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 ISU (19-13, 5-1 MVC) enters the
pivotal conference series on a four-game winning streak, after
sweeping Wichita State last weekend at Marian Kneer Stadium and
downing the Huskies 5-0 Tuesday in DeKalb. Junior Jhavon
Hamilton led Illinois State with a 3-for-4 performance at NIU,
including her fourth home run of the season, while sophomore Sara
Bradley finished 2 for 4 with a solo homer and a pair of RBIs. In the
circle, senior Megan Warner earned her first shutout of the season,
scattering eight hits and striking out three in the complete-game
effort.
This weekend's matchup between the Redbirds and Salukis (18-8, 5-1 MVC) will feature the league's top offense against one of the
Valley's best pitchers. Southern Illinois enters the series with a
league-best .316 team batting average and 25 home runs. ISU will
counter SIU's potent offense with senior pitcher Jordan Birch, who
leads the league with 11 wins, ranks second for strikeouts (105) and
opponent batting average (.199), and is fourth with a 2.02 ERA.
"This is a different-looking Southern Illinois team than we have
seen in the past," said head coach Melinda Fischer. "They have
always had a strong offensive team, but this year, that is really their
strength. Their offensive power is definitely going to be a concern for us. We
need to make sure we show up in the circle, play a great defensive game and put
some runs on the board ourselves."
The Illinois State offense is led by sophomore Laura Canopy, who is
hitting a team-best .354, boasts a .485 on-base percentage and has
reached in 11 straight contests. Hamilton and senior Lizzie Andrews
are also hitting over .300, with averages of .327 and .326,
respectively. Junior Elizabeth Kay leads ISU with five home runs and
is tied for the team lead with 18 RBIs. In the circle, the Redbirds
have a team ERA of 3.33. In addition to Birch's 11-8 record, Warner
is currently 7-4 with a 3.92 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 75.0 innings. Offensively, the Salukis have a pair of
players hitting over .400 in Mallory Duran-Sellers and Meredith
Wilson. Wilson leads the squad with a .414 average and is tied for
the team lead with seven doubles. Duran-Sellers is hitting at a .413
clip with four doubles and four homers, in addition to her 25 walks,
which is second-most in the Valley. Four other SIU players are
hitting over .300, including Allie VadeBoncouer, who is tied atop
the Valley list with six home runs and ranks second in the league
with 29 RBIs. VadeBoncouer also leads the conference with a .682
slugging percentage, .556 on-base percentage and 14 hit by pitches.
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"Duran-Sellers is a phenomenal player," Fischer said. "She is
someone that will be recognized as a potential player of the
year in the Valley. She does a lot. She sets the table with her
bat, she can steal some bases, and she is great in the outfield.
She gives SIU a lot of weapons and utilizes her abilities
extremely well to get that team going."
SIU's potent offensive attack has made up for some struggles in
the circle, as the Southern Illinois pitching staff has a team
ERA of 4.60. The three-pitcher rotation includes a pair of
freshmen in Katie Bertelsen and Alyssa Wunderlich along with junior
Brittney Lang. Wunderlich is 7-1 in the circle with a team-best
3.23 ERA. She has recorded just 16 strikeouts in 52.0 innings,
and opposing hitters are batting .284 off the righty. Bertelsen
is 7-4 on the year with a 4.91 ERA and leads the team with 67.0
innings pitched. Lang has been the top strikeout pitcher for SIU
with 32 in 53.0 innings of work. She is 4-3 in the circle with a
5.55 ERA.
Illinois State and Southern Illinois have met 117 times on the
softball diamond, and ISU leads the all-time series 64-53. The
Redbirds took two of three from the Salukis last season,
including a dramatic, come-from-behind victory in the series
finale, where ISU plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh
for a 5-4 win. In the last 10 meetings, the series is tied 5-5.
[Text from file received from
Illinois State]
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