NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State softball team (1-8) is headed to Bowling Green, Ky. to participate in the Hilltopper Spring Fling hosted by Western Kentucky (8-1) on Feb. 25-27. The Redbirds are set to play the Hilltoppers as well as the Dayton Flyers (1-4) and the Ohio Bobcats (1-4) before heading into the seeded portion of the tournament.
The tournament starts with a pool play where every team plays each other. Seeds are then given out to each team, with the No. 1 seed going to the team with the most wins in pool play. The No. 1 seed will play the No. 4 seed while the No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed on Friday, Feb. 26. The winners of those matchups will head to the championship game at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27 while the other teams participate in the consolation game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.Â
HILLTOPPER SPRING FLING CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 25 – Illinois State vs. Ohio – 10:00 a.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 25 – Illinois State vs. Dayton – 12:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 26 – Illinois State at Western Kentucky – 12:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 26 – Illinois State vs. TBD – 3:00 or 5:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 27 – Illinois State vs. TBD – 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. CT
REDBIRD ROOKIES
Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the Redbirds' first weekend of action (Feb. 10-12) at USF, including Delainey Bryant, Addison Masching, Bella Wilkerson and Abby Knight. Bryant started at shortstop against USF, but didn't collect her first hit until the game against UMKC where her hard hit and speed propelled her to a triple. Masching was 2-for-6 on the weekend recording two doubles. Wilkerson was solid behind the plate and registered her first collegiate hit on a smoked single up the middle. Knight made a start at first base and got hit by a pitch against No. 16/13 Michigan.
The Redbird rookies posted another solid weekend at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Masching started all five games, including two against ranked opponents, and collected five hits including a triple, two walks, and scored four runs. Wilkerson saw action in two games and went 3-for-5 with a double and home run. Bryant was 3-for-9 with a home run, triple and four RBI.
GARDNER STEPPING UP
Sophomore Reili Gardner seems to be trending in the right direction offensively for the Redbirds. In 2021, Gardner collected 20 hits through 39 games and had a season average of .233. Currently, she leads the team in batting average, hitting .417, which also places her fifth in the conference. Through the first nine games, Gardner has already collected 10 hits and scored four runs, which are both tied for most on the team in their respective categories. She also ranks second on the team in RBI, collecting five already. Gardner has really stepped up as a leader on the offense and defense, making eight starts in center field with 13 putouts and no errors.
KNIGHT = NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
True freshman Abby Knight put on a show at the Littlewood Classic. She was 4-for-8, blasting her first home run against No. 23/21 Arizona State to break up the Sun Devil's no-hitter. She also hit a two-run shot against Portland State in the first inning and helped propel the Redbirds to their first win of the 2022 season. Knight collected six RBI over the course of four games, making three starts as the designated player. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week heading into the Redbirds' third week of action. Knight is currently tied for first in the conference in home runs (2) and is second in the conference in slugging percentage (.909).Â
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