NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State softball team will play its second Missouri Valley Conference series of the season this weekend, when it travels to Indiana State. The three-game set begins on Saturday with a twin bill scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, with the series finale slated for 10 a.m. CT on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State holds a commanding 85-17 series advantage over Indiana State, and the Redbirds have taken nine of the last 10 meetings. The Redbirds are 11-1 against the Sycamores in Terre Haute, Indiana, dating back to the 2010 campaign.
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE
Indiana State enters the weekend with an 11-13 overall record and 1-2 mark in Valley play, after UNI took the series over the Sycamores during opening weekend. The Sycamores split with Illinois on Wednesday, taking the first game 9-2, before falling 7-4 in the mid-week twin bill. Indiana State is led at the plate by Bailey Martin, who is batting .415 with a team-leading 18 RBI and an on-base percentage of .449.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State opened MVC play with its third-straight series sweep of Evansville over the weekend, grabbing a pair of run-rule victories over the Purple Aces. The Redbirds outscored the Purple Aces 19-1 in twin bill action on Saturday, before coming out on top in a 16-8 slugfest in Sunday's series finale. ISU's 35 runs scored marks the fifth time in program history that the Redbirds have eclipsed 30 runs in a conference series, and matches a program record for the most runs scored in a Valley series, as ISU also scored 35 against SIU in 2014. ISU's 3-0 start to MVC play is just the third time in the last 10 seasons that the Redbirds have done so, also starting Valley play with a perfect 3-0 record during the 2010 and 2017 campaigns.
ON DECK
The Redbirds will play their first home Valley series at Marian Kneer Stadium next weekend, when they host Southern Illinois for a three-game set to close the month of March.
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