NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State softball team will be tested early, as they open the 2019 season at USF's Opening Weekend Invitational in Tampa, Florida, Feb. 7-10. The Redbirds are set to face a trio of preseason Top-25 ranked opponents during the five-game stretch.
For the third-straight year, Illinois State will kick off its slate against tournament host USF, who is currently receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Top 25 poll, on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT. The Redbirds will resume action with a pair of contests on Friday against NC State and No. 5 Florida at 11:15 a.m. CT and 3:45 p.m. CT, respectively.
Illinois State's tough test continues Saturday with a matchup against No. 7/6 Michigan at 4:45 p.m. CT, with the weekend finale set for 8 a.m. CT on Sunday versus No. 19/14 Michigan.
The Redbirds were picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches, while sophomore Andrea Coursey was named to the preseason all-conference squad. Illinois State returns five starters in 2019, including a trio of seniors in Shannon Felde, Allison Spence and Riley Hale, who combined for over a third of the Redbirds' runs batted in last season.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB) and Instagram (@redbirdsoftball).
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