CHICAGO (May 7, 2019) – The Loyola University Chicago softball team is going back to the MVC Softball Tournament, and begin its quest to capture the conference's championship on Wednesday, May 8. The Ramblers, the No. 8 seed, clash with Indiana State in the tournament's first round to open the showcase. First pitch is thrown at 4:02 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. All games in the tournament are played at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois. 
 
Last Time Out: Loyola fell to UNI on three occasions in the final series of the regular season on May 4-5. First baseman Allyson Ivey finished her regular season by collecting hits in two of the three games, including a two-hit performance in the series finale – her 10^th multi-hit game in conference play this season. Ivey also drove in the lone Rambler run on Sunday to reach 50 in 2019 and maintain her conference lead. Shannon McGee got a hit in all three games to widen her hitting streak to six and continue a stretch of hitting safely in 14 of her last 15 games. Since the second game of the Bradley doubleheader (April 1), McGee is hitting .417 (20-for-48).
 
A Look at the Sycamores: The tournament's No. 9-seed enters with a 17-34 overall record, and a 5-21 MVC showing. Leslie Sims has paced the Sycamores from the top of the lineup, and enters the tournament with the sixth best batting average in the conference at a .393 clip. Consequently, the Sycamores' leadoff hitter ranks third in the MVC in runs scored (45) and trails only Drake's Mandi Roemmich for the conference lead in hits with 66. Loyola will also want to keep Sims off the basepaths, as her 32 stolen bases ranks second behind Jessica Shields. With Sims setting the table, Indiana State ranks third in the MVC for total hits (378) and checks in the top half for both doubles and triples.
 
Series Stuff: The three-game sweep of the Sycamores back in early April was one of two MVC opponents Loyola swept in the regular season. The success in the 2019 regular season matchups elevated Loyola's all-time series edge to 13-9, and 7-5 since the Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference. The current three-game winning streak the Ramblers hold is their longest ever in the head-to-head series, and matches Indiana State's streak they posted over parts of 2014-15. Neither team has defeated the other four consecutive times, a feat Loyola would achieve with a win on Wednesday.  
 
Up Next: The winner of Wednesday's contest will advance to the tournament's second round on Thursday, May 9 and take on the No. 5-seed Missouri State. The Ramblers have advanced at least one round in both previous MVC Tournament appearances, including making it all the way to the championship in 2014.
 
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