Sycamores to Take on Panthers

Indiana State welcomes the Northern Iowa Panthers to town this weekend for an MVC match up at Price Field. UNI comes in with an overall record of 13-11 and an MVC mark of 1-0. UNI was the pre-season pick to come in 3rd in the Missouri Valley race after finishing last season with a mark of 34-22. Offensively, the Panthers are led by Sr. Jen Larsen who is hitting at a .412 clip on the season with an on-base percentage of .518 and a slugging percentage of .588 - all putting her near the top of the league. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .272on the season, fourth best in the MVC. They are averaging just over 5 runs scored per contest - second best in the league. Their pitching has not been as strong as their offense, as opponents have hit .273 against the Panthers. UNI pitching has only struck out 84 batters on the season, which is the fewest of any team in the MVC. Jen Larsen still has an 8-2 record as a pitcher in 58 innings pitched with a 2.90 ERA for the Panthers. Melissa Tillet has thrown 50 innings and has held opponents to the lowest batting average for the UNI staff at .262.

The Sycamores have had a lot of success against UNI of late, as Indiana State went to Cedar Falls and won two of three games a year ago. In 2008, the Sycamores swept the three game series in Terre Haute as well as beating UNI in a non-conference game at the UT-Martin tournament. The entire series was rained out in 2007 in Cedar Falls, and in 2006, ISU took two of three in Terre Haute. Overall, that gives ISU an 8-2 advantage in the last 10 match ups with the Panthers.

GO SYCAMORES!

Rough Stretch

The Sycamores have had a rough week to begin conference play, as they opened up on the road at three-time defending regular season MVC champion Creighton last weekend before welcoming in-state rival Butler to Price Field during the week. In Omaha, Saturday's double header was canceled due to snow and cold temperatures, changing the three game series to a two game double header on Sunday. In the opener, Creighton used Sr. pitcher Tara Oltman - already the only three time MVC Pitcher of the Year winner in league history - to keep the Sycamores in check in a 6-0 Bluejay victory. While the score seems heavily favored toward Creighton, Indiana State left the bases loaded in both the 1st and 2nd innings, as they were unable to get a clutch hit to get on the board. In the contest, ISU stranded 12 base runners. Game two saw the Sycamores jump out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning off the bat of Bailey Wittenauer, as she hit a 3 run home run with one out in the 1st inning. A critical error in the bottom of the first, however, allowed Creighton to tie the game at three without getting a single hit. ISU jumped back in front in the 4th inning off a 2 run home run from Stephanie Jonson, but Creighton would scratch back with single runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th to get the 6-5 victory. Oltman again got the win, throwing the final three innings. For the double header, she held the Sycamores scoreless for 10 innings, as ISU dropped to 0-2 in MVC play to start the season.
Creighton Website Story on the double header
Wednesday, the Butler Bulldogs came to town with a 19-4 record to play a double header. Again, ISU was able to get out to an early lead, this time off the bat of Lindsey Beisser, as she hit a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 1st to push ISU to a 3-1 lead. Butler was able to score off three ISU pitchers in the contest, winning the high scoring game by a final score of 14-7. Bulldog Erin Falkenberry hit two home runs in the game - a grand slam and a two run shot - to lead the Bulldog offense. Game two was more of a pitcher's contest, as both teams utilized their #1 pitchers. Butler was able to get three unearned runs, while the ISU offense was held scoreless by Butler's Jenny Esparza in a 3-0 loss. For the day, Esparza threw 10 scoreless innings for the Bulldogs, striking out 20 Sycamores. The losses dropped ISU to 11-10 on the season.
Terre Haute Tribune Star Article on the Butler double header
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Conference Opener

After 17 games, it is time for the Sycamores to open the MVC season, as they travel to Omaha to take on the three-time defending MVC regular season champion Creighton Bluejays in a three game series. The Jays were picked to win the regular season title again this year in the Pre-Season MVC Coaches Poll. The Jays feature three time MVC Pitcher of the Year Sr. Tara Oltman and returning MVC Player of the Year Renae Sinkler. Creighton is coached by Brenda's brother - Brent Vigness. The Jays come into the contest with a record of 12-9 after playing a difficult pre-conference schedule - which included games against Arizona, Arizona State, Northwestern, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, Notre Dame, and Minnesota. Oltman has carried the pitching load for the Jays, as she enters the weekend with a record of 10-4 on the season. She has struck out 109 batters in 94 1/3 innings, allowing opponents to hit only .192 off of her on the season. Her ERA stands at 1.34 and she has thrown five shutouts. Offensively, the Jays have struggles as a group, only hitting .211 on the season, but Sinkler has been outstanding so far. She is hitting .403 with a slugging percentage of 1.032 and an on-base percentage of .493. Of her 25 hits on the season, 16 have been for extra bases with 11 home runs, 4 doubles, and a triple. She has driven in 29 runs for Creighton.

