2009REDBIRDS HEAD WEST FOR 7-GAME ROAD SWING

Transcription

1 ILLINOIS STATE ILLINOIS STATE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS Keith Trivitt, Assistant Director (Softball Contact) O: C: F: GoRedbirds.com SOFTBALL 2009REDBIRDS HEAD WEST FOR 7-GAME ROAD SWING 2009 SCHEDULE (6-7) DATE OPPONENT TIME/SCORE USF LOUISVILLE SLUGGER TOURNAMENT (TAMPA, FLA.) 2.6 vs. Florida Gulf Coast L, at South Florida L, vs. UNC-Greensboro W, vs. Minnesota L, vs. North Florida W, 2-1 LITTLEWOOD CLASSIC TEMPE, ARIZ vs. Idaho State L, at #3/3 Arizona State L, vs. Tenn.-Chattanooga W, vs. Iowa L, vs. Kent State W, 2-1 NFCA LEADOFF CLASSIC COLUMBUS, GA vs. Long Island W, vs. South Carolina W, vs. Georgia Tech CANCELLED 2.28 vs. #20/22 LSU CANCELLED 2.28 vs. #20/24 Ohio State L, 0-5 STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER TOURNAMENT (STANFORD, CALIF.) 3.6 vs. San Diego State 11 a.m. 3.6 at Stanford 3:30 p.m. 3.7 vs. Penn State 8 p.m. 3.7 vs. Vermont 10:15 p.m. 3.8 vs. UC-Davis 5:45 p.m at San Jose State (DH) 2 p.m./4 p.m BRADLEY (DH) NOON/2 P.M BRADLEY NOON 3.17 ILLINOIS 5 P.M at Creighton (DH) noon/2 p.m at Creighton noon 3.25 IOWA 5 P.M S. ILLINOIS (DH) NOON/2 P.M SOUTHERN ILLINOIS NOON 4.1 INDIANA STATE (DH) 4 P.M./6 P.M. 4.4 MISSOURI STATE (DH) NOON/2 P.M. 4.5 MISSOURI STATE NOON 4.7 at Illinois 6 p.m at Drake (DH) 3 p.m./5 p.m at Drake noon 4.15 at DePaul 3 p.m./5 p.m at Wichita State (DH) noon/2 p.m at Wichita State noon 4.22 at Indiana State 3 p.m NORTHERN IOWA (DH) NOON/2 P.M NORTHERN IOWA NOON 4.28 at Northern Illinois 5 p.m. 5.2 at Evansville (DH) noon/2 p.m. 5.3 at Evansville noon at State Farm MVC Tournament (East Peoria, Ill.) HOME games in BOLD CAPS All times are Central indicates Missouri Valley Conference DATES: March 6-8 LOCATION: Stanford, Calif. FIELD: Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium (820) TOURNEY WEB SITE: GoStanford.com STORYLINES Ilinois State enters this weekend s Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic with a 6-7 record on the season following a 2-1 mark at last weekend s NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. Following ISU s fi ve games at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic, the Redbirds will stay out on the West Coast for a March 10 doubleheader against San Jose State in San Jose, Calif. The Redbirds had three of their fi ve games either rained out or snowed out at last weekend s NFCA Leadoff Classic following a wild series of weather that came through the Columbus, Ga., area over the weekend. The Redbirds are 13-8 all-time at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, dating back to their first appearance in the tournament in 1997, when they went 3-3. Last season, ISU was 4-1 at the Leadoff Classic, which included an impressive 2-0 shutout of then-no. 23 North Carolina. No. 5/6 Stanford (Friday) will represent the third ranked opponent that Illinois State has faced this season. The Redbirds are 0-2 in 2009 against ranked foes, having previously lost to then-no. 3 Arizona State, 3-0 (Feb. 13), and to then-no. 20/24 Ohio State, 5-0 (Feb. 28). Dating back to the 1994 season, Illinois State is in games played against nationally-ranked opponents. STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC GAME NOTES STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC CENTRAL MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE Every game that Illinois State plays in at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic March 6-8, as well as against San Jose State March 10, will be broadcast live on WJBC.com. Illinois State Assistant Media Relations Director Keith Trivitt will have the play-by-play for the Redbirds, with the live broadcast starting approximately 10 minutes prior to each game s start time. Live stats for all of Illinois State s games at the at both the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic and at San Jose State will also be available on GoRedbirds. com, the offi cial Web site of Illinois State Athletics. SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS NR 4-10 Record Series: SJSU leads, 1-0 SAN JOSE STATE MARCH 10 (DH) SAN JOSE, CALIF. Records and rankings as of Wednesday, March 4. PROBABLE ILLINOIS STATE STARTERS RADIO: WJBC.com (All Games) PLAY-BY-PLAY: Keith Trivitt LIVE STATS: GoRedbirds.com LIVE VIDEO: GoStanford.com STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC SCHEDULE (CST TIME) Friday ISU vs. San Diego State (11 a.m.) Friday ISU at Stanford (3:30 p.m.) Saturday ISU vs. Penn State (8 p.m.) Saturday ISU vs. Vermont (10:15 p.m.) Sunday ISU vs. UC-Davis (5:45 p.m.) ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS NR 6-7 Record SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS NR 9-9 Record Series: ISU leads, 1-0 STANFORD CARDINAL No. 5/ Record Series: Tied, Stanford leads, 1-0 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS NR 5-4 Record Series: ISU leads, 2-0 VERMONT CATAMOUNTS NR 1-4 Record First Meeting UC-DAVIS AGGIES NR 10-5 Record First Meeting NO. NAME POS. YR. B/T GP-GS AVG AB R H HR RBI NOTES 3 Niki Stansell SS Jr.-TR R/R Transferred to Illinois State from Georgia 2 Amber Smith P/DP Sr. R/R Preseason All-MVC selection 7 Casey Gorrell C Sr. R/R Moved up to No. 3 spot in lineup after batting 8th 16 Abby Olson 3B So. R/R Preseason All-MVC selection 18 Michelle Henderson 1B/DP Jr. R/R Will play both 1B and DP in Katie Mathis CF Sr. R/R Had only six extra-base hits last season 5 Kara Nelson 2B Jr. L/R Back in lineup after 3-week off w/ broken hand 0 Diciembre Vaca RF Jr. R/R Took over right-fi eld dutes in game 3 of season 22 Jessie Buker LF Sr. R/R Missed last wknd w/ fl u-like symptoms NO. NAME POS. YR. APP. GS W-L ERA IP R ER K BB NOTES 1 Jordan Birch RHP Fr Threw a one-hitter Feb. 15 vs. Kent St. 2 Amber Smith RHP Sr Has allowed 30 ER in 33.0 IP STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC 1

