May 20, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. –After receiving an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Softball Championship Sunday night, the Illinois State softball team is set to take on Notre Dame in the Ann Arbor Regional. The Redbirds (32-18) and the Fighting Irish (45-10) will compete at 3:30 p.m. (CST) Friday afternoon at the Alumni Field on Michigan’s campus.
Head coach Melinda Fischer gave a brief overview of Illinois State’s first round opponent.
“Notre Dame is a strong offensive team,” said Fischer. “The number of RBI they have accumulated compared to their opponents is significant. They are a well-rounded offensive unit, and it seems that they have a good mix of speed and power in the batter’s box and on the bases. We are going to have to pitch well and play solid defense to contain that.”
ISU will be making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament after receiving its third at-large bid to the tournament, with the last coming in 2007. Illinois State is 9-12 all time in the NCAA Tournament with its last win coming in 2007 over Notre Dame, 3-1, May 19 in Evanston, Ill. This year, ISU was named the No. 3 seed in the region and will serve as the away team for Friday's game against Notre Dame.
Illinois State and Notre Dame will square off for the fourth time in a regional setting, after meeting twice in the NCAA Regional in 2007. Notre Dame owns a 4-3 lead in the all-time series against Illinois State. The Redbirds’ first win against the Fighting Irish came on March 1, 1997, when ISU shutout ND, 8-0. The Redbirds’ most recent wins came at the 2007 Evanston Regional when the Redbirds topped the Fighting Irish twice.
Notre Dame finished the regular season with a record of 45-10 and 18-3 in the Big East Conference. Notre Dame has been in the top-25 polls throughout the 2010 season. The Fighting Irish earned an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to Louisville in the semifinal round of the Big East Conference Tournament.
“I think the team is excited to get a second chance and to play in the NCAA Regionals,” said Fischer. “Now that they know they have a second chance and the season is continuing, hopefully they do something with that this weekend.”
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