NORMAL, Ill. – For the 27th consecutive year, the Redbirds will travel to Arizona State, competing in the Littlewood Classic at Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Redbirds will face South Dakota and a pair of 2016 NCAA tournament teams, ASU and No. 17 Mizzou during the weekend tournament.
Notes // Live Stats // Video (ASU only)
The Redbirds begin the weekend against No. 17 Mizzou on Friday at 3:30 p.m. before concluding the day with Arizona State at 9 p.m. Illinois State takes on South Dakota Saturday at 12:45 p.m. before a rematch with the tournament host at 6:15 p.m. The Redbirds wrap up the ASU Littlewood Classic against Mizzou Sunday at 10 a.m.
Illinois State is coming off a 2-3 weekend at the USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament in Tampa, Florida. Each loss came at the hands of top-25 teams, including No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Michigan, and No. 25 USF. Both Shannon Felde and Alyssa Wiebel went 3-for-4 in the season opener against No. 25 USF, batting .556 and .533, respectively.
The Redbirds' leadoff hitter Felde tops the team with a .566 average, 10 hits and five RBI in its season-opening weekend, going 1-1 in the circle. Wiebel leads the Redbirds with six RBI, two home runs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Following the weekend, freshman Wiebel was named the MVC's softball Newcomer of the Week – the first weekly conference honor for the Redbirds since 2015.
Redbirds vs. The Field
Illinois State will face South Dakota for the first time in program history. Meeting annually since 1989, the Sun Devils hold a 31-2 advantage in the overall series. The Tigers have won the past 15 meetings between the Redbirds with a 24-7 all-time record.
Preseason MVC
Returning starters, catcher Jordan de los Reyes and shortstop Riley Strandgard were named to the Valley's 2017 preseason all-conference team last week. As a team, Illinois State was selected for a fifth-place finish in the conference standings, behind league favorite Drake.
Schedule Outlook
The Redbirds embark on the 2017 season in a similar fashion to the previous year, competing in annual tournaments at USF, Arizona State and LSU. In addition, the Redbirds will travel to Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic before beginning Missouri Valley Conference play on March 17. The nonconference slate features 11 NCAA Tournament teams from 2016, including Super-Regional winners Michigan and LSU. The Redbirds will face seven teams ranked in the NCFA's preseason coaches' Top 25 poll.
New Kids on the Block
The Illinois State softball team added seven newcomers to its roster this season, including six freshmen and one transfer from Heartland CC. The Redbirds' freshmen pack a punch with two conference titles, four regional titles, two sectional titles, and one state championship. Among the group, there is an Iowa 1A Pitcher of the Year, a Legacy Award winner with over 100 career hits, and an Iowa Softball Gatorade Player of the Year. In high school, the six incoming freshmen set single-season double, home run, and RBI records, in addition to ranking second on Iowa's all-time home run list.
Up Next
The Redbirds travel to Western Kentucky's Hilltopper Spring Fling Feb. 23-25 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Illinois State will face Western Kentucky, Wright State, Austin Peay, and IUPUI.
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