Illinois State University announced on Mar. 11 that its softball team will host the Drake Bulldogs for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) series at Marian Kneer Stadium. The series begins with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. Central Time and concludes with a single game on Saturday, also at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed live on ESPN+, and admission is free for all regular-season home games.
The upcoming series is important as it marks another opportunity for the Redbirds to improve their conference record and showcase standout performances from key players. Illinois State has a history of strong MVC home openers, holding a 2-1 record in those games and a 6-3 mark in opening MVC home series under head coach Tina Kramos.
In their most recent outing, the Redbirds lost their home opener to Iowa, bringing Kramos’ record in such games to 1-3 since taking over as head coach. Freshman Morgan Calhoun continues to impress, earning her second consecutive MVC Freshman of the Week honor after batting .444 with four RBIs in a recent series against Evansville. Calhoun leads the team with a .435 batting average and ranks second in the league with 22 RBIs.
Other notable performances include Hannah Meeks being named MVC Player of the Week earlier this month after hitting .538 at the Make It Happen Games, and pitcher Paige McLeod securing two wins during last week’s doubleheader against Evansville. Defensively, Illinois State leads the MVC in double plays turned this season and ranks among the top teams nationally in that category.
The Redbirds benefit from resources such as the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund, which supports competitiveness and recruitment according to the official website. The university’s athletic programs are linked to Illinois State University according to the official website and utilize facilities like the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation according to the official website. The athletics department offers news, schedules, rosters, and fan resources through its online platforms according to the official website, while competing in NCAA Division I events across various regions according to the official website.
Looking ahead, fans can follow updates about Illinois State Softball through social media channels or by visiting GoRedbirds.com.