2 REDBIRDS WHEN... TALE OF THE TAPE Overall Record 6-7 At Redbird Softball Complex 0-0 On the road 0-2 At a neutral site 6-5 Day games 6-4 Night games 0-3 vs. top-10 opponents 0-1 vs. ranked opponents 0-2 vs. unranked opponents 6-5 vs. teams.500 or better 3-3 vs. teams worse than vs. teams from Illinois 0-0 ISU after a win 2-4 ISU after a loss 3-2 ISU scores fi rst 5-1 Opponent scores fi rst 1-6 Scoring four or more runs hits or more 3-0 Hitting zero home runs 1-5 Hitting one home run 3-1 Hitting two or more home runs 2-0 Committing zero errors 1-1 Committing one error 5-3 Committing two or more errors 0-3 In one-run games 2-0 In two-run games 0-1 In extra-inning games 0-0 MONTHLY RECORD ISU in February 6-7 ISU in March 0-0 ISU in April 0-0 ISU in May 0-0 DAYS OF THE WEEK ISU on Monday 0-0 ISU on Tuesday 0-0 ISU on Wednesday 0-0 ISU on Thursday 0-0 ISU on Friday 2-4 ISU on Saturday 2-3 ISU on Sunday 2-0 WINNING AND LOSING STREAKS Longest winning streak 3 Longest losing streak 3 Last 10 games 6-7 Last 15 games 6-7 Last 20 games 6-7 Current streak L1 Largest winning margin 11 Largest losing margin 8 PITCHING Smith starts 2-4 Birch starts 3-3 Warner starts 1-0 Other starters OFFENSE ISU SDSU STANFORD PSU VERMONT UC-DAVIS Batting Average Runs per game Hits per game RBI Home Runs Walks Stolen Bases-Attempts PITCHING ERA Strikeouts Strikeouts per game Shutouts Opp. Batting Average * Statistics as of Wednesday, March 4 SERIES HISTORY VS. SAN DIEGO STATE Illinois State leads the all-time series against San Diego State, 1-0, following a 9-5 win over the Aztecs Feb. 16, SERIES HISTORY VS. STANFORD Illinois State and Stanford have met just once on the softball diamond March 6, 1999 when then-no. 9 Stanford defeated the Redbirds, 14-0, in fi ve innings. SERIES HISTORY VS. PENN STATE Illinois State owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against Penn State. The Redbids won the fi rst game of the series, 2-0, Feb. 24, 1990, and then came back one year later with an 11-5 win March 5, SERIES HISTORY VS. VERMONT This will be the fi rst-ever meeting between Illinois State and Vermont. SERIES HISTORY VS. UC-DAVIS This will be the fi rst-ever meeting between Illinois State and UC-Davis. SERIES HISTORY VS. SAN JOSE STATE (MARCH 10 DOUBLEHEADER) San Jose State leads the all-time series against Illinois State, 1-0, following a 1-0 win over the Redbirds Feb. 20, THE PROGRAM Illinois State is in its 45th season of NCAA Division I softball and its 27th in the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU has 824 NCAA Division I wins, which ranks in the top-25 all-time among all Division I softball programs. The Redbirds have made six NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back appearances in 2000, 2001 and 2006, Illinois State has had 16 All-Americans in program history, the most in the Missouri Valley Conference NUMERICAL ROSTER NO. NAME YR. POS. HT. B/T HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) 00 Diciembre Vaca Jr. UT 5-10 R/R Fontana, Calif. (Kaiser) 1 Jordan Birch Fr. P 5-8 L/R Monroe, Wash. (Monroe) 2 Amber Smith Sr. P/1B 6-0 R/R Fairfi eld, Calif. (Fairfi eld) 3 Niki Stansell Jr.-TR IF 5-6 SR Meeker, Okla. (Georgia) 4 Jessica Roche So. OF 5-3 R/R Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg) 5 Kara Nelson Jr. IF 5-8 L/R Moline, Ill. (Moline) 6 Becca Baltikas Fr. IF 5-7 R/R Homer Glenn, Ill. (Lockport-Township) 7 Casey Gorrell Sr. C 5-7 R/R Olathe, Kan. (Olathe East) 8 Caiti Kopp Fr. OF/C 5-7 R/R Normal, Ill. (Normal Community West) 9 Vicki Klopf Jr. OF 5-5 L/R Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville South) 11 Beth Current Jr.-TR OF 5-8 R/R Bloomington, Ill. (Parkland Coll.) 12 Brianna Lizen Fr. C 5-8 R/R Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln Way East) 14 Katie Mathis Sr. OF 5-1 R/R Shawnee, Kan. (Johnson County CC) 15 Megan Warner Fr. P 6-0 R/R Milan, Ill. (Sherrard) 16 Abby Olson So. UT 5-10 R/R Hartsburg, Ill. (Hartsburg-Emden) 18 Michelle Henderson Jr. IF 5-7 R/R Normal, Ill. (Normal West) 19 Carly Billings So. OF 5-4 R/R Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville South) 20 Chrissy Burton So. P 5-9 L/R Mapleton, Ill. (Illini Bluffs) 21 Kaprice Williams Sr. SS 5-10 R/R Portage, Mich. (Portage Northern) 22 Jessie Buker Sr. UT 5-11 R/R Macon, Ill. (Okaw Valley) STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC

