ON DECK
No. 4 seed Illinois State softball advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship quarterfinals and will take on No. 1 seed Belmont on Thursday at noon CT at Charlotte West Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 4 seed Illinois State downed No. 5 seed Northern Iowa, 7-6, in an opening round thriller at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on Wednesday afternoon. After trailing, 3-0, the Redbirds used a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by a two-out, two-strike grand slam from Tatum Wolford, to claim their ninth come-from-behind victory this season. It marked ISU's first win this season when trailing after six innings of play (1-13).
DOWN TO THE FINAL STRIKE
Sophomore Tatum Wolford stepped up to the plate and delivered in the biggest moment of her college career thus far. The Redbirds were down to their final strike against the Panthers when Wolford lifted an inside pitch over the left field wall to give Illinois State its first lead of the day. It marked Wolford's first career grand slam and the Redbirds' fourth this season. Wolford's four RBIs are a career-high and the seventh four-RBI game for a Redbird this season.
WHEN IT'S LATE, IT'S MESHNICK
Senior Hannah Meshnick earned her sixth save this season when she entered with two outs and the winning run at the plate against the Panthers. Her six saves are the second-most in a single season in school history and are tied for fifth-most in the nation. Meshnick holds the program record with 13 career saves.
LAST TIME VS BELMONT
The Redbirds lost 2-of-3 games against the Bruins in the regular season. In the series opener, Illinois State handed Belmont's Maya Johnson just her second loss this season in a 2-1 pitcher's duel before dropping the final two games of the series in extra innings.
ALL-MVC HONOREES
Six Redbirds were selected to the Missouri Valley All-Conference teams, the league office announced Wednesday. Five of the six honorees received All-MVC recognition for the first time in their careers, as Paige McLeod previously earned second-team honors as a freshman in 2024.
BIRDS AT THE MVC TOURNEY
The Redbirds clinched the No. 5 seed at this year's Missouri Valley Conference Championships and look to win their first MVC Tournament title since 2012 and their seventh in program history. The double elimination tournament hosted by Southern Illinois features the top six teams in the conference: No. 1 Belmont, No. 2 Southern Illinois, No. 3 Murray State, No. 4 UNI and No. 6 Evansville.
-
The Redbirds posted a 6-9 mark against the other five teams in the tournament during the regular season.
-
Illinois State led the MVC with 86 doubles and 20 double plays turned in the regular season, while ranking in the top three in scoring, fielding percentage and RBIs and home runs per game.
-
Junior pitcher Paige McLeod boasted a 12-3 record in the Valley with seven complete games and two shutouts.
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.
