Blaine Kinsey
GoSycamores.com
Following a weekend that saw the Sycamores score 29 runs over a three-game series with Southern Illinois, the Indiana State softball team (14-23, 3-11 MVC) will return to action Wednesday when they travel to face the Redbirds of Illinois State (26-13, 12-2 MVC) in a double header beginning at 4 p.m. with the second game beginning at approximately 6 p.m. in Normal, Ill. The Sycamores and Redbirds will then conclude the series on April 26, when the Redbirds will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for the third game. The Sycamores enter this weeks games sitting in eighth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings as the Redbirds enter the double header in second place. The Sycamores will be trying to end a three-game losing skid to the Redbirds as they swept the season series agains the Sycamores last season. Live stats of both games of the double header will be available on GoRedbirds.com.
Last time out
The Sycamores last saw the field April 16-17 when they dropped all three games of the season series to the Salukis of Southern Illinois. The Sycamores got ahead early in game one of the series, taking an 11-3 lead thanks to a grand slam from junior third baseman Alysaa Marcum. However, it was not enough as the Salukis came back to defeat the Sycamores 16-14. In game two the Sycamores were never able to get ahead and fell by a final score of 8-5 before having a back-and-forth battle in game three, only to fall 12-7. In the weekend series the Sycamores hit a total of six home runs, including Marcum's grad slam in game one, and had a team batting average of .303.
A Little History - Illinois State
This will be the 83rd overall meeting between the Sycamores and Redbirds with the Illinois State holding the 69-13 series advantage. The two teams last met last season when when the Redbirds won all three games of the series winning the first two in Terre Haute, Ind. before winning the finale in Normal, Ill. The two teams first met during the 1980-81 season when the Redbirds took a 6-2 win over the Sycamores.
Scouting The Redbirds
The Redbirds enter the mid-week series with a 26-13 record overall and are second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 12-2 record. The Redbirds are led this season by senior second baseman Kara Nelson who is batting a team leading .422 with 77 total bases on the season. Sophomore catcher/ utility player Elizabeth Kay also has a team leading 10 home runs and 34 runs batted in.
Offensive Explosion
During the season series with Southern Illinois the Sycamore bats came to life as they recorded a total of 29 runs in the three-game series off of 27 hits. The team also had a total of 10 home runs prior to the weekend and then hit six home runs and had a total of 23 RBIs against Southern Illinois. In addition, all but one of the Sycamore batters recorded a hit in the series.
Moving On Up
With her two home runs this past weekend, Bailey Wittenauer moved up into a tie for second place with Stacey Sparger on the ISU career home run list with 14, behind only Meredith Simpson who tallied 20. The junior also moved up into third place on the ISU single season home run list with six and moved up to fifth place in career RBI's with 73.
Returning To The Lineup
After missing 14 games each due to injury, the Sycamores will got a bit of personnel relief when both sophomore outfielder Kim Pierce and junior pitcher/designated player Lindsey Beisser returned to the lineup against Southern Illinois. Pierce went 3-6 at the plate with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Sycamores. Beisser was unable to get a hit in her first two games back but was hit by a pitch on two occasions.
Weather Issues
Along with many other teams, the Sycamores have had a particularly rough time with the weather this season. With the March 30 game against Indiana being postponed, the Sycamores have now had six games cancelled or postponed due to either rain or cold temperatures this season. The Sycamores have also had four games delayed due to poor weather conditions.
Off To A Quick Start
So far this season it has been a battle to get on the scoreboard first for the Sycamores. The Sycamores have only lost four games and are 9-4 on the season when they are the first team to have a run cross home plate. The Sycamores are also 9-0 when they lead their opponents after the conclusion of the fifth inning.
Freshman Baumgart Leads The Way
For the first 34 games of the 2011 season, the Sycamores found themselves being led offensively by their lead off hitter, freshman center fielder Alex Baumgart, who continues to bat .318 and has 34 hits and 22 runs scored with eight RBI's. Baumgart is also third on the team in total bases with 37.
Using The Long Ball
As the Sycamores are now 37 games into the season, the team has been hitting the ball with power as they have a total of 16 home runs so far on the season which puts them fourth in the ISU all-time record book, just three out of third place. Junior first baseman Bailey Wittenauer has led the team with six home runs this season including a grand slam against SEMO. The Sycamores also have 39 extra base hits on the season.
Felker Named MVC Pitcher Of The Week
Indiana State softball picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week award for the 2011 season on March 7th with the selection of sophomore right-handed pitcher Kristen Felker. Felker pitched a complete game Sunday giving up no earned runs and struck out nine batters to get the win for Indiana State over Holy Cross at the Rebel Games Classic in Orlando, Fla. Felker, a native of Defiance, Mo. and a physical education major, now has 20 strikeouts in her four games of the 2011 season.
Follow ISU Softball Online
Keep up to date with Sycamore softball all over the web this season. full stats, box scores and recaps will continue to be available on www.GoSycamores.com. However, you can also follow the Sycamores on Facebook at the Indiana State University Softball fan page available at www.facebook.com/SycamoreSoftball.
Whats Yet To Come
Following this mid week matchup with the Redbirds, the Sycamores will return to action on Friday, April 20 when the team hits the road and travels to Peoria, Ill. to face Missouri Valley Conference rival Bradley. The two teams will play a double header beginning at 3:00 p.m. with the second game beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. The two teams will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday with a first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
