July 25, 2011
2011 Fall Schedule
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head softball coach Melinda Fischer announced the upcoming fall schedule for the Redbird softball team Monday afternoon. The 2011 fall slate includes three home events, contests with Notre Dame and Ball State in South Bend, Ind., and the State Farm Illinois Collegiate Softball Championship.
"I think this is a tremendously challenging fall schedule," Fischer said. "Heartland and Lake Land finished very well in their spring seasons and our remaining six games are against Division I opponents."
Illinois State's fall season opens Sept. 11 with the annual Alumni Game, which pits current Redbirds against former ISU players. Later in the month, the Redbirds will host Heartland Community College (Sept. 14) and Lake Land College (Sept. 21) at Marian Kneer Stadium, before heading to Notre Dame for games against the Fighting Irish and Ball State (Sept. 25).
ISU will conclude its fall schedule with the State Farm Illinois Collegiate Championship at Champion Fields in Normal, Ill. For the first time in the event's four-year history, the State Farm Illinois College Championship will feature all 12 Division I softball programs from the state of Illinois.
"Any time you have a situation where you play six Division I teams in the fall season, it prepares you very well for the spring," Fischer said.
Illinois State finished the 2011 regular season with a 36-19 record and claimed its first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship since 2006. The Redbirds also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2007, with a 3-1 win over Indiana at the Columbia Regional.
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