3 THE POLLS MARCH 3 USA TODAY/NFCA COACHES POLL TEAM 2009 RECORD PTS. LAST 1. Alabama (14) Florida (4) Washington (9) UCLA Stanford Oklahoma Arizona State Tennessee Michigan California Georgia Missouri Arizona Louisiana-Lafayette North Carolina Northwestern Texas A&M Southern Illinois T-19. LSU T-19. UMass Ohio State Louisville DePaul Fresno State Mississippi State OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Baylor 38, Florida State 31, Nevada 22, South Carolina 21, Houston 16, Iowa 11, Cal Poly 9, Auburn 5, San Diego State 2, Oregon State 1 ESPN.COM/USA SOFTBALL POLL TEAM 2009 RECORD PTS. LAST 1. Washington (19) Florida UCLA T3 4. Alabama (1) T3 5. Oklahoma Stanford Tennessee Michigan California Arizona State Arizona Georgia Missouri Massachusetts T North Carolina Ohio State Northwestern T Lousiana-Lafayette DePaul Louisville Fresno State LSU Southern Illinois Baylor Florida State OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Texas A&M (36), Auburn (28), Texas (12), Mississippi St. (8), Nevada (8), Houston (7), Cal Poly SLO (6), Oregon State (1), Georgia Tech (1), Iowa (1). Bold italics indicate 2009 opponent UPDATING THE REDBIRDS Illinois State enters this weekend s Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic with a 6-7 record following a strong 2-1 performance at last weekend s rain-plagued NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. The Redbirds picked up wins Feb. 27 against Long Island (4-1) and South Carolina (7-0), a team that was receiving votes in the NFCA Top-25 Poll entering the game. Freshman pitcher Jordan Birch earned her fi rst-career shutout against South Carolina with a sterling three-hit pitching performance. Illinois State then saw its winning momentum halted against No. 20/24 Ohio State, as the Buckeyes defeated the Redbirds, 5-0, in a rain-soaked and delayed game Feb. 28. SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS Illinois State enters this weekend s Stanford Louisville Slugger Tournament riding a wave of winning momentum following a very strong performance at last weekend s NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Redbirds are now batting.232 for as a team against a.217 batting average for their opponents, which marks the fi rst time this season that ISU is outhitting opposing teams. The Redbirds are being led at the plate by the hot bat of senior Amber Smith, who was been on a tear of late with a.405 season batting average and six hits in 10 at-bats in three games last weekend. Also hot for the Birds at the plate is junior Niki Stansell, whose.364 batting average is second on the team, while she leads IUS for runs scored (12), hits (16), doubles (4), home runs (3) and slugging percentage (.659). In the circle, ISU pitchers appear to have found their rhythm, as the pitching staff has dropped its ERA below 4.00 to Freshman Jordan Birch continues to impress after throwing her fi rst-career shutout in a dominating 7-0 win over South Carolina Feb. 27. Birch leads all ISU pitchers with a 1.91 ERA and a 3-3 record. The fi re-balling right-hander from Monroe, Wash., has struckout 42 batters against just 10 walks in 36.2 innings pitched, for a 2.21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an average of 1.16 strikeouts per inning. NELSON RETURNS TO LINEUP After missing the fi rst 10 games of the season due to a broken left hand she suffered in practice Feb. 5 just one day before the start of the season junior second baseman and national player of the year candidate Kara Nelson returned to the Redbird lineup Feb. 27 against Long Island at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Nelson batted in both the No. 8 and No. 9 spots at the tournament, where she was 2-for-8 (.250) at the plate with a run scored in three games. SIMPLY THE BEST Senior slugger Amber Smith is The Valley career home run record-holder with 40 career home runs. She also ranks fi fth among active NCAA Division I softball players for career home runs. NCAA CAREER HOME RUNS ACTIVE Kaitlin Cochran Arizona State 56 Whitney Haller Georgia Tech 52 Andrea Migliori Stetson 47 Tammy Williams Northwestern 44 Samantha Ricketts Oklahoma 43 Amber Smith Illinois State 40 UP NEXT Illinois State will stay on the West Coast for a Wednesday doubleheader against San Jose State in San Jose, Calif. The Redbirds and Spartans have met only once before, with San Jose State taking a 1-0 win over ISU Feb. 20, YES, BUT... While her pitching has been a bit erratic to start the season, one thing that has not suffered is Amber Smith s ability to consistenly hit the ball and get on base. Smith leads the Redbirds this season with a.405 batting average, which includes a team-high six multi-hit games. Smith was the offensive catalyst for Illinois State at last weekend s NFCA Leadoff Classic, where she batted.600 (6-for-10) with two RBI, two walks and a.600 slugging percentage in just three games played. OPPONENTS IN THE POLLS Six Illinois State opponents are ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25 polls for this week, up an additional opponent from last week s polls. Stanford (No. 5/8), Arizona State (No. 7/10), Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois (No. 18/23), DePaul (No. 19/23), LSU (No. T-19/22) and Ohio State (No. 16/21) are all nationally-ranked. In addi on, Iowa is receiving votes in both the NFCA Coaches Poll and in the USA Softball Poll, while San Diego State, an opponent this weekend for Illinois State, is receiving two votes in the NFCA Coaches Poll. A complete listing of top-25 rankings in both polls is located on the left side of this page. THAT S RANK! Illinois State has had a tough go at it as of late against nationally-ranked opponents. The Redbirds are 0-2 so far this season against ranked foes, and are facing a very tough test this weekend against No. X/X Stanford. In both of ISU s losses to ranked opponents in 2009, the Redbirds have been shutout by a combined score of 0-8. Illinois State is just 1-8 in its last nine games against ranked opponents, dating back to the end of the 2007 season. During that 2007 year, the Redbirds were a respectable 9-7 overall against ranked teams. THE COUNTDOWN TO 800 With 790 career victories entering this weekend s Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic, Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer needs just 10 more wins for 800 in her career (Eastern Illinois, ; Illinois State, 1986-present). Once Fischer reaches the 800-career coaching victories plateau, she will become the 40th head softball coach in NCAA Division I history with at least 800 career wins. WELL, THAT WAS INTERESTING... Illinois State s strong play at last weekend s NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., wasn t the only major story of the weekend. The really big news was the crazy weather that the tournament featured. Five inches of rain overnight Friday and Saturday morning cancelled Saturday s originallyscheduled games, and saw ISU rescheduled to play Ohio State. Mix in a tornado warning Saturday morning and things were really starting to roll. Then, fi ve inches of snow fell Sunday in Columbus, Ga., which prompted the remained of the tournament to be cancelled, ISU s fl ight back to Bloomington, Ill., to be cancelled and the Redbirds were forced to take a 16-hour bus ride back home. Interesting indeed. BIRCH NAMED MVC PITCHER OF WEEK Freshman pitcher Jordan Birch earned her fi rst-career Missouri Valley Conference player of the Week honor March 2 after she pitched a 7-0 shutout Feb. 27 against South Carolina at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Birch allowed only three hits in that game, while walking two and striking out four. Birch s honor was the fi rst by a Redbird pitcher since STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC 3

4 CAREER CLIMBERS BATTING AVERAGE Kara Nelson 2007-present Kerri Donis Amber Smith 2006-present SLUGGING PERCENTAGE Emily Krueger Amber Smith 2006-present Heather Stella Kara Nelson 2007-present Cutie Taylor Abby Olson 2008-present Jessie Buker 2006-present ON-BASE PERCENTAGE Heather Stella Kara Nelson 2007-present Amber Smith 2006-present RUNS SCORED Ronnie Marmitt Tricia Gaither Rachel Shipley Amber Smith 2006-present Kara Nelson 2007-present HITS Priscilla Welch Two Tied Amber Smith 2006-present Randi Patton Kara Nelson 2007-present HOME RUNS 1. 40* Amber Smith 2006-present Jessie Buker 2006-present Two Tied Kaprice Williams 2006-present * MVC career home run record TRIPLES Dana Klug Robin Chapman Kara Nelson 2007-present 11 Betsy Youngquist Becky Barrigar RBI Heather Stella Amber Smith 2006-present Robin Chapman Jessie Buker 2006-present WALKS DRAWN Heather Stella Amber Smith 2006-present GAMES STARTED Bridget Fournie Tricia Gaither Amber Smith 2006-present 172 Casey Gorrell 2006-present FIELDING PERCENTAGE (min. 100 chances) Katie Mielke Ashley Ogorek Casey Gorrell 2006-present Amber Smith 2006-present CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP NOTES Illinois State is a combined 3-1 all-time against its opponents at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic. The Redbirds hold 1-0 series leads against both San Diego State and Penn State, while tournament host Stanford has a 2-0 series advantage over ISU. The Redbirds have never played against Vermont and UC-Davis. Illinois State last played in California during the 2007 season, when the Redbirds went 4-1 to win the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament in Los Angeles. There, ISU completed a program-first when it defeated two ranked foes on the same day No. 17 Florida (1-0) and No. 12 UCA (2-1). One of the Redbirds March 7 opponents Vermont is playing in its final season of collegiate softball after the University of Vermont announced last month that it will disband its softball and baseball programs following the 2009 season. ROAD WARRIORS Illinois State is scheduled to play 24 of its fi rst 28 games of the season on the road. The Redbirds will open the home portion of their 2009 season March 14 when they begin a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against in-state rival Bradley. Last season, ISU was in road contests, which included an 8-10 mark in true away games, and a 9-8 record in neutral-site games. