Prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic on Tap for Redbird Softball

Feb. 28, 2008

Riding a two-game winning streak after consecutive wins against Miami [Ohio] (5-1) and Buffalo (10-0) at last weekend's Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz., the Illinois State softball team will look to ride its recent wave of momentum into its final pre-conference tournament, as the Redbirds head to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., Friday-Sunday. The tournament features 21 of the nation's best NCAA Division I softball teams, and is set to take place at the South Commons Softball Complex and Stadium, the same softball complex that was used during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Illinois State's NFCA Leadoff Classic schedule includes four teams that made appearances in last season's NCAA Tournament, starting with a 10 a.m. CST Friday matchup against Winthrop. Also on tap Friday is a 5:30 p.m. CST game against UNC-Charlotte. On Saturday, the Redbirds will face arguably their toughest slate of back-to-back games this season, as they take on 2007 Women's College World Series (WCW) runner-up, No. 4/6 Tennessee at 3 p.m. CST, followed immediately by a 5:30 p.m. CST game against another 2007 NCAA Tournament participant, Hofstra. ISU will wrap up its time in Georgia with a 9 a.m. CST game against No. 23 North Carolina.

"This tournament is like a mini-NCAA Regional, all in one place," Illinois State head softball coach Melinda Fischer said. "It's a great opportunity for our team to see so many quality opponents this early in the season. There is quality throughout this tournament."

Illinois State enters this weekend's NFCA Leadoff Classic with a 6-9 record on the season, the sixth time in the Melinda Fischer head coaching-era (1986-present) that the Redbirds have held that record through 15 games.

The Redbirds are 9-7 all-time at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, dating back to their first appearance in the tournament in 1997, when they went 3-3. Last season, ISU was 4-1 at the Leadoff Classic, as it shared the Silver Bracket championship title with Missouri Valley Conference member Southern Illinois.

Illinois State enters the Littlewood Classic with a 2-2 mark all-time against its tournament opponents. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 2-1, against North Carolina, while Tennessee holds a 1-0 edge over ISU. The Redbirds have never played against Winthrop, Charlotte or Hofstra.

ISU went 2-3 at last weekend's Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz. In their first game against Radford (Feb. 22), a three-run home run doomed ISU, as the `Birds fell, 5-3. Illinois State then ran up against one of the nation's most powerful offensive teams, No. 2/4 Arizona State, which was also backed by one of the top-rated pitchers in the country, as Katie Burkhart threw a 13-strikeout perfect game against the Redbirds for the 8-0 (5) run-rule victory. After a 2-0 loss to Iowa Saturday morning, ISU finally regained its mojo, as the Redbirds took down Miami (Ohio), 5-1, Saturday afternoon, before concluding the tournament with a 10-0 thumping of Buffalo Sunday afternoon in five innings for their first shutout of the season.

"We need to keep our momentum from the end of last weekend's tournament (Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz.) going for this weekend," Fischer said. "I felt that we improved every game that we played at the Littlewood Classic, even during the 8-0 loss to (No. 2/4) Arizona State (Feb. 22). Ending with two-straight wins and getting those wins on two separate days was a big confidence boost for our team."

Illinois State is led by the offensive trio of junior pitcher/first baseman Amber Smith (.433 BA, 13 H, 7 RBI), sophomore third baseman Kara Nelson (.383 BA, 18 H, 10 RBI) and senior second baseman Tiffany Prager (.356 BA, 16 H, 6 RBI). While the Redbirds are hitting 37 points lower as a team (.237) than their opponents (.274), ISU's offense has started to pick up the tempo. Illinois State recorded 16 RBI in three games at the Littlewood Classic, in Tempe, Ariz., where they also produced two home runs and 23 hits - all of this after they were shut out in two-straight games to No. 2/4 Arizona State (8-0) and Iowa (2-0).

Redbird pitchers have a combined 3.32 earned-run average (ERA) on the season, while they have given up 62 runs (46 earned) in 15 games. Opposing batters are hitting .274 against ISU this season, with 106 hits and 56 RBI; however, the Redbirds have allowed just four home runs on the year, for a scant 0.27 home runs allowed per game average.