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EVANSVILLE, Ind.— The University of Evansville softball team will resume Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a three-game series against Illinois State at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. UE will host the Redbirds in a doubleheader Saturday before closing out the series with a single game Sunday. Both days are set to begin at 12:00 CDT.
The Aces (9-30) are currently ranked ninth in the Valley with a 3-9 conference record. UE is led by senior slugger Jen Stahlhut, whose .354 batting average ranks fourth in the conference. Stahlhut also ranks in the Valley’s Top Ten for slugging percentage, on base percentage, hits, doubles and runs batted in. The Troy, Ill., native hit .500 against Saint Louis in Wednesday’s doubleheader, going 3-for-6 at the plate while picking up her eleventh double of the season.
Sophomore Tamara Robey is coming off a 3-for-4 performance against the Billikens, posting her third multi-hit game of the season with a pair of singles in the nightcap.
Leading the Aces’ pitching staff, freshman Taylor Perry enters the weekend with a 4.78 ERA. Perry has collected a team-high 32 strikeouts in her 60.0 innings on the mound this year.
Scouting the Redbirds
Illinois State Redbirds (23-13 9-2 Missouri Valley)
The Redbirds closed out their nonconference play with a 10-6 loss to DePaul Tuesday. Picked to finish first in the Valley in the pre-season coaches’ poll, Illinois State currently sits in second place in the standings with just two losses. After taking its first conference loss of the season on March 26 to Wichita State, the Redbirds dropped their second Valley match with a 1-0 loss to Northern Iowa in last weekend’s series.
The Redbirds boast the best batting average in the MVC, entering the weekend with a .297 team batting average with nine batters combining for a league-high 40 home runs. The Illinois State lineup is led by Kara Nelson, a fifth round pick in the 2011 National Pro Fastpitch rookie draft. Nelson leads the Valley with a .409 batting average and a league-best 52 hits and 65 total bases. Illinois State’s offense is also bolstered by power-hitter Abby Olson, who is hitting .344 at the plate with eight home runs and the highest on base percentage in the Valley (.488).
The pitching pair of Megan Warner and Jordan Birch split time in the circle for the Redbirds, combining for 169 strikeouts in 175.1innings pitched. Of the two, Warner holds the lowest ERA (3.03) with a .241 opponent batting average. Birch, who was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on April 4, carries a 10-2 record into this weekend with an ERA of 3.20.