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD Freshman pitcher Jordan Birch s one-hitter against Kent State (Feb. 15) appears to have started a trend for the freshman hurler from Monroe, Wash. Following her Feb. 15 win one-hit victory over the Golden Flashes, Birch recorded her fi rst-career shutout victory and Illinois State s fi rst shutout win of the season with a dominant 7-0 win over a strong South Carolina team. Birch allowed only three hits in that game and no Gamecock runner got past fi rst base. She then came in to pitch 1 1/3 innings of relief for starter Amber Smith against No. 20/24 Ohio State Saturday night, where she got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth inning to retire the side without giving up a run to the Buckeyes. ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR SMITH Senior Amber Smith reached yet another milestone in her Illinois State softball career with two hits Feb. 28 against No. 20/24 Ohio State: she moved into 10th place all-time at ISU in career hits with 166th and 167th-career base knock. Smith ranks in the top-10 of seven major offensive categories at Illinois State, including the most career home runs by a Missouri Valley Conference player at 40. CAREER RECORDS WATCH Junior second baseman Kara Nelson owns the Illinois State and MVC career batting average record with a.404 career mark. Nelson also sits second all-time at ISU in career on-base percentage (.448), ranks fourth in career slugging percentage (.580) and is just one triple shy of moving into a tie for sixth place all-time at ISU in career triples. Senior slugger Amber Smith already owns The Valley career home run record (40), but she also is just two runs scored shy of a tie for eighth all-time at ISU in career runs scored (97 currently). Smith also ranks second in career walks drawn (97) and career RBI (123) marks she should easily break in Senior utility player Jessie Buker ranks second all-time at Illinois State in career home runs (27) and has an outside shot of breaking the 40-career home run barrier, something only Smith has done in The Valley. Buker is just one RBI shy of ranking fi fth all-time at ISU in career RBI (94 career RBI currently). FISCHER INKS SIX FOR The Illinois State softball program signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the season, head coach Melinda Fischer announced Nov. 17. Joining the Redbirds in the fall 2009 will be Sara Bradley (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon HS); Jhavon Hamilton (Joliet, Ill., Joliet West HS); Nichelle Harrison (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington HS); Elizabeth Kay (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett HS); Lauren Kellar (Colfax, Ill./Ridgeview HS); and Shelby Music (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove HS). SARA BRADLEY Mattoon, Ill. Mattoon HS 5-9 R/R UT Named to the All-Big 12 Conference Team her junior season... Decatur Herald All-Area Team and all-state selection junior year... her high school softball team won both the 2007 and 2008 Big 12 Conference regular-season championship and was the regional and sectional champion her junior season... member of the 16-and-under Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Illinois State Champion in 2008 and the 10-and-under ASA Illinois State Championship team. JHAVON HAMILTON Joilet, Ill. Joilet West HS 5-6 S/R OF A three-sport athlete who competes in softball, basketball and cross country... a two-time all-conference honoree and named fi rst-team all-area as a junior... was team captain her junior season, a year in which she batted.442 with a.663 slugging percentage... her summer softball team, the Stone City Sharks, fi nished second at the North America Fastpitch Association (NAFA) National Championship in fi rst name pronounced Ja-VON. NICHELLE HARRISON Bloomington, Ill. Bloomington HS 5-2 L/R UT A three-sport athlete who participates in softball, basketball and track and fi eld... named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and All-Big 12 Scholar-Athlete as a junior in softball... Bloomington High School won a share of the conference title in 2008 for the fi rst time since member of the BNGSA Avanti s Angels team that won the ASA Northern National Championship in 2004, 2006 and ELIZABETH KAY Bartlett, Ill. Bartlett HS 5-6 R/R C/UT A two-time most valuable softball player at Bartlett High School... all-state selection as a senior... three-time all-conference and all-area selection... named the Bartlett High School Female Athlete of the Year in selected to the academic all-conference team as a sophomore and junior... Bartlett High School was regional champion her freshman year; regional, section, super-sectional champion and state qualifi er her sophomore year; and conference champion her junior year... owns a career.412 batting average. LAUREN KELLAR Colfax, Ill. Ridgeview HS 5-7 L/R OF A three-time fi rst-team All-Heart of Illinois Conference selection... selected second-team all-state as a sophomore in 2007 and second-team all-area as a junior in her high school team was the regular-season Heart of Illinois Conference champion in 2008 and won the conference tournament in owns a career.425 career batting average at the high school level... won three ASA Northern National Championships (2004, 2006, 2008) with the Avanti s Angels. SHELBY MUSIC Greenwood, Ind. Center Grove HS 5-9 L/R OF A second-team all-state selection as a sophomore... three-time All-Johnson County Team member and All-MIC Team member... member of a Center Grove High School softball team that has won the Johnson County Championship for three-straight years, as well as earning a berth in the state fi nal four her freshman season... her high school team fi nished the 2008 season ranked No. 1 in the state of Indiana... owns the third-longest hitting streak at the high school level in the state of Indiana. 4 STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC

