Jan. 31, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
With spring practice already under way, the Illinois State softball team is preparing for what could be another historic season. Coming off two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and with the bulk of its potent offensive lineup back, the Redbirds are already receiving national recognition, as they earned 23 votes - tied with Missouri Valley Conference member Creighton for 31st-most in the nation - in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Poll released Jan. 23, along with five votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 Poll released Tuesday.
With just over a week left until ISU opens its season at 10:30 a.m. CST Feb. 8 against Central Arkansas at the Central Florida Tournament in Orlando, GoRedbirds.com will present a three-day preview of the Redbirds' upcoming 2008 season. The third, and final, part of the series features a look at the Redbird battery, which includes ISU's young, and largely unproven, pitching staff, as well as its backstop.
THE BATTERY
The Redbird pitching staff is the biggest question mark for the team entering the 2008 season, as ISU lost two of the top pitchers in school history with the graduation of Stacy Birk and all-American Shannon Nicholson following the 2007 season. The duo combined for 41 wins in 58 starts (71 percent of ISU's wins) last season.
Junior Amber Smith will get the nod as the Redbirds' No. 1 pitcher in 2008. As the only current ISU player who has NCAA Division I
pitching experience, Smith will be relied upon heavily to anchor a pitching corps that will be made up entirely of newcomers, other than
herself. With a combined 3-1 record in 11 career appearances, Smith will be tested early on, as ISU faces 10 NCAA Tournament teams
from last season and three schools that made appearances in the 2007 Women's College World Series.
"When you take a look at what Shannon Nicholson and Stacy Birk did in the last four years, starting their freshman year, they pitched
almost every game that we played," Illinois State head softball coach Melinda Fischer said. "In the fall, we at least got an opportunity
to see what we think is going to happen this spring. I think Amber Smith did a great job of stepping up (in the fall tournament season)
and really fulfilling that role (as the No. 1 starting pitcher)."
Next in line will be sophomore Amy Mitchell, who provides one of the most interesting stories on the team, as the Palatine, Ill., native did
not play collegiate softball as an academic freshman in 2007, and walked-on to the team this fall. Mitchell made great use of ISU's fall
tournament season, as she was second on the team in wins (three), and had a team-best .071 opponent batting average that
included 17 strikeouts in just 14.1 innings of work.
Newcomers Chrissy Burton and Rachel Smith will add needed depth to the Redbird pitching lineup. While both pitchers may have an occasional start in the circle, they are projected to fill mostly a relief role in 2008.
"Amy Mitchell, a walk-on, is someone who I think is going to do a great job," Fischer said. "Chrissy Burton is going to have the learning
things she will have to go through as a freshman. The other surprise for us in the fall was Rachel Smith, a junior college transfer, who
threw a lot of innings at the junior college level last year. We're excited about our pitching staff."
Calling the pitches for the Redbird pitching staff will be junior Casey Gorrell, who returns to the backstop for her third season. A two-year starter who has caught every inning that ISU has played over the last two seasons, Gorrell's presence on the field, both for pitchers and infielders alike, is one of the Redbirds' biggest assets. Despite having started 116-consecutive games over her two-year Redbird softball career, Gorrell's bat has been consistent throughout her career. After hitting .260 as a freshman in 2006, Gorrell inched her 2007 batting average up one point (.261), while she doubled her RBI production to 32 from 16 in 2006.
The trio of senior Jennifer Brown and freshmen Carly Billings and Abby Olson will be available as capable backups to Gorrell. A transfer from Blackhawk College, Brown was an all-tournament and all-region team selection as a catcher at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) nationals in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
SEASON PREVIEW SCHEDULE:
Tuesday: Season Outlook and Projected Lineup
Wednesday: Infield and Outfield
Thursday: The Battery
