PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The second tournament of the 2025 Illinois State softball 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 contest against North Dakota State, who the Redbirds own a 2-1 record against and last played in 2021.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 13 – BYU vs. Illinois State – 4 p.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 14 – FIU vs. Illinois State – 10:00 a.m. CT
Friday, Feb. 7 – Illinois State vs. Indiana – 3 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Illinois State vs. North Dakota State – 10 a.m. CT
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• BYU went 3-0 to start the season and will continue to acclimate key new players with a group of 15 returning from last year. Freshman catcher/outfielder Ilove'a Brittingham is being watched closely as the newest offensive powerhouse on the roster, while in the circle, the Cougars gave the early innings last week to junior Kaysen Korth (who went 2-0 and no runs allowed in 8.2 innings) and freshman Jada Villegas.
• Florida International jumped out to a 4-1 finish at the Felsberg Invitational last weekend, fueling hopes for their first winning season since 2019. Kally Meredith is back after hitting .383 last year to go with 21 stolen bases, and FIU's power bat, Bailey Grossenbacher also returns (seven home runs, 30 RBI). In the circle, Kennedy Byrd and Brooke McNichols each secured two wins on opening weekend.
• The Hoosiers also began the season strong, going 4-1 (outscoring opponents 39-11) at the Felsberg Invitational to open the season with a win over FIU to open the tournament. The roster returns its top five hitters from 2024, when IU led the Big Ten in several categories including runs, hits, home runs and RBI. It marked an outstanding follow-up to a breakout run in 2023, when the squad reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 and topped 40 wins.
• North Dakota State opened 2025 with a 3-2 record in their opening weekend, playing especially well in tight games with three separate 2-1 victories. Four different pitchers started games, including senior Savy Williams who was the only hurler that topped more than 100 innings for the team a year ago and sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Dunford, who was named a Player to Watch by the Summit League in the preseason. Junior Zoe King hit .417 in the opening set of games for the Bison.
NEWS & NOTES
• The Redbirds opened the 2025 season going 1-4 at the USF-Rawlings Invitational, winning their opener against Delaware for their first win a season opener since 2021.
• Illinois State features four standouts selected for the 2025 All-MVC preseason team in seniors Delainey Bryant and Bella Wilkerson and sophomores Adisyn Hopkins and Paige McLeod. The four selections led all MVC programs.
• The Redbirds were picked to finish fourth in the 2025 MVC preseason poll, behind reigning back-to-back Missouri Valley Tournament Champion Southern Illinois in first, Belmont in second, and UNI in third.
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