March 15, 2012
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State softball team will begin its quest to defend the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship when it opens Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend at Missouri State. The Redbirds and Bears open the three-game set Friday at 5 p.m., before concluding it Saturday with a doubleheader that is slated to begin at noon at Killian Stadium in Springfield, Mo.
"This is a matchup between the regular-season champion and the conference tournament champion from last year, and Missouri State is also the team that knocked us out of conference tournament," head coach Melinda Fischer said. "Missouri State has a great pitcher in Natalie Rose. She has certainly put her team on her shoulders and been able to do a lot of good things in the circle. They are also a solid defensive team and offensively they have key players returning that have a lot of speed and a lot of quickness."
ISU (13-12) went 2-2 last weekend at the Red and Black Tournament in Louisville, Ky., defeating nationally-ranked Michigan, 5-1, and St. Louis, 8-3, before falling to host No. 14/15 Louisville in a doubleheader, 8-2 and 8-0. Senior pitcher Jordan Birch allowed just two hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk in the win over the Wolverines to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season.
On the year, Birch leads the Redbird pitching staff with a 7-7 record, 2.43 ERA, three shutouts and 76 strikeouts in 69 innings. Offensively, junior Jhavon Hamilton leads the squad with a .325 batting average, nine stolen bases and a .506 slugging percentage. Fellow junior Elizabeth Kay is tied for the team lead with three home runs and has driven in a team-high 14 runs.
Missouri State (9-6) fell 2-0 at Central Arkansas in its final non-conference tune-up Wednesday evening. The Bears returning 13 letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that claimed the State Farm MVC Tournament title and went 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament. Rose leads the MSU pitching staff with a 5-1 record and a 1.12 ERA. The senior righty has posted a pair of shutouts, two saves and 66 strikeouts in her 56.1 innings. Chelsea Jones has made six starts for Missouri State and is 3-4 in the circle with a 2.91 ERA.
Offensively, the Bears are hitting just .207 as a team and Ashley Brentz, who is the only MSU player hitting over .300, leads the squad with a .341 average and is tied for the team lead with seven RBI. Caitlin Chapin, who has hit a pair of homers and driven in seven runs, is MSU's top power threat.
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Missouri State, 56-30, and swept the Bears in three regular-season meetings in 2011. However, MSU defeated ISU, 4-2, in the State Farm MVC Tournament on its home field at Killian Stadium.
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