March 13, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Up a spot in the most recent ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 Poll, the No. 17 Illinois State softball team kicks off their home season on Wednesday, hosting Loyola in a doubleheader. The first of seven consecutive home games, tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Redbird Softball Complex.
Ranked No. 18 in last week's poll, the `Birds increased their standing in the poll and enter the mid-week contest with a 19-5 record. After a 4-0 weekend at the Southeast Missouri State Spring Classic, ISU claimed tournament championship honors, defeating each opponent in shut-out fashion, out-scoring their competition, 37-0.
Loyola is 3-10 on the year, winning the season opener 7-5 over UC Riverside. LUC spent last weekend at the Stanford Classic, where the Ramblers downed San Diego State (3-0) and Sacramento State (5-2), before dropping three straight games to No. 12 Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State.
Although the teams didn't compete, both Illinois State and Loyola participated in the 2007 Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament in Los Angeles, March 2-4. ISU won tournament championship honors with a 4-1 record, defeating both UCLA and Florida, while the Ramblers finished the tournament winless, dropping four consecutive games to No. 12 UCLA (3-0 and 9-1), No. 17 Florida (2-0) and Long Beach State (6-0).
Illinois State and Loyola have played five games in the history of the programs, with the Redbirds leading the all-time series, 4-1. Playing a doubleheader on April 26, 2006 in Chicago, ISU escaped with a 2-1 win in game one, but pitching mistakes cost the Redbirds in game two as they fell 8-6. Despite the loss, the `Birds, who entered the game on a 10-game winning streak, out-hit the Ramblers, 11-9, in the nightcap.
Missouri Valley Conference play starts later this week, with Illinois State hosting Northern Iowa in a three-game series on March 10-11. The Valley squads will square off in a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday and will then play just a single game on Sunday at noon.
