April 19, 2011
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NORMAL, Ill - The Illinois State softball team will welcome Missouri Valley Conference opponent Indiana State to Marian Kneer Stadium for a midweek conference doubleheader Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Redbirds (26-13, 12-2 MVC) and Sycamores (14-23, 3-11 MVC) will wrap up the series next Tuesday in Terre Haute, Ind.
ISU is coming off a three-game sweep of Evansville last weekend, in which Illinois State outscored the Purple Aces 26-5 and cleared the fences five times. The Redbirds continue to lead the Valley in nearly every offensive category with a .302 team batting average, .518 slugging percentage, 45 home runs, 16 triples and 220 runs scored.
Senior Kara Nelson leads the team and the MVC with a .422 batting average and extended her hitting streak to 16 games with a fifth-inning home run in game two of last Sunday's doubleheader. Nelson's 16-game streak ties her for the fifth-longest active streak in NCAA Division I softball.
Sophomore Elizabeth Kay continued her hot hitting last weekend in Evansville, Ind., going 5-for-9 in the series with a pair of home runs, six RBI and five runs scored. The Bartlett, Ill., native leads the Valley with 34 RBI and is second in the league with 10 home runs. Junior Jordan Birch continued her dominance in the circle last weekend, earning a pair of wins to improve to 12-2 on the season season, including a one-hit shutout against Evansville Saturday afternoon. Birch struck out 16 Purple Aces in her two starts and limited UE to a .103 batting average. The Monroe, Wash., native boasts a 6-1 record and a 1.37 ERA in eight MVC starts this season.
Indiana State enters Wednesday's twin bill ninth in the Valley standings and was swept last weekend in a three-game set by Southern Illinois on its home field in Terre Haute. The Sycamore offense plated 26 runs in the series, but gave up 36 in the three losses. Bailey Wittenauer leads Indiana State offensively, with a .325 batting average, nine doubles, six home runs and 31 RBI. Kristen Felker has been the ace of the Sycamore pitching staff, going 8-8 in the circle with a 3.64 ERA. The sophomore righty earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season and has tallied 70 strikeouts in her 94.1 innings of work this season.
The Redbirds lead the all-time series with the Sycamores, 66-13, and have won 28 of the last 31 meetings. Illinois State won 20-straight against Indiana State from 2000 to 2007 and swept the series last year.
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