ON DECK
Illinois State softball heads to Chicago for a single contest against the DePaul Blue Demons on Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT at Cacciatore Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The all-time series is tied at 20-20-1, but the Redbirds have won the last three contests against the Blue Demons.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State went 1-2 this past weekend against Missouri Valley Conference leader Belmont, winning the series opener, 2-1, in a hard-fought pitcher's duel before dropping the final two games in extra innings.
SEASON-HIGH WINS FOR PAIGE
In her 100th-career appearance, junior pitcher Paige McLeod earned her 17th win of the season in the circle, surpassing her previous season-high win total of 16 her freshman year. In the series-opener with the Bruins, McLeod went head-to-head with one of the nation's best pitchers in Belmont's Maya Johnson, and she came out victorious, throwing her ninth complete game this season and allowing just one earned run on five hits while fanning three batters.
EXTRAS, EXTRAS, READ ALL ABOUT IT
The final two games of the series against MVC-leading Belmont came down to extra innings, as Illinois State fell, 3-2, in nine innings and then, 5-4, in eight innings in the series rubber match.
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.
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Atkinson currently boasts 55 hits and 42 RBIs this season, along with 34 runs scored.
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There are a few other Redbirds within reach of joining the program's 40-40 club this season: Julia Larson needs one hit and seven runs, Tatum Wolford needs one hit and two runs and Morgan Calhoun needs 10 RBIs.
