NORMAL, Ill. – To open their 2024 slate, the Redbirds travel to Tampa, Fla. as part of the USF-Rawlings Tournament from Feb. 8-10. The 'Birds will take on five different competitors including one ranked opponent, as the beginning to their competitive preseason schedule.
Illinois State will officially begin its 2024 season with a contest on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m. CT taking on Bethune Cookman, followed by another game at 3:00 p.m. CT against the host team, USF. On Friday Feb. 9, the 'Birds will take on their first of two preseason contests against The University of Michigan, at 9:30 a.m. CT. They will close out their opening tournament on Saturday, Feb. 10 with contests against Oregon State and No. 18 Florida.
Illinois State returns key experience in fifth-year Kaili Chval, MVC All-Defensive team member, Jayden Standish, as well as juniors Delainey Bryant, Abby Knight and Addison Masching. Bryant and Knight both earned Second-Team All MVC honors during the 2023 season.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 8 – Illinois State vs. Bethune Cookman – 12:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, Feb. 8 – Illinois State at South Florida – 3 p.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 9 – Illinois State vs. Michigan – 9:00 a.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 10 – Illinois State vs. Oregon State – 10:30 a.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 10 – Illinois State vs. No.18 Florida – 6 p.m. CT
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
In 2023, Bethune Cookman earned a 19-31 record, winning eight games at home. The Wildcats ended their last five games with a 3-2 record.
The host team, South Florida, had an overall 2023 winning record of 32-24, winning 29 games at home, but going 5-5 in their last ten to end the season. The 2023 Illinois State contest against USF, a year ago, was canceled due to weather.
Michigan finished the 2023 slate with a 26-25 record, ending its season in the Big Ten tournament with a loss to Penn State. The Redbirds and the Wolverines will match up twice this season, with the second contest coming March 10 at the SIUE Cougar Invitational.
Oregon State finished its season 15-29 with one draw. They finished the last ten games of their season with a 4-6 record in the Pac-12. Oregon State's season came to a close with a 1-0 loss to Washington in the Pac-12 tournament.
Florida is the first ranked opponent Illinois State will face this season, coming in at No.18. The Gators finished the 2023 season 38-22, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, before ultimately losing to No. 9 seeded Stanford in the Regional round. Â
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State and Bethune Cookman have only met one time in series history, back in 2014. The Redbirds defeated the Wildcats 5-2 at the South Florida tournament almost exactly 20 years to the date. The second meeting of the teams will also mark the opening of both of their 2024 slates.
Illinois State and USF have met in 17 contests, with the first dating back to 1989. The Redbirds were supposed to face the Bulls in 2023, but the game was canceled due to weather. USF leads the series with 14 wins, with the last Redbird victory coming in 2020 (9-3). The Redbirds have been attending tournaments at South Florida since 1991.
Michigan leads the all-time series against the 'Birds with 14 wins to the Redbird's three. The first time the Redbirds met the Wolverines was in 1979 where the 'Birds picked up the 2-0 victory on April 27. In their most recent meeting, the Wolverines took the 4-1 victory as the #13 team in the country. Illinois State has only defeated Michigan once as a ranked opponent, back in March 2012 (5-1), when the Wolverines were tabbed No.14.
Illinois State and Oregon State faced off in a battle in 2023 at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Beavers edged the Redbirds by a score of 1-0 to earn the eventual victory in the bottom of the seventh. The two teams first faced one another in the 1978 season when the 'Birds took the heartbreaking loss in the AIAW National Championship by a score of 2-4.
Florida leads the all-time series between the Redbirds and the Gators. Their first meeting was back in 2007, where the 'Birds took the 3-2 victory, but in the most recent matchup, a year ago, the Gators defeated ISU 21-0 in five innings.
NEWS & NOTES
Preseason Predictions:Â Illinois State was picked to finish fourth in Missouri Valley Conference. UNI was selected as the preseason favorite, followed by Southern Illinois, Missouri State and then the Redbirds.Â
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