NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State softball (22-30, 16-11 MVC) ended the 2024 regular season with a 16-11 conference record, earning the three-seed and first-day bye in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at home, in Normal from May 8-11.
The Redbirds are set to face the winner of game 2 between #5 Bradley and #12 Valparaiso. The 'Birds swept both of these teams during the regular season.
This release will continued to be updated with new information when it is available.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 8
G1 – No. 9 Murray State vs, No. 8 UIC – 9:00 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G2 – No. 12 Valparaiso vs. No. 5 Bradley – 11:30 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G3 – No. 10 Evansville vs. No. 7 Drake– 2:00 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G4 – No. 11 Indiana State vs. No. 6 Missouri State – 4:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Thursday, May 9
G5 – Game 1 Winner Drake vs. No. 1 Southern Illinois – 10:05 a.m. CT (ESPN+)
G6 – Game 2 Winner vs. No. 4 Illinois State – 1:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G7 – Game 3 Winner vs. No. 2 UNI – 4:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G8- Game 4 Winner vs. No.3 Belmont – 7:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Friday, May 10
G9 – TBD vs. TBD – 1:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
G10 – TBD vs. TBD – 4:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 13
G11 – Winner G9 vs. Winner G10 – 1:05 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
FIRST ROUND OPPONENT
No. 5 Bradley: The Redbirds and the Braves faced one another during the regular season ending in a three-game sweep for the 'Birds. The I-74 rivalry is one of the longest-standing traditions that is seen across all sports at the two universities. The 'Birds and the Braves played a doubleheader in Normal back on Mar. 27, where the Redbirds took a walk-off 5-4 win in game one, and a convincing 7-1 win in game two. As the teams are travel partners, the Redbirds then took the trip to Peoria on Apr. 17, where they took the 9-4 win on the Braves home field. The Braves are seeded just behind the 'Birds, and if the teams face on another it will be an anticipated No.4 vs. No.5 matchup.
No. 12 Valparaiso: The Beacons of Valparaiso came to Normal from Apr. 12-14. The Redbirds took the 10-5 shutout and run-rule victory in game one, while earning the five-run victory in game two. The Beacons and the 'Birds battled it out in game three, before the Redbirds took the walk-off 8-7 victory, when Madi Bylak sent her first-career home run out of the yard to put the 'Birds back in it, before a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly ended it in the bottom of the seventh. The Redbirds will look to take their fourth victory over the Beacons if they secure the victory against Bradley.
NEWS & NOTES
McLeod Player of the Week Honors: Paige McLeod earned her second-career MVC of the Week honors taking newcomer and pitcher of the week, in the final selection during the regular season. McLeod tossed her second-career no hitter, while taking home three wins in the sweep over Evansville. The no-hitter was a historical moment in Illinois State history as it was the first one at Marian Kneer stadium in 23 years. The no-hitter made McLeod only the second-ever Redbird to have multiple-career no hitters, and the only ever Redbird freshman to achieve the feat. She is also the first-ever Redbird freshman to record two no-hitters in a single season. McLeod finished the weekend with a 0.46 ERA in 15.1 innings of work, surrendering just one earned run. McLeod picked up five strikeouts on the weekend while holding opponents to a .151 BAA.
All-Conference Honorees: Illinois State had five softball student-athletes selected to All-MVC teams. Junior catcher Bella Wilkerson, junior second baseman Delainey Bryant, and freshman designated player Adisyn Hopkins all earned First Team Selections while freshman pitcher, Paige McLeod, and junior outfielder, Addison Masching, earned Second Team honors. Jayden Standish earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive team for the second consecutive year in a row.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).
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