Last season, the Sycamores and Jays played five times, with Creighton winning three of the five contests, including a victory in the MVC Tournament Semifinals by a 5-4 score.

Games are scheduled for a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12 noon Omaha time followed by a single game on Sunday at 12 noon Omaha time. The weather forecast is not favorable for softball, as snow was hitting the Omaha area on Friday and the high temperature for Saturday was only expected to reach the low to mid 30s. Sunday calls for more sunshine with temperatures getting into the mid 40s. LiveStats should be available through the Creighton Athletics website.

GO SYCAMORES!

Doing the Split

The Sycamores split their home opening double-header Wednesday evening with the Southeast Missouri Redhawks. SEMO took the opening contest 5-3 in extra innings, but ISU bounced back to win the second contest by a 4-2 score.

In the opener, ISU got another strong pitching performance from Sr. Meagan McCurdy, as she struck out 11 in 7 1/3 innings allowing only 2 earned runs. ISU fell behind 2-0 in the contest, with a very costly two out error in the top of the third inning allowing SEMO to get the first run on the board. After trailing 2-0 through five innings, ISU answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the contest at 2-2. Neither team scored in the 7th inning, forcing the use of the International Tie Breaker rule in the 8th. This places a runner on 2nd base to start the inning. Some sloppy defense led to SEMO getting three runs across the plate in their half of the 8th, and ISU only managed to get one run in the bottom of the inning, as the game ended with the bases loaded for the Sycamores. For the contest, ISU pounded out seven hits (from seven different players) and stranded 11 runners on base.

The second game started out similar to the first, with ISU falling behind 2-0 to the Redhawks. After sitting out the last couple of weeks with an injury, Fr. Sara Evans was the starting pitcher for ISU, lasting 4 innings while giving up both runs. Evans struck out five while allowing four hits. So. Lindsey Beisser came on to pitch beginning in the 5th, and limited SEMO to only two more hits in the final three innings while striking out three. In the bottom of the 4th, the Sycamores finally got on the board, with a two out rally to score two runs and tie the game at 2-2. The big blow in the inning was a triple by So. Alyssa Doyle to knock in the two runs. ISU then added a single run in the 5th and one more in the 6th to make the final score 4-2. ISU had nine hits in the contest, led Fr. Kelly Szablewski going 2-3 and So. Alyssa Doyle going 2-4. With the split, ISU moved to 11-6 on the season.

GO SYCAMORES!

Home Opener - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After playing 15 games away from home, ISU will open the home portion of the schedule tomorrow (Erin Go Bragh!) with a double header against Southeast Missouri State. First pitch is scheduled for 3pm (EDT) at Price Field. The Sycamores come in with a 10-5 record, but they did lose an earlier meeting with the Redhawks at the Blues City Classic in Memphis. That loss dropped ISU to 0-3 on the season, and since then they have gone 10-2. SEMO is 6-11 on the season with a double-header at home today against IUPUI on their schedule. Their season has gone in the opposite direction as ours, as they opened up 4-2 but have only gone 2-9 since that point. The Redhawks have two batters hitting over .300 on the season (Jr. Infielder Nicole Troncoso and So. Infielder Renee Kertz). Whitney Dupuis and Stefanie Barnes have split time in the circle, with Dupuis earning the earlier victory over the Sycamores.
GO SYCAMORES!

Rebel Games Recap #2

After the day off on Wednesday, the Sycamores were only able to get one of their four remaining scheduled games played due to rain at the Rebel Games. On the positive side, they defeated the Bryant Bulldogs 3-1 in the game they did play Thursday morning. So. Lindsey Beisser picked up the win for ISU - pitching a complete game. Stats for the Rebel Games have been hard to come by, as the ISU Sports Information Department was unable to attend the contests due to the conference basketball tournaments taking place last weekend and this weekend. As a result, we should have a better idea of season statistics when the team gets back this weekend. For the trip, ISU finished 5-2 to push their season record to 10-5.

Next up, the Sycamores have their home opener scheduled for Wednesday (Happy St. Patrick's Day!) with a double header against SEMO on the docket starting at 3pm. SEMO defeated ISU on the first weekend of play at the Blues City Classic by a 6-3 score. After that game, ISU ran off an 8 game winning streak.

GO SYCAMORES!

