NORMAL, Ill. – Veteran head softball coach Melinda Fischer announced on Friday that she has put together a full 54-game regular-season schedule against 27 different opponents during the 2021 season, beginning Feb. 11.
"Putting this schedule together has been a long time coming and filled with several moving parts," Fischer commented. "We really appreciate the flexibility of the teams hosting our preseason games and what they've done to ensure the safety of our student-athletes, as well as the assistance from our administration to get these games scheduled. We're looking forward to getting back on the field and seeing where we are at as a team. Our main goal is to make improvements throughout the season, every chance we get to be out there. I'm really excited for our team to have the opportunity to play the sport they love again."
Week 1 – River City Leadoff – Feb. 11-13
The Redbirds will head to the Sunshine State to kick off their 2021 campaign, opening at the River City Leadoff, co-hosted by North Florida and Jacksonville. ISU's season opener against the Ospreys will be the first of two meetings at the tournament, while the Redbirds are also scheduled to take on Clemson (two games) and the Jaguars. The Redbirds hold a 3-0 record against their opponents during opening weekend, taking a win over North Florida in 2009 and 2020 and Jacksonville in 2015. It will be the first meeting between Illinois State and Clemson, as the Tigers' inaugural softball season was in 2020.
Week 2 – at North Alabama – Feb. 19-21
Illinois State will head to North Alabama for a four-game set against the Lions over the span of three days. It will be the first time in program history that the Redbirds and Lions have squared off. North Alabama held a 16-7 record in 2020, with half of its wins coming by way of a run-rule.
Week 3 – Tennessee Invitational – Feb. 25-27
Meetings with UT Martin, Northern Kentucky and tournament host Tennessee are on tap for the Redbirds during the third week of the season. Illinois State holds a 1-0 series advantage over UT Martin, while it will be the first time facing Northern Kentucky. The Redbirds will look to end a seven-game losing skid against the Lady Vols, as the two will meet for the first time since 2015 when Tennessee took a pair of wins over ISU.
Week 4 – FAU Tournament – March 5-8
For the third-straight year, the Redbirds will travel to Boca Raton, Florida, for six-game outing at Florida Atlantic. ISU will open the weekend with a doubleheader against Kentucky and Florida International on March 5. The Redbirds will play a second game against FIU, while also battling Pitt, Coastal Carolina and the tournament host Owls.
Week 5 – MTSU Invitational – March 12-14
The Redbirds will return to Tennessee to wrap up preseason tournament play, March 12-14. Illinois State will look to keep its series advantage with an opening game against Dayton, before taking on SIUE for a pair of contests. The Redbirds will also play Cleveland State for the first time in program history, while closing the tournament with a single game against Middle Tennessee – its first meeting with the Blue Raiders since the turn of the century.
The Redbirds will open Missouri Valley Conference play on the road at Indiana State, March 20-21.
Illinois State is set host 16 contests at Marian Kneer Stadium, including non-conference opponents Northern Illinois (March 24) for its home opener and DePaul (April 13). The Redbirds will also take on Loyola Chicago (March 27-28), Missouri State (April 10-11), Southern Illinois (April 17-18), Bradley (April 21) and UNI (May 1-2) on their home field.
The 2021 MVC Softball Championship Tournament is set to be held at Evansville on May 12-15. For the full 2021 slate, please visit GoRedbirds.com. Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change.
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