Blaine Kinsey
GoSycamores.com
After dropping both games of a double header on the road to the Redbirds of Illinois State Wednesday, the Indiana State softball team (14-25, 3-13 MVC) will return to central Illinois Friday when they travel to face the Braves of Bradley (8-35, 1-14 MVC) for a three-game series in Peoria, Ill. The first games of the serie are secheduled to be played on Friday with the game set to start at 1 p.m. with the final two games set to be played on Saturday in a double header beginning at approximately 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Sycamores enter this weekend's games sitting in ninth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings as the Braves enter the series one spot below the Sycamores in 10th place. The Sycamores will be trying to end a six-game losing skid and to get their first road win since April 2 at Wichita State. Live stats of all three games of the series will be available on GoSycamores.com.
Last time out
The Sycamores last saw the field on Wednesday, April 20 when they dropped both games of a double header on the road to the Redbirds of Illinois State. The Sycamores could not repeat the same offensive performance they had against Southern Illinois and managed to score just one run during the double header as they fell by final scores of 9-0 and 5-1. The Sycamores only run came off a solo home run that sophomore right fielder Kim Pierce launched over the right field wall in game two of the double header.
A Little History - Bradley
This will be the 76th overall meeting between Indiana State and Bradley with the Braves holding the 45-30 series advantage over the Sycamores. The two teams first met during the 1982-83 season when the Sycamores took a 1-0 decision over the Braves. The last meeting between the two teams also resulted in a Sycamore win as they defeated the Braves 3-2 in the finale of a three-game series in Terre Haute, Ind. last season.
Scouting The Braves
Throughout their 2011 campaign, the Braves of Bradley have had two players bat above .300 in Julie Sherman and Brittany Fairbair. Sherman leads the team in batting average with a .341 and also has 12 RBI's for the Braves while Fairbair is batting .326 with 15 RBI's. Senior catcher/designated player Kate Singler leads the team with five home runs and 20 runs batted in this seson. As a team, the Braves are batting .243 in their 2011 campaign.
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 against Southern Illinois, 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 .310 and has 35 hits and 22 runs scored with eight RBI's. Baumgart is also third on the team in total bases with 38.
Using The Long Ball
As the Sycamores are now 39 games into the season, the team has been hitting the ball with power as they have a total of 17 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 weekend's matchup with the Braves, the Sycamores will return to action on Tuesday, April 26 when the team returns home to wrap up the season series with the Redbirds of Illinois State. That game will take place at 4 p.m. at Price Field in Terre Haute, Ind. The Sycamores will then hit the road on Wednesday for their final non-conference game of the season when they travel Charleson, Ill. to face the Panthers of Eastern Illinois. That game between the Sycamores and Panthers is set to begin at 5 p.m.
