TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball will open the 2021 campaign in Chattanooga, Tenn., with the Chattanooga Challenge, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday, Feb. 19.
The Sycamores will open with Kennesaw State on Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET and will also face off against Chattanooga later that evening at 5:30 p.m. ET. On Saturday, Feb. 20, the Blue & White will square-off with Western Kentucky at 10 a.m. ET and Chattanooga once again at 3 p.m. ET. The tournament will wrap-up on Sunday, Feb. 21 with a final matchup against Western Kentucky at 11 a.m. ET.
Frost Stadium is closed to the public and only fans on student-athletes pass list will be admitted into the stadium.
Tournament Central
Series History
- Kennesaw State holds a 1-0 deficit over the Sycamores with their last meeting coming in 2009.
- This will be the seventh meeting in school history against Chattanooga, with the Mocs holding a 5-1 advantage. They met last during the shortened 2020 season.
- Indiana State is no stranger to competition with Western Kentucky, with the Hilltoppers holding a 10-2 series lead and they last met in 2020.
Three Things to Know
- Season Four Starts Now
The 2021 campaign gets underway with the Chattanooga Challenge marking the start of Mike Perniciaro's fourth year at Indiana State. The Sycamore roster includes four newcomers and three super seniors; taking advantage of extra eligibility gifted by the NCAA.
- Tokarek Catches Fire
Annie Tokarek is looking to build off of her momentum from last season before COVID-19 shut down her season. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after her performance at the Memphis Tournament last season and she led the Sycamores going 9-16 (.562) hitting four homeruns and eight runs batted in with a 1.375 slugging percentage. She highlighted the comeback win over Butler with a walk-off grand slam. Tokark ended the year on an eight-game hit streak.
- Super Seniors
Leslie Sims, Gabbi Schnaiter and Mallory Marsicek came back for their extra year of eligibility gifted to them from the NCAA. Sims started and played in 23 games, leading the team with a .506 batting average, and she was ranked first in the valley and third in the NCAA with her 42 hits. Sims is four stolen bases away from 100 in her career. Schnaiter made ten starts in 2020 pitching two complete games. The senior had a game high nine strikeouts in win against #23 Wisconsin. Marsicek started in 22 games hitting .311 recording 19 hits, five doubles, one triple, three homeruns and 19 RBIs. Her 19 RBIs put her sixth overall in the Valley.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check out
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
