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NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State softball team (14-22, 6-3 MVC) will search for its fourth-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference series win this weekend against league newcomer Loyola (14-20, 5-6 MVC) in Chicago. The series starts with a noon doubleheader, Saturday, before concluding with a single noon game on Sunday.
After taking two of three at Southern Illinois last weekend, the Redbirds have won their first three league series for the first time since the 2010 campaign. If ISU is to earn a fourth-straight series victory this weekend, head coach Melinda Fischer believes that seizing the momentum in Saturday's doubleheader is key.
"It is important to win all of the games, but you want to try to win those first two," Fischer said. "It really sets the stage for the matchup on the second day. It is important to come out strong and be able to do whatever you need to do to secure those wins."
Slap Hits
- The Redbirds have committed just 24 errors in their 36 games, fewest in the MVC, and rank seventh nationally with a .977 fielding percentage.
- Junior Kara Repp enters the weekend leading ISU with a .301 batting average. A career .184 hitter before this season, the junior is on a team-best 21-game on base streak.
- Freshman catcher Jordan de los Reyes is tied for the MVC lead with eight home runs. She is also tied for fifth in the league with 30 RBI.
- Illinois State is hitting .342 and scoring 7.7 runs per game in MVC games, both league-bests, compared to .203 and 3.3 marks in non-conference action.
- Senior first baseman Laura Canopy has hit four home runs in ISU's nine MVC games, which is tied for the most in the Valley in conference action only.
- Sophomore pitcher Regan Romshek has been ISU's workhorse in the circle this season. She has thrown 144.0 innings, second-most in the league.
- After beginning the season 1-10, preseason All-MVC choice Taylor Baxter is 4-0 in her last four decisions.
- This weekend's games against the Ramblers are the sixth, seventh and eighth of 10-straight against foes from the state of Illinois.
- All but five of ISU's 22 losses this season have come to teams that were either ranked in the top-25 or made the NCAA Tournament in 2013, including six against top 10 teams and five versus 2013 Women's College World Series participants.
- ISU played the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, according to the RPI.
- Now in her 29th season at the helm of ISU, and 31st overall, head coach Melinda Fischer ranks 18th all-time among DI coaches with 964 wins.
- ISU has been to the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons and nine times overall. The Redbirds have also won 12 regular-season conference titles and six tournament crowns.
Scouting the Ramblers (14-20 Overall, 5-6 MVC)
The Ramblers enter this weekend's series coming off a busy week in which they played three games, splitting a doubleheader against Missouri State, Monday, and losing to DePaul Thursday. LUC has adjusted to the MVC well in its first year in the league, as it has won at least one game in each of its first four league series.
The combination of junior Jessica Balzano and senior Lauren Moore lead the Ramblers offensively. Balzano has posted team-bests in average (.330), OBP (.411) and runs (21), while Moore has the most hits (33), home runs (five) and RBI (23). Freshman Alyssa Mannucci has also played a large role by hitting four home runs and driving in 22.
Loyola's pitching staff is anchored by senior and three-time All-Horizon League First Team selection Brittany Gardner, who has gone 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA in 18 appearances and 16 starts. Sophomore Ashley Rogers (4-6, 4.39 ERA) and junior Amanda Ciran (0-4, 8.66 ERA) have carried the rest of the load in the circle.
Series History
The Redbirds and Ramblers have met just seven times previously, with ISU holding a 5-2 record. This weekend's games will be the first meetings since 2007, when the two squads split a doubleheader at Marian Kneer Stadium.
A Fresh Start
- While the Redbirds struggled offensively during the non-conference portion of the schedule, the unit has been much better in Missouri Valley Conference action.
- In nine MVC games this season, the Redbirds are hitting .342 as a team and averaging 7.7 runs per game, both league-bests. ISU also leads the Valley in conference-only on-base percentage (.433), slugging percentage (.604) and home runs (16).
- Illinois State went 8-19 in non-conference action. The offense hit .203 in those games, en route to 3.3 runs per contest.
Close, But No Cigar
- Of the Redbirds' 22 defeats in 2014, 12 have been by two runs or less. ISU has also held leads in seven of those games, including three times in the seventh inning, only to see them evaporate.
- All but five of ISU's 22 losses this season have come against teams that were either ranked in the top 25 or made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
- Against teams not ranked or coming off a NCAA Tournament appearance, the Redbirds are 9-5. They have also notched five wins over postseason teams from a year ago (San Jose State, James Madison, Louisville and Northern Iowa (2x)).
Flashing the Leather
- Defense has been a strength of ISU this season, as its 24 errors committed are fewest in the MVC. The Redbirds also lead the league with a .977 fielding percentage, which ranks seventh nationally.
- The Redbirds have committed more than one error just five times, and have never been charged with more than two in a game.
- ISU has been stout defensively from behind the plate, as well. Catchers Stephanie Gallant and Jordan de los Reyes have combined to throw out 38-percent (14-of-37) of attempted base stealers.
On the Move
- Not normally known as a team that steals a lot of bases, the Redbirds have been more active on the base paths this season.
- Through 36 games, ISU has swiped 36 bags, and is on base to register 53 steals. That would be the most in a single-season for the program since 1991, and third-most all-time.
- Six Redbirds have already set new or equaled personal bests for steals in a single-season, led by Nichelle Harrison (12-for-15), Kolby Hoffman (9-for-11) and Laura Canopy (8-for-10).
Experience In, Youth Out
- All six players that have seen action in the infield for Illinois State this season are upperclassmen, compared to four of seven Redbirds that have appeared in the outfield being juniors or seniors.
- All four infield starters - Laura Canopy, Kolby Hoffman, Brittny Drish and Sara Bradley - returned from the 2013 squad. That quartet combined to start 174 games last season, and has made 139 of a possible 144 appearances this year.
- Conversely, ISU's outfield entered 2014 with little experience. Only Nichelle Harrison returned as a starter, while the other outfielders on the roster entered with a combined 53 career appearances.
- Through 36 games, the Redbirds have utilized eight different starting outfield combinations, while a total of seven players have seen action in the outfield.
Senior Laden
- The 2014 Redbird roster features five seniors - Taylor Baxter, Sara Bradley, Laura Canopy, Nichelle Harrison and Kolby Hoffman - which marks the most seniors on a squad since the 2005 Redbirds had six.
- The group has combined to appear in 815 games and make 722 starts over the last three-plus seasons. Over that time, ISU has won 115 games, made two NCAA Tournament appearances and won both a MVC regular-season and tournament title.
New Power Sources
- Entering the 2014 season, lack of power projected to be a potential issue for ISU, as the Redbirds graduated players who hit 48.6-percent of its home runs last season.
- The main source of returning power was senior Laura Canopy, who tied for the team-lead with 10 long balls last season and ranks ninth in program-history with 22 in her career. No other Redbird on the roster, however, entered the season with more than seven career home runs.
- ISU has still been able to hit 32 home runs, third-most in the league, thanks to unexpected contributors. Canopy has hit five homers, while the others have been hit by seven different players who combined to hit nine bombs last year.
The Legend Continues
- Head coach Melinda Fischer is in her 29th season at the helm of the ISU softball program, and 31st as a head coach.
- Fischer has posted a 923-633-4 record during her tenure at Illinois State, making her the winningest coach in ISU Athletics and MVC softball history.
- Her 964 career wins overall rank her 18th all-time nationally among DI coaches, and 11th among active coaches.
- Fischer also played softball at ISU, and helped lead the Redbirds to a second-place finish at the AIAW Women's College World Series in 1969.
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