NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State softball (30-21, 19-7 MVC) ended the 2023 regular season with a 19-7 conference record, earning the three-seed and first-day bye in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Carbondale, Ill. on May 10-13.
The Redbirds are set to face No. 6 Southern Illinois on Friday, May 12 at 11 a.m. CT in Carbondale, Ill. The Salukis beat No. 11 UIC to advance to the quarterfinal game against the Redbirds.
This release will continued to be updated with new information when it is available.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 10
G1 – No. 9 Evansville vs, No. 8 Drake – 10 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G2 – No. 12 Valparaiso vs. No. 5 Indiana State – 1 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G3 – No. 10 Bradley vs. No. 7 Belmont – 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G4 – No. 11 UIC vs. No. 6 Southern Illinois – 7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Thursday, May 11
G5 – No. 8 Drake vs. No. 1 UNI – 10 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G6 – No. 5 Indiana State vs. No. 4 Murray State – 1 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G7 – No. 7 Bradley vs. No. 2 Missouri State – 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Friday, May 12
G8 – No. 6 Southern Illinois vs. No. 3 Illinois State – 11 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G9 – Winner G5 vs. Winner G6 – 1 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G10 – Winner G7 vs. Winner G8 – 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 13
G11 – Winner G9 vs. Winner G10 – 1 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
FIRST ROUND OPPONENT
No. 6 Southern Illinois: Illinois State and Southern Illinois have faced off 150 times in program history with the Redbirds holding the advantage in the all-time series at 79-71. Prior to the 2023 series with the Salukis, Southern Illinois had won four of the last five matchups with the Redbirds. Illinois State lost the season series in 2022 to SIU which was only two games, but then beat the Salukis 8-7 in the 2022 MVC Tournament Quarterfinals. Illinois Stated hosted Southern Illinois for the final weekend of the regular season. The Redbirds swept the Salukis in the three-game series and collected two walk-off wins. The first game of the series was a 6-5 win for Illinois State as Hannah Ross got the win and Amanda Fox picked up a three-inning save. In the second game, SIU took an early 6-0 lead, but the Redbirds bounced back to eventually win the game 12-11 as Abby Knight tied the game on a two-RBI double and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch. In the final game of the series, Illinois State won 10-1 in six innings. The Redbirds were leading 6-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Kaili Chval drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, but then the game entered into an hour-long lightning delay. When the game resumed, Emme Olson hit a two-run home run and Chloe Jefferson followed two batters later with a two-run home run to walk off the Salukis twice in one day.
NEWS & NOTES
National Stats: As a team, Illinois State currently ranks 18th in the nation in team fielding percentage (.977). As a team, the Redbirds are also 18th in total doubles (79), 20th in doubles per game (1.55) and 27th in double plays per game (0.43).
Olson Player of the Week Honors: Fifth-year senior Emme Olson was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after going 4-for-7 with three doubles, a home run, three walks, two hit-by-pitches, three runs scored and five RBI in the three-game series with SIU. She hit .571 with a 1.429 slugging percentage and a .750 on base percentage. She earns the honor for only the second time in her career (last was on Feb. 17, 2020).
All-Conference Honorees: Illinois State had six softball student-athletes selected to All-MVC teams. Fifth-year senior second baseman Emme Olson, senior catcher Dayna Kennedy and senior pitcher Hannah Ross all earned First Team selections while sophomores Abby Knight (first base) and Delainey Bryant (shortstop) earned Second Team accolades. Olson earns First Team All-MVC for the first time after being a Second Team selection two seasons in a row. Ross also earns the honor for the first time and this is the second-straight selection for Kennedy. Bryant was a First Team selection in 2022 so this is a second All-MVC honor in as many years for her, but Knight is earning the honor for the first time. Finally, junior Jayden Standish was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team for her impeccable defense at third base all season long.
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