ON DECK
Illinois State softball travels to Nashville this weekend for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against league leader Belmont at E.S. Rose Park. Friday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Saturday's series finale is slated for 1 p.m. CT. The Redbirds lead the all-time series over the Bruins, 6-3, with two of those losses coming in last year's three-game series.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State earned a 2-1 series win over Indiana State last weekend. The Redbirds swept Friday's doubleheader, 5-2, and, 5-3, before falling, 7-6, in a back-and-forth series finale. Paige McLeod pitched her seventh complete game of the season in the series opener while matching a career-high with eight strikeouts, her first outing with eight Ks since April 27, 2024, versus UNI.
MELINDA FISCHER FIELD DEDICATION
Illinois State Athletics officially dedicated the softball field inside Marian Kneer Stadium as Melinda Fischer Field on April 11, honoring the Hall of Fame career of former Redbird head coach Melinda Fischer.
A CROWD WORTHY OF A LEGEND
Hall of Famer Melinda Fischer's friends, family and former players were among the 813 attendees who packed Marian Kneer Stadium last Saturday to witness history. It marked the highest attendance at Marian Kneer Stadium since a record-breaking 1,050 people watched Illinois State take on rival Bradley on April 26, 2016.
NEWEST 40-40 CLUB MEMBER
With her two-run homer in game two against the Sycamores, senior Bella Atkinson became the 22nd individual player in program history to join the 40-40 club, achieving at least two of the following in a single season: 40 hits, 40 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. Atkinson currently boasts 51 hits and 41 RBIs this season, along with 32 runs scored.
WIN NO. 100
In her fourth season at the helm of the Redbirds and 26th overall with the program, head coach Tina Kramos earned her 100th career win as a head coach with a 5-2 victory against Indiana State on April 10.
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Kramos' first win as a head coach came against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 10, 2023.
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Her first conference victory as a head coach came against Belmont on March 18, 2023.
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The Redbirds have won at least 20 games in each of Kramos' four seasons at the helm.
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She is one of only five current MVC coaches with 100 career wins.
FLOWERS IN FULL BLOOM
Freshman Lauren Flowers is batting .349 in 29 appearances and 17 starts this season. She's racked up 22 RBIs on 22 hits, with 18 of those RBIs and hits coming in Valley play.
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She hit her first career home run against Indiana State on April 10 and followed that up with a three-run bomb in the series finale against the Sycamores on April 11.
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Flowers posted a career-high performance in the series finale against UNI, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and six RBIs.
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She is the first Redbird to record six RBIs in a single game since Alyssa Wiebel versus NC State on Feb. 8, 2019.
ASSISTED BY BELLA AND ELLA
Bella Atkinson and Ella Boyer have been busy at third and short stop, ranking 32nd and 38th in the nation with 99 and 97 total assists this season. Atkinson ranks 15th in the NCAA with 2.68 assists per game, while Boyer ranks 17th with 2.62.
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