Feb. 27, 2002
Champaign, Ill. -
Fresh off a 49-23 season, fourth-place in the Big Ten and third-place Big Ten tournament, the 2002 Illinois softball season has begun. The home schedule begins April 2 and includes 20 games on 14 dates.
The University of Illinois announced several ticket options for Illini baseball and softball this spring. Season tickets for both sports are on sale at the Athletic Ticket Office located near the main entrance to Assembly Hall or by calling 217-333-3470.
Season tickets for softball are $70 for 14 home dates and for baseball are $114 for 19 home dates. That is a $2 per ticket savings off the single-game price. The single-game price for both sports is $7 for chairback reserved, $5 for adult general admission, $4 for faculty/staff general admission and $2 for student general admission.
Illinois is also offering another way to save money - the 10 or 20 admission punch cards, which are good for both softball and baseball. The 10-admission card is $30 and the 20-admission card is $60. Fans can use them for themselves 10 or 20 times or for a bunch of friends.
Illinois softball opens the home season with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Eastern Illinois. The Big Ten schedule is a little different from last year. To become more attractive to families, the conference has moved Friday's games to 6 p.m. with another single game on Saturday at Noon and a doubleheader Sunday matinee beginning at Noon.
"Our team has been anxiously anticipating this season since we put the bats away in May," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan. "Our players are dedicated and talented, now what we need is that spark that inspires top-level performance - support from the Illinois community! Our players perform with a lot of enthusiasm and togetherness, and we strongly believe you will enjoy watching them play. Season tickets are reasonably priced and we promise our best effort to make every game an entertaining event. Try it - we think you'll like it."
The two Big Ten teams that advanced to the NCAA College World Series come to Eichelberger Field this spring. Iowa plays single games on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6, while Michigan comes to town April 26-27.
Illinois softball was a big hit in its first home season. The Illini ranked 25th nationally in attendance. Spectators have the luxury of great sight lines and chairback seating at Eichelberger Field. The fan-friendly facility is located just off Florida Avenue between Fourth Street and Lincoln Avenue.
The Illini have legitimate hopes to be contenders in the Big Ten Conference in 2002. Last season a team of all freshmen swept a pair of games from Iowa at Eichelberger Field and made a strong run through the conference tournament. All-Big Ten performers Erin Montgomery and Erin Jones return as does pitching ace Amanda Fortune, who struck out 22 batters in one day a year ago.
