "We're heading into this weekend with consistency in mind. Last weekend we were able to see some good things in our team relative to hitting; and defensively we were able to switch around people in some positions to see some different possibilities. This is a really big weekend for us to continue what we've been doing to get us ready for Illinois and the start of conference next weekend."
The Redbirds will take on the host Hilltoppers (12-9) to open tournament play on Saturday at noon. Then they square off with Austin Peay State (4-6-1) at 2 p.m. ISU faces Belmont (8-6-1) at 10 a.m. on Sunday, while Illinois State's second opponent and the game time on Sunday will be determined by how the Redbirds and the rest of the field fare in their first three games.
