NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State softball's 2023 spring schedule features 54 games against 31 different opponents, and it all starts when the Redbirds fly south to Tampa, Fla. for their season opener on Feb. 9, 2023, as announced by head coach Tina Kramos on Tuesday.Â
The Redbirds are set to participate in five preseason tournaments before beginning the Missouri Valley Conference season on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Belmont University, a newly added member of the MVC. The conference schedule has been rearranged for the 2023 season, as head coaches voted to move to a three-day series as opposed to the two-day schedule the MVC has used in previous years. The scheduled doubleheader has been removed and now softball programs in the Valley will play one game per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but the new schedule allows flexibility to reschedule or change games based on weather.
"We are truly looking forward to getting back on the field," stated first-year head coach Tina Kramos. "Our team is very focused on our goals for the 2023 season. We are thrilled to be playing a competitive schedule that features nine teams that competed at the NCAA Regionals and two that made it to the Women's College World Series a season ago. As always, we expect the conference schedule to be challenging, as there is a high level of competition in the Valley. I believe we have put together an exciting schedule and I can't wait to see what this team accomplishes in 2023!"
University of South Florida Tournament | Tampa, Fla. | Feb. 9-11
In typical fashion, Illinois State will begin its 2023 campaign competing at the University of South Florida Tournament in Tampa, Fla., hosted by the USF Bulls. The 'Birds open the tournament on Thursday, Feb. 9, with a contest against Boston University, a team they last saw in 2015 and resulted in a thrilling 6-5, 8-inning victory (Mar. 5) for ISU. A doubleheader against Boston College and St. Joseph's University follows on Friday, Feb. 10. The Redbirds last saw Boston College in 2005 and have a combined 7-0 record against both Boston institutions. It will be the first time in program history that Illinois State plays St. Joseph's. Finally, the 'Birds will end their time in Tampa playing Florida and USF, two teams that received votes in the national polls a season ago and both made appearances in the 2022 NCAA tournament.Â
Littlewood Classic | Tempe/Phoenix, Ariz. | Feb. 16-18
Illinois State has participated in the Littlewood Classic, named after the first head coach of the Arizona State program, Mary Littlewood, since its inception in 2005, and this year is no different. This will be the 18th time the Redbirds have competed at this tournament, and the competition field includes Oregon State, Weber State, Grand Canyon University, BYU, and the host, ASU. Play begins on Thursday, Feb. 16, as the 'Birds battle the Oregon State Beavers, a program that competed in the Women's College World Series in 2022. ISU will then travel to Phoenix, Ariz., to play two contests at Grand Canyon, starting with Weber State and then the host, GCU. Illinois State will close the tournament back in Tempe with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 18, taking on BYU and Arizona State. The 'Birds have only seen BYU and Oregon State one time in program history, dating back to 2001 and 1978 respectively. Illinois State's contests against GCU and Weber State will be the first time these programs meet.
Hilltopper Spring Fling | Bowling Green, Ky. | Feb. 24-26
The third tournament of the season sees the 'Birds in Bowling Green, Ky., to compete at the Hilltopper Spring Fling, hosted by Western Kentucky. Jacksonville State and Central Michigan will join WKU and Illinois State to makeup the tournament field. ISU has faced Jacksonville State once in program history, back in 2016 when the Redbirds defeated the Gamecocks 8-7 at the Louisville Softball Classic (Mar. 11). The all-time series between the Chippewas and the 'Birds is tied at four apiece with the deciding game coming on Saturday, Feb. 25. Illinois State will play Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky twice, and see Central Michigan once.Â
Florida Atlantic Parents-Weekend Tournament | Boca Raton, Fla. | Mar. 3-5
Florida Atlantic University will host Illinois State along with Texas State, Oakland, Winthrop, and Penn for a competitive fourth tournament for the 'Birds. A season ago, Illinois State split with FAU, each program taking a game. The Redbirds will play each team once beginning on Friday, Mar. 3, with a doubleheader against Texas State and Oakland, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 4, against Winthrop and Penn, and a single contest versus the host, the FAU owls, on Sunday, Mar. 5. Illinois State will face Penn for the first time in program history. The 'Birds last saw Oakland and Texas State twice each, with a 2-0 record against Oakland and a 1-1 record versus Texas State. Winthrop and ISU have played once, resulting in a victory for the Redbirds back in 2008.Â
Murray State Tournament | Murray, Ky. | Mar. 10-12
The fifth and final tournament on the Redbirds preseason schedule is the Murray State Tournament hosted by the Murray State Racers, one of the newest members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds and Racers will not see each other in MVC play this season, so this preseason tournament serves as a good test for the two programs prior to the start of the conference schedule. Murray State and Illinois State have played each other one time in the program history back in 2017 when the Racers and Redbirds met in the National Invitational Softball Championship Regional IV in Normal, Ill. The Murray State Tournament will also feature Youngstown State, a team Illinois State has not played since 1980, but resulted in a win for the 'Birds in their only meeting.Â
Inside the Schedule
Once tournament play has concluded, Illinois State will begin its Missouri Valley Conference schedule on Friday, Mar. 17, in Nashville, Tenn., at Belmont University.Â
The Redbirds have 14 scheduled home contests with the home opener set for Tuesday, Mar. 21, as ISU will host the DePaul Blue Demons, a non-conference opponent, at Marian Kneer Stadium. Illinois State will also host five MVC opponents: UIC (Mar. 31 – Apr. 2), Missouri State (Apr. 7-9), Bradley (Apr. 11), Northern Iowa (Apr. 21-23), and Southern Illinois (May 5-7).Â
The rest of the MVC schedule also includes the Redbirds traveling to Valparaiso (Mar. 24-26), Bradley (Apr. 4-5), Drake (Apr. 14-16), and Evansville (Apr. 28-30). Illinois State's in-state rivalry will be renewed with Big-Ten foe, Illinois, on Tuesday, Apr. 18, as the Redbirds travel to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini.Â
Due to the new MVC schedule structure and conference expansionÂÂ, Illinois State will not face Indiana State and Murray State in conference play during the 2023 season.Â
The MVC softball tournament will be hosted by Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill., on May 10-13, and will feature all 12 MVC programs.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).Â
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