The Illinois State softball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 13-3 win over host Southern Illinois at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship in Carbondale. The Redbirds made their third straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament and opened NCAA Regional play against No. 9 overall seed and host Missouri.
This season marks Illinois State’s ninth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It joined DePaul, Massachusetts, and Missouri in the four-team regional. Last season ISU went 1-2 in at the NCAA Regional in Columbia, Missouri, as it earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 2007 with a 3-1 defeat of Indiana and two losses to the host Tigers.
