NORMAL, Ill. - The Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title will be on the line this weekend when the first-place Illinois State softball team (25-24, 17-5 MVC) hosts second-place Wichita State (31-20, 18-6 MVC) in a three-game set at Marian Kneer Stadium. The series will kick offwith a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at noon, before concluding with a noon game on Sunday.
Whichever team wins the series will claim the crown and the top-seed in next weekend's MVC Tournament. The Shockers were on top of the standings for the majority of the season, but the Redbirds surged into first place last weekend and are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak. A title for ISU would be its league-high 13th all-time, while Wichita State is seeking its first-ever regular-season championship.
Sunday's contest will also represent Senior Day for Taylor Baxter, Sara Bradley, Laura Canopy, Nichelle Harrison and Kolby Hoffman. Entering the weekend, the senior class has won 126 games, made two NCAA Tournament appearances, and claimed both a MVC regular-season and tournament title over the last three-plus seasons.
Slap Hits
ISU is on a season-long nine-game winning streak, during which it has outscored opponents 75-16.
The Redbirds lead the MVC in runs per game (7.3) and ERA (2.46) in league contests.
Illinois State enters the weekend having scored 160 runs in MVC games, which breaks the old conference mark of 159 set by Southern Illinois in 2005.
Illinois State has committed just 34 errors in their 49 games, fewest in the MVC, and ranks 11th nationally with a .975 fielding percentage.
The Redbirds are hitting .320 and scoring 7.3 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 reigning MVC Pitcher of the Week leads the league with 17 wins and 205.1 innings pitched.
Senior first baseman/outfielder Laura Canopy leads the MVC with a .537 on-base percentage, 38 walks and 20 hit by pitches. She has reached base safely in 24-straight games, a season-best streak for the Redbirds.
Freshman Jordan de los Reyes is tied for second in the MVC with 42 RBI. She also leads ISU in home runs (10) and slugging percentage (.586).
Junior Kara Repp, who came in to the season as a career .184 hitter, enters the weekend second on the team with a .328 batting average.
After beginning the season 1-10, preseason All-MVC choice Taylor Baxter is 7-0 with a 2.65 ERA in MVC contests.
ISU played the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, according to the RPI.
All but seven of ISU's 24 losses this season have come to teams that were either ranked in the top-25 or made the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
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.
Scouting the Shockers (30-21 Overall, 18-6 MVC)
The second-place Shockers enter the pivotal three-game set coming off their first MVC series loss of the season, as Southern Illinois took two of three from WSU on the road last weekend. The Shockers are 2-3 in their last five games, a stretch that started after a season-long seven-game winning streak.
WSU has been led by its high-powered offense all year long, a unit that ranks first in the MVC in batting average (.311) and runs per game (5.6). Anchoring the unit has been sophomore transfer Cacy Williams, who leads the league in average (.419), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.781), hits (65) and runs (50). Also providing pop has been Paige Luellen, who leads the conference with 44 RBI.
The pitching staff has not been as dominant for the Shockers, who sport a 4.20 team ERA. Senior Sloan Anderson leads WSU with a 3.56 ERA, but freshman Kaitlyn Malone is tops on the squad with 15 wins, despite a 4.41 ERA. The duo of Anderson and Malone has combined to start all but five games this season for the Shockers (18 and 28 starts, respectively).
Series History
ISU leads the all-time series with WSU, 63-18. The Redbirds have taken the last six series from the Shockers, and have won six of the last seven meetings. ISU rebounded from a game one loss with two victories to claim the series at WSU last season, April 20-21.
A Tale of Two Seasons
While the Redbirds struggled to an 8-19 record against the nation's most difficult non-conference schedule, they have surged to a first-place 17-5 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action.
In 22 MVC games this season, the Redbirds are hitting .320 as a team and averaging a league-high 7.3 runs per game. ISU also leads the Valley in conference-only on-base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.543) and home runs (28).
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 lead the MVC with a 2.46 ERA in league action.
Flashing the Leather
Defense has been a strength of ISU this season, as its 34 errors committed are fewest in the MVC. The Redbirds also lead the league with a .975 fielding percentage, which ranks 11th nationally.
The Redbirds have committed more than one error just six times, and have only been charged with more than two in a game one time.
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 (25).
Close, But No Cigar
Of the Redbirds' 24 defeats in 2014, 14 have been by two runs or less. ISU has also held leads in eight of those games, including three times in the seventh inning, only to see them evaporate.
All but seven of ISU's 24 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 20-7. 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 160 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 49 games, ISU has swiped 48 bags, and is on base to register 50 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 (15-for-18), Kolby Hoffman (11-for-13) and Laura Canopy (11-for-13).
Senior Laden
The group has combined to appear in 871 games and make 778 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 44 home runs, third-most in the league, thanks to unexpected contributors. Canopy has hit seven homers, while the 37 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 934-635-4 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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