April 6, 2009
Heading into its 6 p.m. Tuesday non-conference game at Illinois, the Illinois State softball team knows at least one thing about the potential outcome of the game: If history truly does repeat itself, then Tuesday's game is going to be a high-scoring affair. With both teams combining to score 55 runs over the last three games in the series, Tuesday's 6 p.m. game at Illinois' Eichelberger Field in Urbana, Ill., will feature two of the nation's historically most prolific offensive teams going at it in another non-conference slugfest.
The Redbirds enter the game with a 17-15 record on the year and wins in four of their last five games. Illinois has been on a similar roll of late, having won eight of its last 11 games and owning a 20-10 overall record. The game will be ISU's fifth of the season against an opponent from the state of Illinois; the Redbirds are 2-2 this season against opponents from the Land of Lincoln.
A brief review of the last three games in the series shows Illinois holding a slight edge over the Redbirds. The Fighting Illini own a 2-1 record against the Redbirds since 2007, with Illinois having already scored an 11-3, run-rule victory over Illinois State March 17 at Marian Kneer Softball Stadium. In last year's game in Urbana, Ill., the Fighting Illini pulled out a 16-8, three-and-a-half hour victory over Illinois State.
The Redbirds trail the all-time series to the Fighting Illini, 5-6.
Illinois enters the game hitting .293 as a team with a .440 team slugging percentage and a .381 team on-base percentage. The Fighting Illini boast two batters hitting over .350 on the season, including Danielle Zymkowitz, who is hitting .462 with 33 runs scored, five doubles, 16 RBI and a .606 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Illinois pitchers own a combined 3.91 ERA and have surrendered 113 earned runs in just 202 1/3 innings pitched. Opposing batters are hitting .276 against Illinois pitchers.
Illini freshman pitcher Monica Perry is coming off her first-career no-hitter Saturday, as Illinois shutout Wisconsin, 8-0. Perry's complete-game no-hitter was the first by an Illinois pitcher since Sherri Taylor tossed one against Valparaiso April 29, 2003. It also marked the second no-hitter this season through by an Illinois pitcher, as Ashley Wright and Taylor Call combined for one against Prairie View A&M Feb. 21, and it was the eighth thrown in program history.
Illinois State's ace in its back pocket will be freshman pitcher Jordan Birch, who earned her second State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honor Monday after she went 2-0 last week and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Indiana State April 1.
Birch is 9-6 on the season with a team-low 1.66 ERA.
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