Feb. 10, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. -
The Illinois State softball team will open the 2011 season this weekend in Athens, Ga., as the Redbirds will participate in the Red and Black Showcase hosted by the University of Georgia. ISU is slated to play five games during the three-day event, with contests against East Carolina, Georgia, Lipscomb, Maryland and Iowa.
"Since day one, we have been counting down the days until the actual outdoor season begins," head coach Melinda Fischer said. "Horton Field House is a great practice facility and we get a lot done in there, but the unfortunate thing is that it is not the surface you will actually be playing on or the elements you will be playing in. If you look out today, you will see that the snow has followed us to Georgia, but I think it will be a good situation here. The temperatures are supposed to be in the 40s and 50s, we are certainly used to playing in that weather and we are very excited to get outside."
The Redbirds finished the 2010 season with a 32-20 overall record, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season standings and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Illinois State returns two NFCA All-Americans in Kara Nelson and Abby Olson and was tabbed first in the MVC Preseason Coaches' Poll along with in-state rival Southern Illinois. ISU led the league with four Preseason All-Valley selections as Nelson and Olson were joined by 2010 MVC Newcomer of the Year Elizabeth Kay and senior pitcher Megan Warner on the preseason squad.
The Redbirds will open the season Friday at 12 p.m. against East Carolina, where Fischer will be looking to notch her 850th career win. However, the Pirates will not make it easy as they are coming off their best season in school history with a 44-18 overall record and return four starters, including reigning Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Toni Paisley. Last season, ECU led the nation in fielding percentage with a 0.980 team fielding percentage, committing just 31 errors in 62 games.
"I think that it isn't really about [getting win No. 850], but about evaluating and taking a look at where we left off in the fall season, what we have been able to accomplish during this indoor season and then transitioning all of that into our competitive schedule," Fischer added. "We are just going to take it one inning at a time, one pitch at a time and see what we can do collectively as a unit."
ISU will wrap up Friday with a game against nationally-ranked Georgia. The Bulldogs posted a 50-13 record in 2010 and were picked No. 3 in USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 4 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Georgia returns all nine positional starters from last year's squad, including senior Taylor Schlopy. Schlopy led the Bulldogs with a .418 batting average in 2010 and was a top-25 finalist for the USA Collegiate Player of the Year.
The schedule does not get any easier for the Redbirds on Saturday, as they will take on Lipscomb and Maryland, who are both receiving votes in national polls. The Lady Bisons finished last season with an overall mark of 50-13 and claimed both the Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament titles. The Terrapins earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 after posting a 34-24 record.
"In the Missouri Valley Conference, we always talk about wanting to have great regional representation," Fischer said. "When looking at the schedule for this year, I feel that if we are going to [represent our region] in the Valley and here at Illinois State, then we have to be challenged from the get go and we will be in our upcoming tournaments. It is a great, demanding schedule early and if we take advantage of it early, it will definitely prepare us for the Valley. We are going to go up against a lot of different coaching styles, a lot of different teams, a lot of different pitchers and it is about making adjustments and taking advantage of opportunities that you can create yourself."
ISU will conclude the Red and Black Showcase Sunday with an 8:00 a.m. contest with Iowa. The Hawkeyes are the only opponent for the Redbirds in Georgia that did not make a trip to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Iowa finished 25-23 last season and is under the direction of first-year head coach Marla Looper, who came to Iowa after an 11-year stint as an assistant coach at Texas.
Illinois State is scheduled to play six teams for the first time in program history in 2011 and three of them are slated to come in Georgia against East Carolina, Lipscomb and Maryland.
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