April 27, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - Returning to Redbird Softball Complex after not playing a home game in nearly three weeks, the Illinois State softball team hosts Missouri Valley Conference leader Southern Illinois in a three game series in Normal, Ill., April 28-29. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at noon, while the third game will be played on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
The last time the `Birds battled at Redbird Softball Complex was on April 9 in a doubleheader against Bradley. With a record of 10-1 at its home field, ISU enters the weekend with a .909 winning percentage at home and welcomes the fact that the last six Valley meetings will be played on its home turf.
After dropping a pair of games at Creighton over the weekend, Illinois State fell back to third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with its 37-12-1, 13-6-1 MVC record. But, the Redbirds currently lead the league in eight offensive categories: batting average (.313), slugging percentage (.542), runs scored (288), hits (416), RBI (270), doubles (72), home runs (73) and total bases (721).
The Salukis currently own the top spot in the Valley with their 36-9, 15-3 MVC record. Last weekend, SIU swept Northern Iowa (14-1, 10-2 and 10-5) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Like the Redbirds, Southern Illinois dropped a pair of games to Creighton, and SIU's only other conference loss is to Missouri State on April 15.
Illinois State owns a 58-47 lead in the all-time series with Southern Illinois, despite dropping last year's series in Carbondale, Ill. Despite being out-hit in both games, the Illinois State softball team jumped out to an early lead in game two on April 1, 2006, against then-No. 25 Southern Illinois and held the Salukis off in claiming an 8-6 win in the nightcap. The win was ISU's second against a ranked team on the year, as it handed the Salukis their first home loss of the season. In the opener, a late rally wasn't enough as the Redbirds fell to SIU, 3-2. One bad inning led to the Illinois State softball team's demise in the series finale against SIU as the `Birds fell 9-1. The Salukis scored eight runs in the third and out-hit ISU, 9-4, as the `Birds dropped to 19-10 overall and 8-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The annual Redbird Raffle will be held between the two games on Saturday, with the winner's name being drawn after the conclusion of game one. Prizes for this year's raffle include a free weekend stay at the Doubletree Hotel (3rd place), round trip airfare to anywhere AirTran Airways travels (2nd place) and an all-expenses paid vacation from Suzi Davis Travel (1st place.) Additionally, all players will be signing autographs after the second game of the doubleheader down the third base line. Sunday will be ISU Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at Redbird Softball Complex, with a cookout being held for all university faculty and staff who attend Sunday's game against the Salukis.
