NORMAL, Ill. – No. 6 Illinois State (22-27, 12-13 MVC) will travel to Springfield, Mo. for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, hosted by Missouri State, on May 11-14. The Redbirds are set to begin play on Thursday, May 12 at 1:30 p.m., taking on No. 7 Indiana State (25-26, 11-15) after the Sycamores defeated No. 10 Valparaiso in the opening round.
TOURNAMENT TIME
With a 12-13 record in conference play, Illinois State has earned the sixth seed in the MVC Tournament this season. On the Redbirds' side of the bracket are Indiana State, Valparaiso, Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Illinois State is 12-14 overall against teams in the tournament on its side of the bracket. No. 10 Valparaiso and No. 7 Indiana State will face off, and the winner will take on the Redbirds. It is win and survive, so the winner of that contest will move on to face Southern Illinois on the same day (Thursday, May 12). No. 2 Missouri State is the semifinal opponent.
Record vs. Teams in MVC Tournament: VAL (1-0), INS (3-1) SIU (8-8), and MSU (0-5)
POSSIBLE OPPONENTS (IN GAME 1)
Illinois State holds the advantage in the all-time series record, 92-18. The Redbirds have won 9 out of the last 10 meetings with the Sycamores, including this season when Illinois State won the series over Indiana State, 2-1.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT (INDIANA STATE & VALPARAISO)
In 2021, the Sycamores were 20-28 overall and 12-15 in conference. Indiana State beat Valpo in the first game of the MVC tournament, but lost to Bradley the next game to end its 2021 season. The Sycamores lost the series (1-2) against Illinois State, but hold series wins over Valpo (2-1), Bradley (2-1), Evansville (2-1), and Loyola (2-1). Indiana State lost to Northern Iowa (0-2), Southern Illinois (1-2), Drake (1-2), and Missouri State (0-3).
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE 'BIRDS:
The final conference series of the season did not go the Redbirds' way as they dropped both game of a doubleheader to Southern Illinois. The Salukis won game one 13-3 in five innings while winning the second contest 8-3.
Illinois State's final home series of the 2022 season was a success as the Redbirds swept the Beacons, one of the possible matchups in the tournament. Illinois State heads into the tournament at 22-27 and 12-13 in the conference.
NOTES
BRYANT EARNS NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK HONORS AGAIN: Freshman Delainey Bryant earned MVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second straight week on May 10 for her performance in the season finale series at Southern Illinois. Bryant was 4-for-6 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. She was slugging .833 across two games and continues to lead the team in triples, runs scored, and RBI.
ADD ANOTHER ONE: Dayna Kennedy added another home run against Southern Illinois to bring her 2022 total to 10, which leads the team and is 4th in the conference. Kennedy ended with a team leading .373 average with 19 hits (3 doubles, 7 home runs), 10 runs scored, 15 RBI, and an .843 slugging percentage in conference play.
Michele Calabrese hit her second career home run also against SIU to put the Redbirds on the board in the second game of the doubleheader.
NATIONAL STATS: Freshman Delainey Bryant is currently tied for 17th in NCAA Division I softball for triples in the 2022 season, currently with 5. Only three freshmen are ranked in the top 50 in triples this season. Bryant is also 24th in triples per game this season, playing in 48 games with 5 triples (.11 PG). There are only 7 freshmen in the top 50 in triples per game.
Emme Olson is also in the top 50 nationally for doubles, knocking a total of 15 on the season. She is tied for 26th while also being tied for 37th in doubles per game. One more double, and she will rank 5th in program history for doubles in a single season. She is currently 5th in program history in career doubles with 41.
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