Jan. 28, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
The Illinois State softball team got its first major recognition of the 2009 season Wednesday when the Redbirds were picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Four Redbirds earned preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, as seniors Amber Smith (designated player - pitcher) and Jessie Buker (outfield); junior Kara Nelson (second base); and sophomore Abby Olson (designated player - utility) were each named to the preseason All-Valley Team.
Illinois State's four preseason All-Valley selections were the most of any conference school. Creighton - the preseason conference favorite - was second in preseason All-Valley selections with three honorees.
Illinois State earned the No. 2 preseason ranking in the coaches' poll with 88 points. Creighton, which is coming off of its second-straight MVC regular-season title, finished first in The Valley Preseason Poll with 97 out of a possible 100 points, which included nine-of-10 first-place votes.
Southern Illinois earned the No. 3 preseason ranking with 78 points. Drake was picked fourth in the poll with a total of 60 points and one first-place vote, the latter due in part to the Bulldogs' State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship title last year. Wichita State (58 points) rounded out the top-five in the Valley Preseason Coaches' Poll, while Missouri State (45) Evansville (42), Indiana State (33), Bradley (25) and Northern Iowa (24) finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
ISU's No. 2 preseason selection follows a 28-20 (.583) overall record during the 2008 season, which included a second-place finish in The Valley (17-7). The Redbirds will return 13 letterwinners and seven starters in 2009.
"This year's preseason coaches' poll strongly reflects where most teams in The Valley finished in the conference last season, so I am not surprised that we were picked to finish second this year," said Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer. "Based on the student-athletes that we have returning at certain positions and what other teams in the conference are returning, I think the poll is fairly indicative of where our team belongs in the conference and where every other team belongs."
Smith earned the second preseason All-Valley honor of her career after she earned All-Valley First-Team recognition in 2009 when she batted .349 last season with 44 hits, 29 RBI and eight home runs. The Valley career home run record holder, Smith currently ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I softball players in career home runs (40).
Buker has now earned preseason All-Valley recognition in each of her three seasons as a returning letterwinner for Illinois State. Buker had a stellar second half at the plate last season en route to earning All-Valley First-Team honors. During the final two months of the season, she batted a team-high .378 with 16 runs scored, 22 RBI and a .683 slugging percentage. Buker ended 2008 with a .294 batting average, which was 144 points higher than her average midway through the season, and ranked fourth among everyday ISU starters.
Nelson, who is a two-time All-American, earned her second-straight preseason All-Valley laurel after she led the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average (.401) and triples (7), while also increasing her power output with four home runs and 25 RBI from the leadoff spot.
Olson had a breakout freshman season for Illinois State. The first-time preseason All-Valley honoree set the ISU single-game RBI record May 4, 2008, against Northern Iowa with seven runs driven in on three home runs. For the year, she batted .272 at the designated player position with seven home runs and 25 RBI.
"I'm extremely happy for all four of our student-athletes that were named to the preseason All-Valley Team," said Fischer. "I thought all four had great Valley statistics from last season, as well as strong performances on the field throughout the entire 2008 season and in the classroom. This is a great honor for them, and they are all very well deserving of this recognition."
Illinois State will open its 2009 season Friday, Feb. 6, at the USF Louisville Slugger Tournament in Tampa, Fla. The Redbirds are slated to open the tournament at 10 a.m. CST Feb. 6 against Florida Gulf Coast.
|
Team |
Points |
2008 Overall Record |
2008 MVC Record |
2008 MVC Reg.-Season Finish |
|
Creighton (9) |
97 |
43-17-0 |
21-3-0 |
1st |
|
Illinois State |
88 |
28-20-0 |
17-7-0 |
2nd |
|
Southern Illinois |
78 |
30-24-0 |
15-8-0 |
3rd |
|
Drake (1) |
60 |
29-25-0 |
13-10-0 |
4th |
|
Wichita State |
58 |
33-28-0 |
13-13-0 |
5th |
|
Missouri State |
45 |
28-22-0 |
11-13-0 |
7th |
|
Evansville |
42 |
25-21-0 |
11-120 |
6th |
|
Indiana State |
33 |
19-29-1 |
7-16-0 |
8th |
|
Bradley |
25 |
12-27-0 |
4-19-0 |
10th |
|
Northern Iowa |
24 |
20-28-0 |
5-16-0 |
9th |
(-) - indicates first place votes