April 30, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. –The Illinois State softball team will host Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton in its final three-game series of the 2010 season Saturday-Sunday. Saturday’s doubleheader is slated to begin at noon at the Marian Kneer Softball Stadium.
The all-time series against the Bluejays is the second shortest for ISU against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, spanning 62 games over a 30-year period. Illinois State leads the all-time series, 30-28-1; however, the Bluejays have had the Redbirds’ number as of late, holding a 10-5 advantage over the last 15 games.
Creighton swept the three-game series last season against Illinois State. Each of the three games were close, with the Bluejays topping the Redbirds by a single run in each of their three victories in Omaha, Neb.
The Bluejays will be the eighth Missouri Valley Conference opponent the Redbirds have faced this season and will wrap up ISU’s 2010 home season at Marian Kneer Softball Stadium. Creighton heads into the three-game series in third place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 14-5. The Bluejays have won 12-straight Valley contests, improving Creighton’s 2010 overall record to 29-19.
Creighton is hitting .238 as a team through 48 games. The Bluejays have 289 hits and have driven in 201 runs. Creighton is led by Renae Sinkler, who has a .381 batting average on 51 hits and 46 runs.
In the circle, Creighton pitchers have a staff ERA of 2.73 with 320 strikeouts so far this season. Tara Oltman leads the Creighton battery with 221 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.63. Oltman has been named the MVC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
At the plate, Illinois State is led by Kara Nelson, who leads the team and the Valley with 63 hits and a .434 batting average. Another strong presence at the plate is junior third baseman Abby Olson, whose 16 home runs lead all ISU batters. In ISU’s Sunday game against Missouri State, five batters hit six home runs, including four-straight shots in the top of the sixth against Missouri State. The Redbirds also completed a triple play in the bottom half of the inning. Elizabeth Kay hit two homers out of the park in Tuesday’s game against DePaul, while Beth Current hit a solo shot to give ISU the 5-1 win.
The Redbirds' pitching staff owns a combined 3.76 ERA entering this weekend’s three-game series. ISU is holding opposing batters to a .369 batting average. The Redbird pitchers are led by Megan Warner, who grabbed the win Tuesday improving her record to 12-7 on the season.
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