Softball Hosts Illinois State in Weekend Series

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University Softball team (31–9, 17–3 MVC) returns home to host Illinois State in its final Missouri Valley Conference series at E.S. Rose Park. The series begins with a doubleheader Friday, April 17 at 1 p.m. CT, followed by a single game Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. 

The games will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available on belmontbruins.com. 

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 31–9 overall and 17–3 in MVC play following a series sweep over Valparaiso, highlighted by two shutout victories. The Bruins have now recorded shutouts over 15 teams — including 11 by ace Maya Johnson, which is tied for first nationally. 
• The Bruins are also coming off midweek victory for their fifth straight win over Lipscomb in the Battle of the Boulevard on Wednesday. 
• The Bruins currently sit first in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. 
• Defensively, Belmont leads the MVC with a .971 fielding percentage, totaling 780 putouts. 
• At the plate, the Bruins are hitting .302 as a team with 201 RBI and a .391 on-base percentage. 
• Belmont has been ranked No. 1 in the D1 Softball and Softball America Mid-Major Polls for the past two weeks and has received votes in the D1 Softball Top 25 in back-to-back weeks. The Bruins have now appeared in mid-major polls for 10 consecutive weeks. 
• Maya Johnson continues to dominate in the circle. The redshirt senior holds a 21–1 record with a 0.57 ERA, 286 strikeouts, and just 12 earned runs allowed. 
• She leads the NCAA in total strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings (13.5), strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.15), and ERA (0.57). 
• Johnson has been named NFCA Pitcher of the Week five times this season, becoming the first Division I player to earn the honor five times in a single season. 
• She has also earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors in eight of 10 weeks this season, along with two D1 Softball Pitcher of the Week selections and one Mid-Major Pitcher of the Week honor.
• Johnson was ranked the No. 1 overall pitcher in Softball America's April positional rankings and has previously been named Star Pitcher of the Week. 
• Earlier this season, Johnson surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts during a doubleheader against Murray State (March 24), becoming the 101st player in NCAA Division I history to reach the milestone. She currently has 1,075 career strikeouts and is one of only two active players to do so. 
• Rylee Spindler ranks second in the MVC in batting average at .467. 
• Emily Konz is tied for first in the MVC in stolen bases with 21. 
• Belmont is coming off a historic 2025 campaign, finishing 41–16 overall and 20–7 in MVC play while capturing the MVC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history. 
• The Bruins are led by head coach Laura Matthews, now in her sixth season at the helm. 

Against the Field 

• Belmont holds a 3–2 all-time record against Illinois State and won the most recent matchup on the road in March 2025. 
• The Redbirds enter the weekend 24–13 overall and 13–6 in MVC play, currently sitting third in the conference standings. 

Follow Belmont Softball on social media — @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram, and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook — for complete coverage. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official Belmont Bruins app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.