NORMAL – Illinois State softball head coach Tina Kramos has announced her program's 2025 schedule, which features several games against Power Five foes and contests with seven teams that made 2024 NCAA tournament appearances. The Redbirds are set to participate in five preseason tournaments before beginning Missouri Valley Conference play on the road March 14 at Southern Illinois.
"We are excited to announce our 2025 spring schedule," Kramos said. "We have put together another highly competitive preseason slate, facing programs from almost every region of the country. With the high talent pool in the MVC, league play will be highly competitive as always, and we are excited for the challenge."
University of South Florida Tournament | Tampa, Fla. | February 6-8
Illinois State softball will return to the University of South Florida Tournament in Tampa, Fla., which is hosted on the campus of the USF Bulls. The Birds open the season with a contest against Delaware, a team the Redbirds have beaten twice in their only two meeting with the last victory in 2022. ISU will then take on the host team later that day at 4:00 p.m. to close out the first day of action. On Friday, ISU takes on Georgia Southern before squaring off against 2024 Women's College World Series participant Florida, which racked up 54 wins last season. The Redbirds will close out the tournament Saturday against Michigan, who won the Big Ten Tournament title and reached the NCAA Regional final a year ago.
Puerto Vallarta College Challenge | Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | February 13-15
The second tournament of the season will take place in Mexico, as the Redbirds travel to compete at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, Feb. 13-16, at Nancy Almaraz Stadium. The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, the first-ever D-I softball event held outside the United States, began in 2015 and has evolved into one of the premier tournaments designed to begin the softball season. The Redbirds will open the tournament on Thursday with a game against second-year Big 12 Conference foe BYU, before playing two games on Friday against FIU and 2024 NCAA Tournament qualifier Indiana. The Challenge will wrap on Saturday with a 10 a.m. contest against North Dakota State, who the Redbirds own a 2-1 record against and last played in 2021.Â
Tennessee-Chattanooga Invitational | Chattanooga, Tennessee | February 21-23
The Redbirds will stay on the road for a three-day tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee against another strong slate of teams. ISU will begin the tournament against a familiar foe in fellow MVC member Indiana State in the first game on Friday, before squaring off against host UT-Chattanooga later that day. On Saturday, the Redbirds will compete against 2024 Ohio Valley Conference champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Southeast Missouri State, before playing Lamar in the second game of the day at 2 p.m. The Birds will wrap action in on Sunday with a 9 a.m. game against Lamar, who ISU has only played once in program history in 2017.
Middle Tennessee State Classic | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | February 28 – March 2
The month of February ends and March begin with another tournament in Tennessee, this one in Murfreesboro at the Middle Tennessee State Classic. ISU will open action on Friday, February 28, with a game against host Middle Tennessee at 1:30 p.m. before taking on Mid-American Conference foe Ball State at 4 p.m. The following day, the Birds will play the same two squads against with an 11 a.m. game against Middle Tennessee and a 4 p.m. game against Ball State. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday at 11 a.m. against Ohio in a game to be played at Lipscomb.
Central Arkansas Milisa Moore/Shane Lamb Tournament | Conway, Arkansas | March 7-9
A final tournament will take place in Conway, Arkansas, as Central Arkansas hosts the Milisa Moore/Shane Lamb Tournament. Action will start on Friday against 2024 Summit League champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Omaha, before a contest against the host Bears at 5 p.m. Another game against Omaha follows on Saturday at noon, before a second game against Central Arkansas at 5 p.m. The weekend will conclude with ISU's third game in as many days against host UCA at noon on Sunday.
Inside the Schedule
After the conclusion of preseason tournament play, the Redbirds will face off against in-state foe Illinois in Champaign on Wednesday, March 12, before beginning league play against 2024 MVC champion Southern Illinois, March 14-16, in Carbondale, Illinois. ISU will then host the home opening series against Belmont at Marian Kneer Stadium from March 21-23, before hitting the road for a quick mid-week conference game at Bradley on Tuesday, March 25. ISU will wrap up the month of March at home with a three-game set against UIC from March 28-30.
The month of April begins with another mid-week tilt in Peoria against Bradley on April 1, before a conference road series at Drake from April 4-6. A mid-week matchup at Big Ten Conference foe Iowa will follow on Tuesday, April 8, before conference play resumes at Valparaiso, April 11-13.
ISU will then begin a seven-game homestand, with a three-game set against Missouri State, April 17-19, before the Birds wrap up their split series with Bradley in Normal on Tuesday, April 22. The month will wrap up with a three-game set against Northern Iowa, April 25-27.
A road series at Murray State from May 2-4 will be the final MVC tune-up for the Redbirds, before the 2025 MVC Softball Championship hosted by UNI takes place May 7-10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
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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