Feb. 9, 2012

Printable Combat Classic Notes | Coach Sullivan's Season Preview Video Interview

University of Illinois Softball Weekly Notes

Games 1-5: Florida International Combat Classic
FIU Softball Complex; Miami - Feb. 10-12

GameTracker:
Opponent Notes: Massachusetts | Louisville | Michigan State | Alabama-Birmingham | Florida International
Florida International's live stats homepage is available here.
The full tournament schedule can be found here.

Florida International Combat Classic Opponent Quick Facts
Game 1: Massachusetts (0-0) at 2 p.m. on Feb. 10
Live Stats:Available on fightingillini.com
Massachusetts 2011 Overall Record:29-19
Massachusetts 2011 Atlantic-10 Record: 14-5 (2nd)
Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Massachusetts 5, Illinois 4; 5/16/03
Last Illinois Win:#21 Illinois 6, Massachusetts 4; 3/9/03
Streak:L1

Game 2: #25 Louisville (0-0) at 4 p.m. on Feb. 10
Live Stats: Available on fightingillini.com
Louisville 2011 Record:38-20
Louisville 2011 Big Ten Record:12-7 (5th)
Series:3-0
Last Meeting:Illinois 8, #20 Louisville 0; 2-11-07
Streak: W3

Game 3: Alabama-Birmingham (0-0) at 2 p.m. on Feb. 11
Live Stats:Available on fightingillini.com
Alabama-Birmingham 2011 Overall Record:39-19
Alabama-Birmingham 2011 C-USA Record:17-6 (3rd)
Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Streak:N/A

Game 4: Michigan State (0-0) at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11
Live Stats:Available on fightingillini.com
Michigan State 2011 Overall Record: 27-27
Michigan State 2011 Big Ten Record:6-14 (9th)
Series:13-6
Last Meeting:Illinois 3, Michigan State 2; 3-27-11
Streak:W6

Game 5: Florida International (0-0) at 12:30 on Feb. 12
Live Stats:Available on fightingillini.com
Florida International 2011 Overall Record: 31-27
Florida International 2011 Sun Belt Record:14-10 (2nd)
Series: Illinois leads, 4-0
Last Meeting:Illinois 7, Florida International 4; 2-19-11
Streak:W4

Quick Hits
In 2011, the Illini finished...
• 18-1 when ahead following the sixth inning.
• 23-2 when leading through four innings.
• 19-4 when allowing two or fewer runs per contest.
• 23-7 when scoring first.
• 14-5 when out-hitting an opponent.
• 6-1 when scoring 10 or more runs.
• 5-1 in night games - starting after 5:30 p.m.

Combat Classic Opponent Preview
The Orange and Blue open the season in Miami on the campus of Florida International at the Combat Class, hosted from Feb. 11-13, with games against Massachusetts, #25 Louisville, Alabama-Birmingham, Michigan State and FIU. This marks the fourth time in the previous six seasons the Orange and Blue participated in an FIU-hosted tournament, with the Illini to Miami in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Illinois opens the season against Massachusetts, a team the Illini will face three times this year. UMass is led by two-time All-American pitcher Sara Plourde, who owns a collegiate record of 73-24 with an ERA of 1.34. After battling Plourde, the Orange and Blue face No. 25 Louisville, a team that has participated in the previous eight NCAA Tournaments. Then-sophomore Alicja Wolny led all Cardinals starters at the plate last season with a .375 average (66-of-176), while Caralisa Connell went 20-7 with a 2.40 ERA in her first college season.

UAB is schedule third during the five-game weekend, with the Blazers looking to build upon the best season in program history. In 2011, Alabama-Birmingham went 39-19 overall and 17-6 in Conference-USA play. UAB relied on five pitchers to secure the successful season as the Blazers bats only hit .249 on the season. Leigh Streetman saw the most time in the circle, pitching 182.2 innings while earning a 16-9 record in 42 appearances, including 22 starts.

During day two action in Miami, Illinois faces a familiar foe in Big Ten opponent Michigan State. The Illini will not face the Spartans during the conference season due to the alterations to the Big Ten schedule required when Nebraska was added before the start of the school year. The Orange and Blue have taken the previous four contests between the programs, including opening Big Ten play last season with a sweep of MSU at home. The Spartans went 27-27 overall last season and 6-14 in Big Ten play as NFCA All-American Lindsey Hansen led MSU with a .404 batting average (63-of-156) and 20 home runs. Sophomore Cassee Layne will be looked upon as the ace of the staff after beginning her collegiate career with a 15-16 record and 3.16 ERA during 2011.