Rebel Games Preview - Part 2

After going 4-2 in the opening stretch of the Rebel Games, the Sycamores will enjoy a day off today by taking in the sights and attractions of Disney World. Thursday, ISU gets back to playing softball with games against Bryant and Wagner in the morning. The Sycamores will then finish their trip to Florida on Friday with contests against South Dakota and LaSalle.

As of today, the regular season is technically 25% complete, with the Sycamores sitting at 9-5. If they keep that pace up, 36-20 for a final record would set a new school record for wins and give the Indiana State softball program a winning record for the first time since the 1992 season.

Here is a look at the remaining teams we play in Florida:

Thursday:

Bryant (1-10): The Bulldogs are struggling in their transition to the D1 level, having only defeated Detroit Mercy so far this season. Bryant plays two games on Wednesday before taking on ISU on Thursday. Bryant has played fellow MVC member Bradley this season, dropping a close 5-4 contest and then getting run-ruled 8-0 by the Braves earlier this year in Louisiana.

Wagner (2-10): The Seahawks started off their season 0-9, but have rebounded to win two of their last three contests. Wagner plays two games on Wednesday before facing the Sycamores on Thursday morning. ISU and Wagner last played during the 2006 season in a tournament hosted by San Diego State University, with the Sycamores coming out on top 16-2. Wagner has faced MVC member Bradley this season, dropping the contest 8-1 to the Braves.

Friday:

South Dakota (2-11): The Coyotes are also in transition to the D1 level, and have played both Valpo and Northern Iowa so far this season. South Dakota opened their season with a close 4-3 set back to Valpo and were defeated 10-1 in a run-rule contest by Northern Iowa. South Dakota still plays games on Wednesday before facing the Sycamores on Friday.

LaSalle (1-1): The Explorers opened their 2010 campaign at the Rebel Games on Tuesday splitting a pair of games. They defeated Bryant 5-3 and lost to Butler 3-1. LaSalle comes from the Atlantic 10 conference, where they were picked to finish in tenth place out of 11 teams.

GO SYCAMORES!

Rebel Games Recap #1

After three days of games in Orlando, ISU has gone 4-2 at the Rebel Games. Sunday, the Sycamores started with a 5-3 victory over Youngstown State and followed that with a 1-0 victory over 2009 NCAA participant Sacred Heart. The shut-out was Sr. Pitcher Meagan McCurdy's third of the season. Monday, the Sycamores split a pair of games, winning the opener 14-0 over Detroit in a run-rule shortened contest. Fr. Kristen Felker threw a one-hitter for her third win of the season. That moved the Sycamore win streak to eight games, but it wouldn't expand beyond that. Later that day, ISU dropped a 3-1 contest to Fairfield to stop the winning streak. Tuesday morning, ISU bounced back with a 4-0 victory over 2009 NCAA participant Lehigh, with So. Lindsey Beisser throwing a two-hitter in the victory. The Sycamores couldn't keep the winning momentum in their next contest, however, falling 1-0 to Loyola-Chicago. The Sycamores are now 9-5 on the season, and they will get to experience Disney World tomorrow before getting back to action on Thursday in Orlando.
Today's Terre Haute Trib-Star included a nice feature article on Senior Pitcher Meagan McCurdy.

GO SYCAMORES!

Rebel Games Preview - Part 1

Riding a five game winning streak, the Sycamores will head to Kissimmee, FL to participate in the Rebel Games over the ISU Spring Break week. ISU is scheduled to play 10 games over six days in Florida starting this Sunday, March 7. They will take Wednesday, March 10 off to visit Disney World - as they participated in the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion, doing their service day as a team this past fall here in Indiana. The Sycamores head to the Rebel Games with a 5-3 mark on the season after finishing last weekend 4-0 at the Tiger Spring Classic hosted by Tennessee State. Here is a look at the opponents for the first three days of the Florida trip:

Sunday:

Youngstown State (0-4): The Penguins are looking for their first win of the season after dropping four contests at the Charleston Southern Tournament the weekend of Feb. 19-21. Prior to their contest with ISU, Youngstown State has a double-header scheduled at South Carolina State on March 5 on their way to the Orlando area.

Sacred Heart (2-3): The Pioneers appeared in the 2009 NCAA Tournament after winning the Northeast Conference tournament a year ago. Just getting to the tournament wasn't enough, however, as they managed to win a game in the regional tournament round as well. Jr. All Conference Pitcher Jen Russell returns after winning 19 games a season ago with an ERA of 1.84. Fr. Pitcher Nicole Sidor threw a no-hitter last weekend in an 8-0 victory over UNC-Greensboro.

