NORMAL, Ill. – The Redbirds return to Normal for their final conference series of the year, taking on the Evansville Purple Aces. The Redbirds will be celebrating Senior Day on Sunday, May 5 following the conclusion of the third game of the series.
The Redbirds enter the series with a 19-30 record, and a winning conference record of 13-11. Illinois State fell in all three games at UNI last weekend, moving them into fifth place in the MVC conference standings.
SERIES SCHEDULEÂ
Friday, May 3 – Illinois State vs Evansville – 5 p.m. CT (WZND)
Saturday, May 4 – Illinois State vs Evansville – 2 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 5 – Illinois State vs Evansville – 12 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State leads the all-time series over Evansville 58-21. In their 2023 conference series, the Redbirds took two of the three games, one of them coming in a ten-inning battle. This will also mark the 40th anniversary of the teams playing one another.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Purple Aces are currently 15-32 and 10-14 in conference, which puts them 10th in the MVC standings, just one win behind Drake. Evansville swept Valparaiso earlier in the conference season but was swept by Belmont. The Purple Aces have taken wins in three conference series, against Indiana State, Valparaiso, and Murray State, but have fallen in the rest. As the Aces are locked into the bottom half of the standings, they will stay in Normal until the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament begins on May 8.
NEWS & NOTES
Streakin': Although Delainey Bryant's 31-game on-base streak ended, Addison Masching began her own streak, now earning nine consecutive games with a hit.
Leading the Way: Bryant leads the Valley in overall hits at 54, is seventh in runs scored at 31, eighth in doubles at 9, third in triples at 2, fourth in at-bats at 157, and eighth in batting average at .344. Adisyn Hopkins is fourth in the standings in overall batting average at .355. In the pitching standings, Paige McLeod ranks ninth in ERA at 2.79, fourth in innings pitched at 145.1, fourth in batters struck-out looking at 29, sixth in wins at 12, and fifth in saves at 2.
Senior Sunday: The Redbirds will be celebrating the 2024 class of seniors following the conclusion of game three on Sunday, May 5. The Redbird seniors are Hanna Hicks, Madi Bylak, Allison Tillema, Jayden Standish, and Kaili Chval.
Softball in Normal: The MVC tournament is coming to Normal beginning on May 8, with the championship game coming on May 11.
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.
