NORMAL, ILL. – After traveling to Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas, the Redbirds will take an in-state road trip to SIUE for a three-day, weekend tournament. The 'Birds will have contests against St. Thomas (1-14), Loyola Chicago (6-5), SIUE (6-7), and former valley foe, Creighton (8-5).
Illinois State will take on St.Thomas tomorrow Mar. 1, at 5:00 p.m. CT, to begin the tournament. On Saturday, Mar. 2, the 'Birds will start the day at 2:30 p.m. CT with a contest against another in-state rival, Loyola Chicago (6-5), before a night game against the host team, SIUE at 7:30 p.m. CT. The 'Birds will close out the tournament on Sunday, Mar. 3, with a pair of games against St. Thomas at 9:30 a.m. CT and Creighton at 12:00 p.m. CT.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Mar. 1 – Illinois State vs. St. Thomas - 5:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, Mar. 2 – Illinois State vs. Loyola Chicago – 2:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Mar. 2 – Illinois State at SIUE – 7:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Sunday, Mar. 3 – Illinois State vs. St. Thomas – 9:30 a.m. CT
Sunday, Mar. 3 – Illinois State vs. Creighton – 12:00 p.m. CT
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
In 2023, St. Thomas went 18-35, winning just six games in conference, but were not eligible to be able to compete in the conference postseason. If eligible, the Tommies would have made it to the Summit League Tournament. St. Thomas finished the 2023 season with an 11-6 win over UMKC. The Tommies are currently 1-14 in the 2024 season, picking up their sole win against USI with a 5-0 shutout at the 2024 Easton Bama Bash.
Loyola Chicago had a winning record in 2023, going 27-23 while winning18 games during the conference season. The Ramblers fell 3-2 in ther conference finale to George Mason, unable to earn their first trip to the NCAA tournament. Currently the team is 6-5 in the 2024 season with the most recent victory coming against Pittsburgh with an 8-0 shutout.
The host team, SIUE, was 30-26 overall, going 12-10 in the OVC. SIUE fell in the conference finale to Eastern Illinois with a 2-0 loss to end the season. In the 2024 season, SIUE is 6-7 with wins over teams such as Stetson, DePaul, Texas A&M Commerce, and Memphis. SIUE recently fell 4-1 to Illinois State in-conference rival, Indiana State.
Creighton was 22-31 in the 2023 season, going 6-18 in the Big East conference. The Blue Jays did not advance to the conference tournament, and ended the season with a 12-7 loss to St. John's. In 2024, Creighton is currently 8-5, including wins over Stetson, Colgate, Pacific, and Stony Brook. The most recent win came in a 5-3 victory over Stony Brook at the Libby Matson Tournament in California.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State and St. Thomas have never faced one another, as the Tommies recently went Division I in the 2020 year and are still under provisional status until the 2025-26 season.
The Ramblers and the Redbirds have faced each other 29 times in their histories as closely proximate in-state rivals. Illinois State leads the series 20-9, with the most recent matchup coming April 16, 2022 where the Ramblers took the 4-2 victory. The first time the squads met was back in 1997 where the Redbirds took the shutout, 8-0 victory on Mar. 29.
The Redbirds are making their first trip to the SIUE Cougar Invite in program history. Illinois State has only taken on the host team twice, splitting the contests. The first meeting was in 2014 where the 'Birds took the 4-3 victory, but in 2022 SIUE took the 4-2 victory. Both matchups have been competitive battles, decided within two runs.
As a former member of the Missouri Valley, Creighton and Illinois State have faced each other 69 times in their histories. The first matchup came back in 1981with the Redbirds taking the 4-3 victory on Apr. 4. The most recent meeting was 12 years ago on Apr. 29, 2012 where the 'Birds shutout the Bluejays 8-0 in five innings. Illinois State leads the overall record 36-32-1.
NEWS & NOTES
New Faces & Old Foes: The Redbirds will face St. Thomas for the first time in program history, and SIUE for only the third time in program history. The 'Birds will face Creighton for the 70th time in program history.
Almost There: Third baseman, Jayden Standish, has 94 career-hits and is looking to hit the 100 mark this weekend at the Cougar Invite.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
