CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Â The newly ranked No. 25 Illinois softball team welcomes in Butler to the friendly confines of Eichelberger Field for a midweek contest on Wednesday (April 19). First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.Â
The Illini, who have won seven-straight games, are coming off their third Big Ten Conference series sweep of the season with three wins against Michigan State over the weekend in Caledonia, Mich., which was moved due to MSU's home facility being flooded. The Illini opened the series with a 6-3 win on Friday night, before taking both games on Saturday with a 6-5 eighth inning win in game one and a 9-5 victory in game two.Â
In the most recent NCAA softball RPI, released on Monday (April 18), the Illini earned a season-high ranking of No. 19 and were the second-highest team ranked in the Big Ten behind conference leader Minnesota at No. 11. Also highlighting the Top 25 list are Illini opponents No. 2 Auburn, No. 7 Oregon, No. 12 LSU and No. 17 California, as well as Big Ten foe No. 23 Michigan.
The Illini have swept three Big Ten series for the first time since the 2013 season, and posted back-to-back series sweeps for the first time since the sweeping three-straight during that 2013 season (Indiana, at Iowa, at Michigan).
The Illini own an 9-2 mark at Eichelberger Field this season, with the only two losses coming against then-No. 6 Minnesota on March 31 and April 2. Â
ILLINI NOTES
- For the first time since the 2011 season, the Fighting Illini earned a spot in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Top 25 Poll, coming in at No. 25 in this week's rankings. The Illini also earned the top spot in the receiving votes section of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll with 31 votes this week. It is the fifth time this season and fourth-straight week that the Illini have either received votes in both polls or appeared in the top 25.
- Junior Leigh Farina led the Fighting Illini softball team to four wins over the past week, including their third Big Ten Conference series sweep of the season with three wins against Michigan State over the weekend en route to earning her first career Big Ten Softball Player of the Week accolade, the conference announced on Monday (April 17).
- The Rolling Meadows, Ill., native had a standout week for the Illini, registering a .636 batting average on a 7-for-11 effort, including knocking a pair of doubles to go along with four RBI, two runs scored and nine total bases. Farina posted an .818 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage on the week, while also totaling nine putouts and 14 assists and fielding three double plays at her second base position.
- Farina opened the MSU series with a pair of hits and an RBI, before having a career day on Saturday in a doubleheader sweep. For the day, the junior posted an .833 batting average on a 5-for-6 effort – including equaling a career-high two RBI in game one on Saturday, before recording a career-high three hits in Saturday's second contest. She totaled three RBI, a run and a 1.167 slugging percentage between the two games.
- Senior Nicole Evans had a career day on April 8 as become the program's career RBI leader after posting a career-high six RBI on the day, including knocking her fourth career grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning -Â which put her over previous record holder Angelena Mexicano's total of 164 by one. The Glen Ellyn, Ill., native currently owns 167 career RBI with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
- With 14th home run of the season in a win over Michigan State on April 15, senior Nicole Evans pushed her career total to 49 and moving her within two dingers of Angelena Mexicano's career record of 51.Â
- After the Gophers snapped their season-long nine-game winning streak (March 18-31), the Fighting Illini responded to win the next seven contests and have won 17 of their last 19 games.Â
- Individually, senior Nicole Evans and sophomore Kiana Sherlund each currently own a nine-game reached base streak, with Sherlund also holding a nine-game hitting streak. Junior Maddi Doane also owns a seven-game reached base streak for the Illini. For the season, sophomore Stephanie Abello holds both the longest reached-base streak (14 games) and hitting streak (11 games) on the team.Â
- Senior Breanna Wonderly posted a 2-0 record over the past week – with both wins coming as complete game efforts – to go along with her fourth save of the season in a team-high 16.0 innings. She registered a 1.31 ERA after allowing just three earned runs on 16 hits and three walks, while striking out six.Â
- Wonderly started her week with a scoreless seventh inning pitched against SIUE to earn the save, before working all 15 innings in the Illini's first two wins over MSU. The senior opened with a strong outing in the circle on Friday, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and striking out a season-high tying five. On Saturday, she got UI the series win after giving up only two earned runs on nine hits and a walk with her lone strikeout of the day sealing the victory.
- Junior Maddi Doane had another strong week, tying with junior Leigh Farina with a team-high .636 batting average (7-for-11) to go along with four RBI, four runs and three stolen bases.Â
- Redshirt-freshman Veronica Ruelius and junior Rowan McGuire both took advantage of their time in the lineup, with Ruelius posting a 2-for-3 effort with two doubles, four RBI and a 1.333 slugging percentage - while also knocking in the game-tying hit during the seventh inning against MSU in Saturday's doubleheader opener. McGuire went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI, as well as driving in the game-winning run in extra innings of Saturday's opening game.Â
NEXT UP
Illinois next heads to Lincoln, Nebraska for a three-game Big Ten Conference series at Nebraska on April 21-23. Game times are set for 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.Â