5 2009 STARTS BY POSITION 2009 SEASON NOTES PITCHER: 1 Birch,Jordan 6 2 Smith,Amber 6 15 Warner,Megan 1 CATCHER: 7 Gorrell,Casey 13 FIRST BASE: 18 Henderson,Michelle 9 2 Smith,Amber 4 (3-3) (2-4) (1-0) (6-7) (4-5) (2-2) WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A quick look at some milestones and accomplishments one can expect from the 2009 Ilinois State softball team: Head coach Melinda Fischer will be going for her 800thcareer coaching victory. Fischer, who has been a collegiate head softball coach for 27 seasons (24 at Illinois State and 2 at Eastern Illinois), currently has 786 career coaching victories. TOUGH 2009 SCHEDULE Illinois State is slated to play 14 teams in 2009 that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season. Included in that total is defending national champion Arizona State. The Redbirds will also face 2008 NCAA Tournament teams South Florida, Iowa, Kent State, Tenn.-Chattanooga, Long Island, Georgia Tech, LSU, Virginia Tech, San Diego State, Stanford, as well as Valley foes Creighton and Drake. SECOND BASE: The Redbirds will be aiming for their 18th season with at 4 Roche,Jessica 6 (2-4) least 17 conference victories. 21 Williams,Kaprice 3 (2-1) NELSON ON POY WATCH LIST Thirty wins this season for ISU would mark the 18th time 5 Nelson,Kara 3 (2-1) For the second-straight year, junior second baseman Kara in program history that the Redbirds have recorded 22 Buker,Jessie 1 (0-1) Nelson was named to the ASA National Player of the Year 30-or-more wins in a single season. ISU failed to reach THIRD BASE: Watch List prior to the start of the 2009 season. Nelson led the 30-win plateau last season for the fi rst time since Olson,Abby 7 (4-3) The Valley in 2008 in batting average (.401) and triples (7) and Junior second baseman Kara Nelson will look to become 6 Baltikas,Becca 6 (2-4) had a robust.632 slugging percentage. Nelson is only the the fi rst-ever Illinois State softball player to record three- SHORTSTOP: second player in Illinois State softball history to be named to straight 50-hit seasons. 3 Stansell,Niki 13 (6-7) the prestigious player of the year watch list, joining teammate LEFT FIELD: Amber Smith, who earned the preseason distinction in Buker,Jessie 9 (5-4) ISU PICKED 2ND IN VALLEY 11 Current,Beth 4 (1-3) With seven starters and its entire pitching staff returning, CENTER FIELD: the Redbirds got signifi cantly more preseason recognition 14 Mathis,Katie 13 (6-7) this season than in 2008 from their conference peers. ISU RIGHT FIELD: earned 88 points and was picked to fi nish second in the MVC 0 Vaca,Diciembre 11 (6-5) Preseason Coaches Poll released Jan. 28. Creighton, which 11 Current,Beth 2 (0-2) won the 2008 Valley regular-season title and advanced to DESIGNATED HITTER: an NCAA Regional last year, was the No. 1 preseason pick 2 Smith,Amber 9 (4-5) with 97 out of a possible 100 points and nine-of-10 fi rst-place 21 Williams,Kaprice 3 (1-2) votes. 18 Henderson,Michelle 3 (2-1) 16 Olson,Abby 3 (0-3) 6 Baltikas,Becca 1 (1-0) 2009 MULTI-HIT GAMES Name Total 2 Smith,Amber Stansell,Niki Gorrell,Casey Olson,Abby Mathis,Katie Henderson,Michelle _ Nelson,Kara Baltikas,Becca TEAM MULTI-RBI GAMES Name Total 3 Stansell,Niki Gorrell,Casey Buker,Jessie Olson,Abby Mathis,Katie Williams,Kaprice Smith,Amber Henderson,Michelle _ TEAM HITTING STREAKS Name Career Current 2 Smith,Amber Stansell,Niki Mathis,Katie Gorrell,Casey Williams,Kaprice 2-16 Olson,Abby 2-18 Henderson,Michelel 2-6 Baltikas,Becca 1-22 Buker,Jessie Current,Beth 1-5 Nelson,Kara 1-0 Vaca,Diciembre 1 - FOUR REDBIRDS HIGHLIGHT ALL- VALLEY PRESEASON TEAM Four Illinois State softball players were named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Softball Team, highlighted by three-time honoree Jessie Buker (OF). Joining Buker among Redbird on the All-Valley Preseason Team was fellow senior Amber Smith (DP-P), junior Kara Nelson (2B) and sophomore Abby Olson (DP-UT). Buker was fi rst-team All-Valley honoree in 2008 after she hit.294 with 20 runs scored, 28 RBI and a team-high nine home runs. Smith set the MVC career home run record in 2008 with her 40th-career shot. She earned fi rst-team All-Valley laurels last season as ranks fi fth among active NCAA Division I players for career home runs. Nelson continued her two-year hitting spree, as she batted.401 last season with 25 RBI, four home runs and a leaguebest