NORMAL, Ill. – It is the battle for the Land of Lincoln Tuesday as the Illinois State softball team will travel across I-74 to take on Illinois in a midweek contest. The Redbirds enter the contest 16-18 overall while the Illini are 11-20.
The Redbirds are currently riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping Evansville this past weekend. ISU's offense was in full force, scoring 34 runs over the course of three games. The Redbirds hit nine home runs last week, including three from both Regan Romshek and Payton Billups.
ISU will travel to Champaign to renew the rivalry with Illinois, a team ISU has beaten three of the last four times. The Illini were victorious in last year's meeting, winning 7-4 at Marian Kneer Stadium.
The Redbirds are led by Annie Heineman. Heineman bats a team-high .378 with 42 hits and 10 stolen bases. In addition to leading the team in batting average and hits, Heineman has also scored a team-high 28 runs.
Romshek is right behind Heineman with a .371 average. Romshek has 36 hits this season and 20 of them are for extra bases. She has accumulated nine doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. Romshek leads the team in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Riley Strandgard and Jordan de los Reyes both hit over .300 as well and the team has elevated its batting average to .267 collectively.
Sarah Finck has emerged as a potent threat in the circle, winning six games in seven decisions and holding a team-low ERA of 3.29. Romshek is 9-11 in the circle with an ERA of 4.65.
ISU is 6-9 in true road games, but won the previous two games in Champaign. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and a live audio broadcast will be carried on GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
