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Softball Casey Richards

Redbirds to Open MVC Tournament in Semifinals, Friday

Second-seeded ISU is aiming for its seventh MVC Softball Championship title.

NORMAL, Ill. - The second-seeded Illinois State softball team (25-27, 17-8) will begin play in the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship in the semifinals, Friday at 2:35 p.m. ISU, which is hosting the event for the first time since 2007, will play seventh-seeded Loyola at Marian Kneer Stadium.

The Redbirds entered last weekend's home series against Wichita State with a chance to claim the regular-season title, but the Shockers left with a sweep to earn the first conference title in program-history. ISU will look to bounce back this weekend with its seventh tournament title. The Redbirds' six titles are currently tied with Missouri State and Creighton for most all-time.

Slap Hits

  • ISU equaled a program-record with seven All-MVC selections and matched the league-record with six All-MVC First Team honorees this season.

  • The Redbirds led the MVC in runs per game (6.8) in league contests. Illinois State scored 170 runs in MVC games, which broke the old conference mark of 159 set by Southern Illinois in 2005.

  • Illinois State has committed just 39 errors in their 52 games, fewest in the MVC, and ranks 14th nationally with a .973 fielding percentage.

  • The Redbirds are hit .311 and scored 6.8 runs per game in MVC games, compared to .203 and 3.3 marks in non-conference action.

  • Sophomore pitcher Regan Romshek has been ISU's ace in the circle this season. The All-MVC First Team choice leads the league with 17 wins and 214.0 innings pitched.

  • Senior first baseman/outfielder and All-MVC First Team choice Laura Canopy leads the MVC with a .540 on-base percentage, 43 walks, which is a single-season ISU record, and 20 hit by pitches. She has reached base safely in 27-straight games, a season-best streak for the Redbirds.

  • Freshman DP/catcher Jordan de los Reyes earned All-MVC First Team honors in just her first season. She leads ISU in home runs (11), RBI (44) and slugging percentage (.594), all of which put her in the top-four of the MVC rankings.

  • Junior outfielder Kara Repp, an All-MVC First Team selection, enters the tournament with a .306 batting average. She posted a .186 average in her first two seasons.

  • 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 975 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, both league-bests.

MVC Tournament History

  • The Redbirds are 54-45 all-time in MVC Tournament games.

  • ISU has won six MVC Softball Championship titles (1985, 1988, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2012) which equals Missouri State and Creighton for the most in league history.

  • This year's tournament marks the fifth time ISU has hosted the event, and first time since 2007.

  • The Redbirds have never won a tournament that they have hosted.

  • A Redbird has been named MVP of the MVC Tournament five times previously, most recently pitcher Jordan Birch in 2012.

  • The last time ISU entered the event as the No. 2 seed was in 2012. The Redbirds won that year's tournament.

A Tale of Two Seasons

  • While the Redbirds struggled to an 8-19 record against the nation's most difficult non-conference schedule, they surged to a second-place 17-8 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
  • In 25 MVC games this season, the Redbirds hitting .311 as a team and averaging a league-high 6.8 runs per game. ISU also leads the Valley in conference-only on-base percentage (.424), slugging percentage (.534) and home runs (34).
  • The offense hit .203 in non-conference games, en route to 3.3 runs per contest.
  • ISU's pitching has also been better in league play. Redbird hurlers combined for a 4.41 ERA in non-conference games, but rank fourth in the MVC with a 3.26 ERA in league action.

Flashing the Leather

  • Defense has been a strength of ISU this season, as its 39 errors committed are fewest in the MVC. The Redbirds also lead the league with a .973 fielding percentage, which ranks 14th nationally.
  • The Redbirds have committed more than one error just seven times, and have only been charged with more than two in a game twice.
  • ISU has been stout defensively from behind the plate, as well. Catchers Stephanie Gallant and Jordan de los Reyes have combined to allow the least stolen bases in the MVC (27).

Close, But No Cigar

  • Of the Redbirds' 27 defeats in 2014, 14 have been by two runs or less. ISU has also held leads in nine of those games, including four times in the seventh inning, only to see them evaporate.
  • All but 10 of ISU's 27 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 20-10. They have also notched five wins over postseason teams from a year ago (San Jose State, James Madison, Louisville and Northern Iowa (2x)).

Light 'Em Up

  • The ISU offense has been explosive at times this season, particularly in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds have scored 170 runs in MVC games, a league record.
  • Illinois State has won seven games in run-rule fashion, six of which have come in MVC action.
  • The Redbirds have tallied eight or more runs in 11 games this season, including a program-record 20 in a win at Southern Illinois (April 5).

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 52 games, ISU has swiped 48 bags. That is 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 (15-for-18), Kolby Hoffman (11-for-13) and Laura Canopy (11-for-14).

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 883 games and make 789 starts over the last three-plus seasons. Over that time, ISU has won 126 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.
  • The main source of returning power was senior Laura Canopy, who tied for the team-lead with 10 long balls last season and ranks seventh in program-history with 24 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 50 home runs, third-most in the league, thanks to unexpected contributors. Canopy has hit seven homers, while the 43 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 934-638-4 record during her tenure at Illinois State, making her the winningest coach in ISU Athletics and MVC softball history.
  • Her 975 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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