seven triples. Olson had a breakout freshman campaign for the Redbirds in She batted.272 on the year with seven home runs and 25 RBI. She also set the ISU single-game RBI record with seven runs driven in at Northern Iowa May 4, CAREER GAME AS A FROSH? She s only in her fi rst month with the program, but already, freshman pitcher Jordan Birch has established herself as a dominant pitcher for the Redbirds. Birch asserted that dominance Feb. 15 during a one-hit, 2-1 complete-game victory over Kent State at the Littlewood Classic. Birch struck out 12 in the game while allowing just one earned run and two walks. The one-hitter was the fi rst by an ISU pitcher since Stacy Birck one-hit Bradley April 9, NEW SEASON, SLIGHTLY NEW COACHING STAFF Change is all around it seems like these days. The United State has a new president, we ve entered a new year, and within the Illinois State softball program, a new look to the Redbird coaching staff. Head coach Melinda Fischer is still here, now in her 24th season at the helm of the ISU softball program, but gone is 24-year veteran pitching coach Bill Kennedy, who retired Feb. 1. Replacing Kennedy is former ISU All-American pitcher Shannon Nicholson, who formerly served as a student assistant coach for the Redbirds. Another ISU softball alumna Tiffany Prager has joined the coaching ranks as the team s student assistant coach for ONE OF THE SPORT S BEST CAME FROM THE MIDWEST Not only does the Illinois State softball program produced some of the nation s best players, but also some of the nation s top coaches. One of those coaches is non other than former Illinois State head coach Margie Wright, who was at the helm of the Redbird softball program from Wright now coaches at national powerhouse Fresno State, where she is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I softball history with over 1,300 career wins, 163 of which she compiled while coaching at Illinois State. Wright is the fi rst softball coach in NCAA Division I history to capture 1,300th Division I wins, and she also ranks No. 2 alltime in Division I history in career victories regardless of sport. Wright guilded Fresno State to the 1998 Women s College World Series (WCWS) Championship. STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC 5

6 2009 QUICK FACTS ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY School Illinois State University City Normal, Ill. Zip Code Founded 1857 Enrollment 20,450 Nickname Redbirds Colors Red (PMS 186) & White Affi liation NCAA Division I Conference Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Facility Marian Kneer Softball Stadium Capacity 1,000 Dimensions President Dr. Al Bowman Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger NCAA Faculty Representative Dr. Debbie Lindberg Senior Women s Administrator Leanna Bordner REDBIRD SOFTBALL HISTORY First Year of Softball 1965 All-time Record 1, All-time NCAA Division I Record All-time MVC Record NCAA Tournament Appearances Six (1988, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007) TEAM INFORMATION 2008 Overall Record (.583) 2008 MVC Record/Finish 17-7 (.708)/2nd Home Record 11-3 Away Record 8-10 Neutral Record Postseason N/A Letterwinners Returning/Lost 13/7 Position Starters Returning/Lost 7/2 Pitchers Returning/Lost 3/0 Newcomers 7 Captains Jessie Buker, Amber Smith Michelle Henderson, Kara Nelson, Abby Olson SOFTBALL COACHING STAFF Head Coach Melinda Fischer (Illinois State, 72) Total Years Coaching 26 Career Record (.604) Years at ISU 2008 was 23rd season Record at ISU (.598) Assistant Coach Tina Kramos (Missouri State, 95) Pitching Coach Bill Kennedy (Illinois State, 68) Volunteer Asst. Coach Bill Dickson (Illinois State, 54) Student Asst. Coach Shannon Nicholson (Illinois State, 07) Softball Offi ce Softball Fax REDBIRDS IN THE POLLS NFCA ESPN.COM Preseason NR NR Feb. 10 NR NR Feb. 17 NR NR Feb. 24 NR NR March 3 NR NR THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE 2009 STANDINGS TEAM MVC PCT. OVERALL PCT. Southern Illinois Northern Iowa Drake Indiana State Missouri State Bradley Creighton Wichita State Illinois State Evansville MVC PRESEASON COACHES POLL RANK SCHOOL POINTS 1. Creighton (9) Illinois State Southern Illinois Drake (1) Wichita State Missouri State Evansville Indiana State Bradley UNI PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Feb. 9 Feb. 16 Feb. 23 March 2 Player Kara L Huillier, Wichita State Pitcher Danielle Glosson, Southern Illinois Player Lissa Fehlman, Evansville Pitcher Katie McNamara, Southern Illinois Player Elena Leon, Drake Pitcher Katie McNamara, Southern Illinois Player Torey Craddock, Drake Pitcher Jordan Birch, Illinois State Pitcher Lauren McGinley, Missouri State NCAA RANKINGS 2008 (FINAL) INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS KARA NELSON STAT RANK TRIPLES 7.0 9th TRIPLES PER GAME th BATTING AVERAGE th ON-BASE PCT th RUNS/GAME nd SLUGGING PCT th AMBER SMITH STAT RANK SACRIFICE FLIES th SAVES th WALKS/GAME (BATTING) rd JESSIE BUKER STAT RANK HOME RUNS/GAME th TEAM RANKINS STAT RANK HOME RUNS PER GAME th SLUGGING PERCENTAGE nd RUNS SCORED/GAME th FIELDING PCT th DOUBLES/GAME nd TRIPLES/GAME rd 2009 REDBIRD HONORS JORDAN BIRCH MVC Co-Pitcher of the Week March 2 JESSIE BUKER All-Valley Preseason Team KARA NELSON All-Valley Preseason Team ASA Player of the Year Watch List ABBY OLSON All-Valley Preseason Team AMBER SMITH All-Valley Preseason Team 6 STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC

