Feb. 24, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. - The Illinois State softball team will take its 7-2 record to Tampa, Fla., this weekend for the USF Fairfield Inn and Suites Tampa North Tournament hosted by the University of South Florida. The Redbirds will open the three-day event Friday with back-to-back games against two nationally-ranked teams in No. 2/5 Alabama and No. 15/16 Missouri.
ISU is scheduled to play host South Florida Saturday, followed by a contest with Temple and then will wrap up the tournament against Central Connecticut State Sunday morning. Illinois State's meeting with CCSU will be the first-ever meeting between the Redbirds and Blue Devils.
"This will be another challenging weekend for us and one of the challenges will be for us to really start making some of the adjustments that we have identified over the last two weeks, both on offense and on defense," head coach Melinda Fischer said. "We are going to be extremely challenged right off the bat with two nationally-ranked teams."
Seniors Kara Nelson and Abby Olson lead the ISU offense, as Nelson boasts a .567 batting average and enters the weekend just 10 hits shy of the become the all-time career hits leader at Illinois State. Olson, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, is hitting an even .500 and leads the team with three home runs, 14 RBI and a 1.071 slugging percentage. As a team, the Redbirds hit .450 last weekend in Tempe, Ariz., and are hitting .345 as a team this season.
In the circle, freshman Taylor Baxter is 2-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA after tossing complete game shutouts against Maryland and Seattle. Junior Megan Warner enters the weekend with a 2.45 ERA and a 3-1 record. Warner ranks fourth in the Valley with 28 strikeouts and leads the team with 20.0 innings of work.
Alabama is an off to an unblemished 10-0 start to the season and is hitting an impressive .435 as a team. The Crimson Tide is averaging 10.8 runs per game and has posted 24 home runs. The Alabama pitching staff is led by senior Kelsi Dunne, who is 5-0 on the season with a 0.53 ERA. Dunne was named the Southeast Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2010 after finishing the season with a 1.97 ERA and a school-record 355 strikeouts.
Missouri enters the weekend with a 1-2 mark after dropping a pair of games against Fresno State and nationally-ranked California last weekend in San Diego. The Tigers advanced to the Women's College World Series last season after going 51-13 and return eight starters from that squad.
"Missouri is probably not off the start it wanted, but it is a very good program and going to the World Series last year is indicative of the quality of that program," Fischer added. "Alabama was ranked No. 1 most of last season before getting upset in the Super Regionals, otherwise they would have been [at the WCWS] as well. Friday is a day that we will learn a lot about ourselves."
South Florida will open a brand new stadium this weekend for the tournament and brings a 5-5 record into its Thursday night game with Central Connecticut State. The Bulls are led offensively and in the circle by a pair of talented freshmen in Kourtney Salvarola and Sara Nevins. Salvarola is hitting .344 with five extra-base hits and a team-high 12 RBI. Nevins is 2-1 on the season with a 0.98 ERA and has tallied 34 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
"South Florida is a great program and we will be playing them in a new stadium that is absolutely gorgeous," Fischer said. "You know they will be ready to do what they need to do for their fans and to break in this new stadium."
Temple and Central Connecticut will be opening their 2011 campaigns this weekend at the USF Fairfield Inn and Suites Tampa North Tournament and finished with similar records last season. The Owls, members of the BIG EAST Conference, finished 19-30 in 2010 and return their top pitcher in senior Kristen Marris. CCSU posted an overall record of 19-31 a year ago and was tabbed sixth in the Preseason Northeast Conference Coaches' Poll. The Blue Devils return their top two hitters from last season in senior Katherine Knowles and junior Rebecca Mussatti. Knowles led CCSU with a .378 average and 18 doubles, while Mussatti hit .358 with 11 doubles and 18 RBI.
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