April 18, 2008
Still riding a seven-game Missouri Valley Conference winning streak, but suffering after its 16-8 loss Wednesday night to Illinois, the Illinois State softball team (18-16, 8-4 MVC) will try to hold on to its third-place position in The Valley standings this weekend when it plays host to two of its biggest series of the season against Wichita State and Creighton at the Redbird Softball Complex.
The action starts with a noon doubleheader Saturday against Wichita State (27-19, 9-8 MVC), followed by the series finale against the Shockers at noon Sunday. On Monday, Creighton (32-13, 10-2) will make a trip to the Redbird Softball Complex with a solid hold on first place in The Valley standings for a noon doubleheader against Illinois State. The Creighton series is a makeup of ISU's originally-scheduled three-game home Valley set against the Bluejays that was postponed March 15 due to wet field conditions.
"Every weekend in the conference is a big weekend," said Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer. "We need to solidify some things on the defensive end, and keep our bats going, and see what happens.
"Both Wichita State and Creighton are very good teams. Both teams have done well on both the regional and national levels, as well as in the conference this season, so we have to be ready to play."
Despite Wichita State's rise to the upper echelon of the Missouri Valley Conference during this decade, Illinois State has still held a dominant advantage over the Shockers, as the Redbirds lead the all-time series, 51-14.
ISU has been even more dominant over WSU at home, where it has gone 22-3, including a near-perfect 10-1 mark at the Redbird Softball Complex. ISU's only loss to Wichita State at the Redbird Softball Complex was a 2-1 setback April 20, 2000, in the second year of the complex.
As a team, Wichita State is hitting .256 this season, which ranks fifth in The Valley, while it has outscored opponents, 186-147. The Shockers rank in the top-three in the conference in several batting categories, including runs scored (2nd - 186), hits (2nd - 309), RBI (2nd - 160) and doubles (1st - 56).
The Shockers' pitching staff as a whole owns a 2.97 team earned-run average (ERA), which ranks fourth in The Valley. WSU has thrown 12 shutouts so far this season, one of which came against then-No. 22 Washington Feb. 23 (18-0).
Creighton has moved to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings thanks in large part to pitcher Tara Oltman, who leads the league with a 23-6 record and a 1.07 ERA. The 2007 Valley Newcomer of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, Oltman has dominated opposing batters this season. She has allowed just 30 earned runs, while striking out 209 batters against just 59 walks (3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
After being picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, Creighton has not shied away from defeating big-time opponents, as it has already claimed a stunning 2-1 victory over defending Women's College World Series (WCWS) champion and then-No. 7 Arizona March 8. That win came on the heels of a near-upset of No. 1 Arizona State March 4, as the Bluejays and Sun Devils were knotted at 0-0 through nine innings, before ASU took a 1-0 win in the 10th inning.
The all-time series against the Bluejays is the second-shortest for ISU against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, spanning 54 games over a 28-year period. Illinois State leads the all-time series, 29-24-1; however, the Bluejays have had the Redbirds' number as of late, holding a 6-4 advantage over the last 10 games, including a 2-0-1 mark last season. At home, ISU is 11-10-1 all-time against Creighton, including a slim 6-5 advantage in the series at the Redbird Softball Complex (1999-present).
