After a 1-3 start to the season at the Mardi Gras Classic, ISU travels to Birmingham, AL to play in the Magic City Classic hosted by UAB and Samford this weekend. Here's a preview of the opponents:
Friday - 3pm (ET) vs Eastern Kentucky: The Colonels hail from the Ohio Valley Conference and will enter the game with a mark of 4-3. EKU opened their season in the 49er Classic hosted by UNC-Charlotte last weekend, falling to UNC-Greensboro in the Championship contest. Wednesday, EKU swept a double-header from in-state rival Western Kentucky. Fr. SS Christina Ciolek is currently leading the Colonel offense with a .409 batting average over her 22 at bats. GameTracker is scheduled to be available for this contest.
Saturday - 1:30pm (ET) vs Samford: The Bulldogs of the Southern Conference enter the weekend with an overall mark of 2-8. Samford has played MVC member Bradley, dropping a 10-2 contest to the Braves last weekend in Troy, AL. Samford is led by first year head coach Stephanie VanBrakle, a former All American player at Alabama. The Bulldogs have played contests already this season against Alabama, UAB, and Auburn. Live coverage provided by Samford for this contest.
Saturday - 9pm (ET) vs Lipscomb: The Bison finished the 2010 season with a 50-13 overall record, winning the Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament title and advancing to the Regional Final vs Alabama. So far in 2011, they are off to a slow start at 3-6, but feature one of the better pitchers the Sycamores will see all season in Jr. Whitney Kiihnl. The reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Kiihnl was a 3rd Team All American selection a season ago. This year she has struck out 60 batters in 44.1 innings. In their six losses on the season, the Bison have lost four one-run contests and two two-run contests. In their nine games, they have allowed a total of 25 runs scored, with seven of those coming in one contest by #3 Georgia. They have played pre-season MVC favorite Illinois State this year, with the Redbirds winning a tight 2-0 contest. GameTracker is scheduled to be available for this contest.
Sunday - 12:30pm (ET) vs Eastern Illinois: This will be the second of three scheduled meetings with the Panthers this season, with EIU winning a tight 2-0 contest over the Sycamores in Monroe, LA earlier in the year. The Panthers will enter the weekend with a 2-2 mark.
Congratulations to Jr. Lindsey Beisser and Fr. Alex Baumgart for being named to the All-Tournament Team at the Mardi Gras Classic. Beisser is hitting .375 on the young season with a home run while also holding a 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings in the circle. She has struck out 11 batters and held opponents to a .174 batting average. Baumgart leads the Sycamores in hitting with a .385 batting average, having at least one hit in every ISU contest while also stealing two bases on the season.
GO SYCAMORES!
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