7 2009 OVERALL STATISTICS Record: 6-7 Home: 0-0 Away: 0-2 Neutral: 6-5 Missouri Valley Conference: 0-0 OFFENSIVE STATISTICS (Sorted by Batting Average) PLAYER AVG GP GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB ATT PO A E FLD% 2 Smith,Amber Stansell,Niki Gorrell,Casey Mathis,Katie Olson,Abby Nelson,Kara Williams,Kaprice Henderson,Michell Current,Beth Vaca,Diciembre Baltikas,Becca Buker,Jessie Roche,Jessic Lizen,Brianna Kopp,Caiti Billings,Carly Totals Opponents LOB - Team (106), Opp (69). DPs turned - Team (2), Opp (2). IBB - Team (0), Opp (1). PITCHING STATISTICS (Sorted by ERA) PLAYER ERA W L APP GS CG SHO CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/AVG WP HBP BK SFA SHA 1 Birch,Jordan Warner,Megan Smith,Amber Totals Opponents PB - Team (3), Gorrell,Case 3, Opp (2). SBA/ATT - Gorrell,Case (7-10), Smith,Amber (5-6), Warner,Megan (2-4). THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED... ILLINOIS STATE HITTER Hit a Home Run Abby Olson vs. South Carolina ( ) Hit two Home Runs Jessie Buker vs. Northern Illinois ( ) Hit three Home Runs Abby Olson at Northern Iowa (5.4.08) Hit a Grand Slam Casey Gorrell at Northern Iowa (5.4.08) Drew three walks Michelle Henderson & Kaprice Williams vs. UNC-Greensboro (2.7.09) Stole two bases Kara Nelson vs. Buffalo ( ) Had three hits Abby Olson vs. South Carolina ( ) Had four hits Casey Gorrell vs. UNC-Greensboro (2.7.09) Had fi ve hits Cutie Taylor vs. Indiana State (4.3.02) Had three RBI Abby Olson vs. South Carolina ( ) Had four RBI Casey Gorrell vs. UNC-Greensboro (2.7.09) Had fi ve RBI Casey Gorrell vs. UNC-Greensboro (2.7.09) Had six RBI Abby Olson vs. UNC-Charlotte ( ) Had seven RBI Abby Olson at Northern Iowa (5.4.08) Hit back-to-back HRs Buker & Warning; Warning & Smith vs. Drake ( ) Hit back-to-back-to-back HRs Buker, Warning & Smith vs. Drake ( ) Had two extra-base hits Abby Olson (2B; HR) vs. South Carolina ( ) Scored three runs Niki Stansell vs. Chattanooga ( ) Scored four runs Kara Nelson vs. Northern Iowa ( ) ILLINOIS STATE PITCHER Struck out the side Amber Smith vs. Hofstra (3.1.08) Struck out 10 batters Jordan Birch (12 Ks) vs. Kent State ( ) Threw a perfect game Lana Davis vs. Indiana State ( ) Threw a no-hitter Shannon Nicholson vs. Wright State ( ) Threw a one-hitter Jordan Birch vs. Kent State ( ) Threw a two-hitter Amy Mitchell vs. NC State (2.9.08) Pitched 11 innings Shannon Nicholson at Wichita State ( ) Pitched 12 innings Shannon Nichoslon vs. Missouri State (5.5.07) Pitched 13 innings Audra Rast vs. Indiana State (4.1.00) ILLINOIS STATE TEAM Scored 10 runs vs. vs. Indiana State - W, 10-2 ( ) Scored 11 runs vs. Missouri State - W, 11-1 (5.5.07) Scored 12 runs at Indiana State (4.2.08) Scored 13 runs vs. UNC-Greensboro W, 13-2 (2.7.09) Scored 14 runs vs. Drake - W, 14-6 (4.8.06) Scored 15 runs at Northern Iowa - W, 15-2 (5.4.08) Scored 15+ runs vs. Wichita State - W, 16-9 (1997) Hit a Home Run vs. South Carolina ( ) Hit two Home Runs vs. Chattanooga ( ) Hit three Home Runs vs. UNC-Greensboro (2.7.09) Hit four Home Runs vs. Northern Iowa ( ) Hit fi ve Home Runs at Northern Iowa (5.4.08) Hit six Home Runs at Drake ( ) Shutout an opponent vs. South Carolina W, 7-0 ( ) Was shutout vs. No. 20/24 Ohio State L, 0-5 ( ) Was shutout at home vs. Southern Illinois ( ) Was shutout on the road at No. 3 Arizona State L, 0-3 ( ) Failed to walk at Iowa (4.9.08) Failed to strikeout vs. Providence College ( ) Struck out just once vs. Evansville (4.6.08) Struck out 10+ times vs. North Florida (2.8.09) Had no hits at No. 2/4 Arizona State ( ) Had just one hit vs. No. 21/23 Georgia ( ) Played extra innings vs. Drake - 8 innings ( ) STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC 7

8 2009 GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS GAME DATE OPPOSING TEAM SCORE R-H-E R-H-E INNS OVERALL VALLEY PITCHER OF RECORD ATTEND TIME # vs Florida Gulf Coast 2-10 L Smith,Amber (L 0-1) 0 1:25 # at USF 0-4 L Birch,Jordan (L 0-1) 0 2:00 # vs UNC-Greensboro W Smith,Amber (W 1-0) 0 2:30 # vs Minnesota 0-2 L Birch,Jordan (L 0-1) 0 2:30 # vs North Florida W Warner,Megan (W 1-0) 0 1:42 $ vs Idaho State 5-10 L Smith,Amber (L) 165 2:18 $ at Arizona State 0-3 L Birch,Jordan (L 0-3) 842 1:42 $ vs Iowa 2-6 L Smith,Amber (L) 256 1:36 $ vs Chattanooga W Birch,Jordan (W 1-3) 195 1:47 $ vs Kent State W Birch,Jordan (W 2-3) 258 1:38 % v slong Island W Smith,Amber (W 2-3) 0 1:38 % vs South Carolina W Birch,Jordan (W 3-3) 0 1:37 % vs Ohio State 0-5 L Smith,Amber (L 2-4) 0 1:50 # USF Louisville Slugger Tournament Tampa, Fla. & Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic Stanford, Calif. ( ) Extra-inning game $ Littlewood Classic Tempe, Ariz. * Missouri Valley Conference game % NFCA Leadoff Classic Columbus, Ga. ^ State Farm MVC Tournament - Carbondale, Ill. 8 STANFORD LOUISVILLE SLUGGER CLASSIC