April 24, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. - After leading her team to three conference wins last week, Illinois State's Stacy Birk has been honored as the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. This is the second time this season that Birk has received the accolade as she was named both player and pitcher of the week on March 6, the first time that has ever happened in the history of the honors.
"Stacy had a great week and that's good to see at this time of the season," Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer said. "She pitched well and she really got some momentum going. I thought she got a lot of key pitches in key situations when the heart of their (Wichita State's) lineup was up to bat. Stacy had good command of her pitches and she really used them wisely."
Last week Birk tossed three complete games and compiled 14 strikeouts en route to a 1.05 ERA as she earned wins in all of her appearances, including a shutout in the series opener against Wichita State. She has helped ISU extend its winning streak to nine games, its longest streak of the season.
Birk, who is only a junior, already ranks in the top five in five career categories at Illinois State. She's No. 5 in wins (51), No. 4 in starts (74), No. 3 in shutouts (19) and No. 4 in strikeouts (371). The Huntington Beach, Calif., native isn't too shabby on offense either. Birk currently leads the team with a .356 average, and ranks No. 6 on the Redbird career home runs with 14.
Illinois State (32-11 overall), which currently sits in second place in the league standings with a 17-4 record, takes on Loyola in a 3 p.m. doubleheader in Chicago on Wednesday.
