April 1, 2008
Nothing can bring a team back into a conference race faster than playing against a league opponent that it has historically dominated. Owning a commanding 59-11 advantage in the all-time series against Indiana State, its opponent Wednesday, the Illinois State softball team will look to capitalize on this maxim. The Redbirds (11-14, 1-4 MVC), who currently sit in ninth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, will take on the eight-place Sycamores (9-14-1, 2-4 MVC) in a key conference doubleheader beginning at noon Wednesday from Prince Field in Terre Haute, Ind.
While Illinois State's 59-11 all-time record against Indiana State may make the series seem like a cakewalk for the Redbirds, as anyone associate with the Missouri Valley Conferences knows, there is no easy Valley series. The Redbirds know this all too well. After winning 20-straigtht games in the series, dating back to an 8-1 victory May 8, 2000, Illinois State saw its dominance over Indiana State snapped in the series finale last season, as the Sycamores recorded an 8-7, 11-inning victory over the Redbirds.
Heading into Wednesday's doubleheader against the Sycamores, Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer has her team focused less on its opponent and more on what it needs to do to improve.
"We're looking at trying to put together a complete game when we play at Indiana State (Wednesday)," said Fischer. "From an offensive, defensive and pitching standpoint, we're looking to improve every time we are on the field. We have focused more on our own team lately, and less on our opponent, since we are at a position in our program right now that we have to concentrate on our own game in order to get to the level of competitiveness that we want to be at."
The doubleheader will feature two very similar teams, as both the Redbirds and the Sycamores are struggling offensively, particularly in conference play. Indiana State's .231 team batting average ranks eighth in The Valley, one spot ahead of Illinois State, which owns a .228 team average. In Missouri Valley Conference games, the Sycamores own a .204 team batting average with just 11 RBI and 13 runs scored in six games. Comparatively, Illinois State is hitting .205 in Valley games, with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored in five games, but it has notched five of its 13 home runs this season in those games.
The Sycamores are led at the plate by the duo of Britt Boyer and Katie Armour, who are hitting .317 and .315, respectively. Another strong hitter for the Sycamores is Meredith Simpson, who owns a .292 batting average with a team-best 14 runs scored, four home runs and 15 RBI.
In the circle, Indiana State's 3.79 team earned-run average (ERA) ranks last in The Valley, and its .282 opponent batting average ranks ninth out of 10 teams. Senior Darcy Wood is the only Sycamore pitcher who has an ERA that is below 3.00 this season, as her 4-2 record in the circle comes with a 2.58 ERA.
