The Illinois State softball team is set to compete in the Make It Happen Games at the Madeira Beach Softball Complex in Florida from February 27 to March 1. The Redbirds will begin their tournament on Friday morning with a game against Colgate, followed by Bowling Green. While Illinois State has not previously faced Colgate, they hold a 5-2 record in the all-time series against Bowling Green. On Saturday, the team will play Albany and Siena, marking their first matchup with Siena. UAB leads the series against Illinois State, 1-0. The Redbirds will conclude their games on Sunday morning against UMass, a team they last played in 2013.
Fans can watch each tournament game for free by creating an account through the provided livestream link.
During their previous outing at the Silicon Valley Invitational from February 12-15, Illinois State finished with a 4-2 record, earning victories over UC-Santa Barbara, San Jose State, and Utah.
The Redbirds secured their first extra-inning win of the season against Utah on February 14, winning 6-5 in ten innings. “ISU trailed, 3-2, heading into the sixth frame when junior Ella Boyer brought the tying run home with a double. The Birds and Utes traded scoreless innings before ISU plated two in the top of the 10th, highlighted by the go-ahead RBI double off the bat of sophomore Tatum Wolford.”
Following an 11-5 win over San Jose State on February 14, Illinois State improved its season record to 6-4—the program’s best start through ten games since beginning the season at 7-3 in 2021.
In that same game against San Jose State, Gracelyn Kemp came out of the bullpen after her team fell behind and earned her first career victory as a pitcher. She struck out six batters across four and two-thirds innings.
The Redbirds’ offense was strong during this stretch; in their win over San Jose State they recorded fifteen hits and had four players with multiple hits. The fourth inning saw eleven batters come to the plate as Illinois State scored six runs on six hits.
Offensive highlights included Morgan Calhoun going three-for-three with a triple, home run, five RBIs and two runs; Julia Larson posting three hits including a double; Bella Atkinson contributing three hits with two doubles; and Tatum Wolford collecting two hits and two walks.
Illinois State Redbirds are affiliated with Illinois State University and compete in NCAA Division I events across various regions. The athletics program benefits from resources such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation and support from initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund aimed at competitiveness and recruitment (source). Fans can access news updates, schedules, rosters and additional information through official platforms designed to support community engagement (source).
For further updates on Illinois State Softball, fans are encouraged to follow @RedbirdsSB on Twitter/X or visit GoRedbirds.com for more information.
