April 13, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Two of the top home run hitters in the country, Illinois State freshman Amber Smith and Evansville senior Alicia Laraway, will do battle this weekend at Redbird Softball Complex as the Redbirds and the Purple Aces square off in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. Each player has 13 homers this season, and is tied for No. 12 among the NCAA Division I home run leaders.
"Obviously they are both having great seasons," ISU head coach Melinda Fischer said. "(Alicia) Laraway can definitely do a lot of damage and we are very well aware of her. We need to be able to contain her at key times throughout the ball game. Amber just loves to play and she needs to continue to do that ... just go out and play."
Illinois State (24-11, 10-4), which has won seven of the last 10 meetings, leads the all-time series, 19-15. The Purple Aces (17-18, 4-10), who are riding a three-game losing streak, are currently No. 9 in the Valley standings, while the `Birds are tied for second with nationally ranked Southern Illinois.
Evansville's roster features eight freshmen and a pair of transfers, which is a little concerning to Fischer and her staff.
"They have a lot of players and I feel like we don't know their team as well this year," Fischer said. "In years past we really knew each other well but they've got a lot of new faces this year. We do know that they are a good-hitting ball club and they've got a good mix of speed and power.
"I thought we made some nice adjustments against Western Illinois (on Tuesday) after being a little disappointed in that third game against Drake. Drake played really well and we didn't, and that's usually the way things go when you don't play well. Now we're halfway through the (conference) schedule, and we just need to take care of the things we can control."
In addition to the much anticipated match-up between Smith and Laraway, fans at this weekend's games may witness a milestone. Redbird head coach Melinda Fischer needs just two wins in order to eclipse the 700-win mark for her career. She will become just the 19th active Division I coach to achieve that feat. The Illinois State Athletics Hall of Famer owns a 698-478-3 overall record in 21+ seasons as a collegiate coach. Fischer, the Valley's winningest softball coach, has compiled a 666-461-1 mark at ISU. Her first chance at the milestone will be on Saturday when the `Birds complete the series with a noon doubleheader.
The `Birds swing into action with the series opener on Friday at 5 p.m.
