March 28, 2008
Finally seeing action last weekend after a record-setting 19-day layoff due to nine-straight games being cancelled because of weather issues, the Illinois State softball team (11-12, 1-2 MVC) will look to pick up some momentum this weekend in the hyper-competitive Missouri Valley Conference race, as it travels to in-state rival Southern Illinois (15-15, 3-3 MVC) for a three-game conference series against the Salukis at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. The series will begin with a noon doubleheader Saturday, followed by the series finale at noon Sunday.
"Right now, we're a little rusty as a team, especially offensively," said Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer. "I think our recent long layoff has had a negative effect on our team, but you can't help having a layoff like that. Since we have been able to get outside this week and practice on our field, we should have a better feeling for what it is like to play every day on a real field, as opposed to playing inside Horton Field House."
With three-straight losses to Wichita State last weekend (7-0, 3-0, 1-0), Southern Illinois was swept in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series for the first time in program history. Those losses, combined with a 9-1 setback to Eastern Illinois Thursday, left the Salukis in sixth place in The Valley standings, two spots ahead of the Redbirds.
The Salukis are led at the plate by a trio of batters that are hitting .330-or-better on the season. Outfielder Katie Wilson is first on the team with a .364 average, while infielder Lauren Haas (.351) and utility player Katie Wagner (.314) are second and third in batting average, respectively. As a team, SIU is ranked first in The Valley in both batting average (.281) and home runs (22).
Nikki Waters leads all SIU pitchers with an 8-8 record and a 3.23 ERA. The Salukis own a combined 3.42 team ERA, which ranks eighth in the conference.
The all-time series against Southern Illinois is the longest in Illinois State softball history, spanning 109 games and dating back to the 1964 season. The Redbirds lead the all-time series against the Salukis, 60-49; however, they are only 18-20 all-time in games played in Carbondale, Ill., site of this weekend games, and ISU has lost six of the last 10 games in the series.
Illinois State went 2-2 last season against Southern Illinois, including a crushing 3-0 loss to the Salukis in the semifinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament at the Redbird Softball Complex. In games played at SIU's Charlotte West Stadium, which opened in 2003, Illinois State is 3-3 after taking the season series, 2-1, in 2004, and then suffering a 1-2 series loss in 2006.
"The series against Southern Illinois has always been competitive, and I don't think this weekend will be any different," said Fischer. "We're both similar teams. (Southern Illinois) has a new pitching staff, and they also have a strong offensive nucleus returning, just like we do."
Illinois State is hitting .233 as a team this season, including 12 home runs against just five long balls by its opponents. The Redbirds are led in the batter's box by their one through three hitters, as leadoff batter Kara Nelson owns a team-best .386 batting average while junior Amber Smith (.327) and senior captain Tiffany Prager (.318) round out ISU's .300-or-better-hitters.
Redbird pitchers own a combined 3.01 ERA in the circle, slightly above the 2.75 ERA that ISU opponents claim. Rachel Smith's team-low 1.85 ERA accompanies a 3-2 record over 42.1 innings pitched. She has given up just 11 walks this season, and has recorded 26 strikeouts, for a team-high 2.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
