Sept. 20, 2007
URBANA, Ill. -
The Illinois softball team wraps up the fall season this weekend with a pair of games and the finale of the Orange and Blue World Series. The Illini will host Parkland College on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on the Alumni on Saturday at 1 p.m. Illinois rounds out the weekend on Sunday at noon with the Orange and Blue World Series.
The Illini are coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Chicagoland Fall Classic, where the Orange and Blue offense exploded for 30 runs. Angelena Mexicano led the way with six RBI, while Shanna Diller added four RBI, including one home run. Ashley Wright had a dominant performance in the circle, allowing one earned run through nine innings.
The Orange and Blue will look to continue its successful fall season as former players return to Eichelberger Field at Martin Stadium to take on the varsity squad. While both sides approach the game with a competitive attitude, head coach Terri Sullivan says the atmosphere surrounding the alumni game is a priceless experience for everyone involved because the alumni are anxious to see the talented newcomers and the current players get a chance to gain wisdom from former players.
"The enthusiasm that our alumni have for coming to town and getting on the field again is contagious to our current players," Sullivan said. "They get to know the former players who wore their number before them and learn some of the history of Illini softball."
Until last year, the alumni owned the series against the current Illini squad, winning the first two meetings. The 2006 Orange and Blue squad defeated the alumni for the first time in the three-year history with a 3-2 victory.
"You can't take the competitiveness out of an athlete, so [the former players] like to do their best and they have a lot of fun with it," Sullivan said. "With all but three former players able to make it back [for this year's game], I think that speaks to what a great experience they had and the friendships they had with each other."
This year's alumni squad will feature a plethora of talent, including 2006 All-American Jenna Hall and 2004 All-Big Ten pitcher Amanda Fortune, who is currently a volunteer assistant for the Illini. In addition, Mari Anne Brocker and Pam Almanza, two members of the first Illinois softball team, will take to the field as well. Members of the 2007 Illinois softball senior class, Brittany Koester, Molly Lawhead and Sydney Lisy, will also join the alumni team for the first time.
The Illini cap off the fall season with the conclusion of the Orange and Blue World Series, an intrasquad scrimmage. The Orange defeated the Blue, 5-3, on Wednesday in the opening game of the series, as Mexicano went 2-for-4 with two RBI. The two squads will clash again on Sunday in the best-of-three series on the final day for fall practice.
