Feb. 11, 2009
ILLINOIS STATE AT LITTLEWOOD CLASSIC | TEMPE, ARIZ.
|
| Dates |
Friday, Feb. 13-Sunday, Feb. 15
|
Location
|
Tempe, Ariz.
|
Friday
|
vs. Idaho State (10 a.m. CST)
at No. 3/6 Arizona State (6:30 p.m. CST)
|
Saturday
|
vs. Chattanooga (10 a.m. CST)
vs. RV Iowa (2 p.m. CST)
|
Sunday
|
Kent State (noon)
|
| Radio |
 WJBC.com (Brennan Wielgopolan | Play-by-Play)
|
| Webcast |
 None
|
Live Stats
|
GoRedbirds.com (Arizona State Game ONLY)
|
Tournament Info
|
Tournament Central |  ISU Game Notes
|
It has been a rite of passage for the Illinois State softball team for 19-straight years now, and with each passing season, it seems that the challenge gets harder, but the rewards are greater. That is the scenario once again awaiting the Redbird softball team this weekend when ISU (2-3) travels to Tempe, Ariz., for the challenging Littlewood Classic Friday through Sunday.
Illinois State will begin the tournament, which is hosted by 2008 Women's College World Series (WCWS) Champion Arizona State, at 10 a.m. CT Friday against Idaho State. The Redbirds will conclude play Friday with a 6:30 p.m. game against No. 3/6 Arizona State, which owns a 25-1 all-time record against Illinois State.
ISU's Saturday schedule will see the Redbirds take on Chattanooga at 10 a.m., followed by a 2 p.m. game against Iowa. Illinois State will wrapup tournament play at noon Sunday against Kent State.
All five of the Illinois State softball team's games at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz., can be heard live on WJBC2.com or on GoRedbirds.com.
Illinois State's Friday night game against Arizona State will mark the Redbirds' first game of the season against a ranked opponent. It will also mark ISU's first game against a defending national champion since Feb. 23, 2003, when the Redbirds lost, 11-0, to then-No. 3 California after Cal had won the 2002 national championship.
Dating back to the 1994 season, Illinois State is 37-96 in games played against nationally-ranked opponents.
Illinois State has a long and storied history with two of its opponents at this weekend's Littlewood Classic.
The Redbirds are just 1-25 all-time against Arizona State, with ISU's lone win in the series being a 3-0 shut out of then-No. 8 ASU Feb. 15, 2002. Against Iowa, the Redbirds are 16-31 all-time, which includes two losses last year to the Hawkeyes. The Iowa series is one of just eight series of at least 10 games in Redbird softball history that Illinois State does not lead.
Illinois State is 1-0 all-time against Idaho State, and 4-1 all-time versus Kent State. The Redbirds have never played Chattanooga.
Illinois State has been led at the plate early on this season by junior transfer shortstop Niki Stansell, who batted a robust .412 in ISU's five games last weekend. Also hot at the plate for ISU was senior catcher Casey Gorrell, who was third on the team in batting average with a .333 mark, which included a career-high 4-for-5, five-RBI performance Feb. 7 against UNC-Greensboro.
As a team, the Redbirds are batting .209, and have nearly twice as many strikeouts (42) as do their opponents (24). Part of the problem last weekend was batting with runners in scoring position, an area where the Redbirds owned just a .171 batting average, compared to a .333 mark by their opponents.
In the circle, freshmen pitchers Megan Warner and Jordan Birch stepped up big when No. 1 starter Amber Smith struggled through her first two starts. Warner has a team-low 1.80 ERA in four appearances and has allowed just three walks over 11.2 innings pitched. Birch, the flame-thrower from Monroe, Wash., has a 0-2 record on the year, but has struck out 11 batters in 11.0 innings pitched.
For more information on Illinois State softball or Illinois State Athletics, please visit GoRedbirds.com.