Monday:

Detroit Mercy (0-0): The Titans will open their schedule on Sunday in the Rebel Games, playing Bryant and Fairfield before facing the Sycamores on Monday. ISU defeated Detroit twice in 2009, with both games taking place at the Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Invite to open the year. Detroit is under new leadership this season, as Sunny Jones is in her first season at the helm of the Titans.

Fairfield (1-3): The Stags enter the weekend with a 1-3 mark after participating in the UNC Tarheel Invitational last weekend. Their victory was over Big East member Pitt. Fairfield was the 2009 regular season champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but they were unable to win the conference tournament title to secure a bid to NCAA regionals. All nine starters return from their conference champion squad of a year ago, including MAAC Pitcher of the Year Sarah Minice.

Tuesday:

Lehigh (2-2): The Mountain Hawks also participated in the 2009 NCAA Tournament after winning the Patriot League title a year ago. While in the Gainsville regional, Lehigh advanced to the regional final with wins over Florida A&M and Texas A&M before being knocked out by Florida. Five all-league performers are back for the Mountain Hawks, led by Sr. Pitcher Tiffany Curtis who threw a perfect game a season ago, and So. Infielder Julie Fernandez who led the team in hitting at .382 with 14 doubles a season ago.

Loyola-Chicago (1-4): The Ramblers head into the weekend with a mark of 1-4. They will participate in the Under Armour Classic hosted by University of South Florida before making their way up to the Orlando area. The Ramblers return 1st Team Horizon League Firstbasemen Kristen Medrud along with 2nd Team members Catcher Jenna Grimm and Pitcher Amy Solava.

GO SYCAMORES!

McCurdy Named Pitcher of the Week

Sr. Pitcher Meagan McCurdy was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday by the league office. McCurdy is off to a great start so far in her senior season. She has started four games so far, throwing a complete game in each of her starts. During those four starts, she has thrown two shut-outs and allowed a single earned run. For the season, she has allowed a total of two earned runs in 31 2/3 innings pitched for an ERA of 0.44. Meagan has a save on the season, and has struck out 33 batters so far as she has gotten off to a 3-1 start to the season. This is the first time Meagan has received the award in her career at ISU.

GO SYCAMORES!

Hit Parade in the Music City

The Sycamores swept their four contests at the Tiger Spring Classic in Nashville over the weekend, outscoring their opponents by a 30-13 overall margin while taking the tournament championship. With the wins, ISU moves to 5-3 on the young season, and is currently riding a five game winning streak after dropping their opening three contests of the season. In the four games this weekend, the Sycamores hit at a .317 pace (38-120) with two home runs and eight doubles. Senior Meagan McCurdy continued her strong start to her final season in the pitching circle, going 2-0 on the weekend and picked up a save. In her four starts so far this year, she has thrown four complete games and allowed one earned run.

On Saturday, ISU opened up with in-state opponent Valpo and won 6-3. ISU jumped out early and never relinquished the lead. So. Alyssa Doyle, So. Lindsey Beisser, and Jr. Steph Jonson each had two hits, and Fr. Mackenzie Connelly hit her first career home run in the victory. While scoring six runs, the Sycamores still left nine runners stranded on base. McCurdy pitched the entire game to pick up her second win of the season, not allowing an earned run in the contest. After the Valpo game, ISU took on Alabama A&M in the late game of the day, defeating the Bulldogs by a 10-5 score. Fr. Kristen Felker got her first career win pitching for the Sycamores. ISU pounded out 12 hits in the game, with Connelly having three, Fr. Halee Myers, So. Bailey Wittenauer each also had two - with Wittenauer connecting on a two run home run in the game.

Sunday, ISU again played Valpo, this time winning 13-5 in a game shortened by the run-rule. Felker picked up her second win of the weekend, and ISU belted nine hits in the game. Doyle and So. Stephanie Robinson, each had two hits in the contest - as Fr. Alex Lucas and Wittenauer each drove in two runs in the victory. In the final contest of the weekend, ISU played the host Tennessee State Tigers, coming out on top of a tight 1-0 contest. McCurdy went the distance, striking out nine in the complete game shutout. Wittenauer was big at the plate with two doubles for ISU, the second one driving in the only run of the contest.

After the tournament, four Sycamores were named to the All Tournament Team - Meagan McCurdy, Alyssa Doyle, Bailey Wittenauer, and Steph Jonson.

The Sycamores next travel to Orlando to take part in the Rebel Games, with their first games on Sunday, March 7 vs Youngstown State and 2009 NCAA Tournament Participant Sacred Heart.

GO SYCAMORES!