Illinois concludes action in Miami by facing the host-Panthers. Now-senior Ashley McClain led the FIU bats with a .409 average (74-of-181) in 2011 while all three of Florida International's trio of pitchers from a season ago return, including McClain (8-5 record, 2.56 ERA), Jenn Gniadek (14-13, 2.65) and Mariah Dawson (9-9, 2.87).

2011 Season Recap
Head coach Terri Sullivan guided the Illini to yet another winning season while testing the Orange and Blue with one of the most difficult schedules in Division-I softball during her 12th season at the helm of the Illinois program. The Illini wrapped up the year at 27-22 overall, while placing third among Big Ten teams with a 12-8 conference record - one of only four Big Ten programs to earn a winning mark during the season.

In non-conference action, the Illini played 15 of their games against 12 different opponents who received votes for or were ranked among the top-25 teams in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association or USA Softball during at least one week of 2011. The Orange and Blue secured key out-of-conference victories over Maryland, Fordham, Pittsburgh and Florida International during tournament play to bolster their standings.

Illinois also found success against in-state teams, finishing 5-3 against in-state opponents, including a doubleheader sweep over Big Ten rival Northwestern as well as World's Largest Softball Tailgate foe Western Illinois. The Illini also traveled to Southern Illinois for one contest on March 23, the final non-conference match before opening Big Ten competition, coming away victorious, 5-2.

The first win over Northwestern proved to be one of the most exhilarating games the Illini played during the 2011 slate as Illinois rallied from down a run in the final frame to come away with the victory. After falling behind, 2-0, in the second inning, the Illini rallied with three runs in the third inning to take their first lead of the day. Hollie Pinchback slugged the first of her two homers, a solo shot, and Kelley Wedel followed three batters later with a two-run bomb.

Northwestern immediately responded with two more runs in the top of the fourth to re-take the lead at 4-3, holding the advantage until the Orange and Blue batted in the bottom of the seventh. The Illini needed only two batters to come away with a walk-off win, as Danielle Zymkowitz singled up the middle before Pinchback sent a two-run homer over the center field fence.

The Orange and Blue surged to a tie for the top spot in the conference standings once Big Ten play began as Illinois jumped out to a 5-1 league mark with doubleheader sweeps of Michigan State and Ohio State as well as a series split with eventual NCAA Tournament-participant Penn State. Opening their home and Big Ten slate with a weekend series against the Spartans, the pitching duo of Pepper Gay and Jackie Guy combined to hold Michigan State to a .170 batting average while only allowing five runs, three earned, in 14 innings of work. Audrey Gallien paced the offense during the 6-3 and 3-2 victories with three doubles and two RBIs, while Jessica Davis went 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, two RBIs and a run scored.

After dropping the first contest, 4-2, to Penn State during the following weekend, Illinois responded with a resounding drubbing of the Nittany Lions, 12-2, in a mercy-rule shortened five-inning game to move to 3-1 in conference play. Zymkowitz, Pinchback, Meredith Hackett and Davis - the first four batters in the Illini lineup - finished 6-for-8 with eight RBIs, eight runs scored and four walks on the contest. Penn State's pitching duo of Lisa Akamine and Jackie Hill, both of whom opened the contest in the top three in the conference for batting average against, were no match for the Illini lineup as Akamine allowed three earned runs in 1 and 2/3 innings before Hill coughed up nine more in the final 2 and 1/3 innings of the contest.

The display of power from the offense continued during the next Big Ten series, at Ohio State. Davis paced the Illini bats as the Orange and Blue improved to 5-1 in conference play, tying with Michigan for the top spot in the conference. Davis finished the two-game slate with the Buckeyes going 4-for-5 with eight RBIs and six runs scored on four home runs and three walks. Davis reached base in 87.5 percent of the Zephyrhills, Fla., native's plate appearances, while her four homers secured her an unheard of 3.200 series slugging percentage.

Following a difficult stretch of contests against No.-2 Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, Illinois bounced back with seven victories in its final nine contests, including wins in five of six Big Ten games. During the concluding stretch of the season, Illinois dropped Northwestern, 5-4 and 5-3, traveled to Iowa to soundly defeat the Hawkeyes, 8-2 and 6-2, during a midweek doubleheader, swept Western Illinois, 3-2 and 2-0 and split at Minnesota - taking the first contest, 2-0, in nine innings before falling in the season finale, 3-2.

The Bash Sisters
Illinois' Meredith Hackett and Jessica Davis, the No. 3 and 4 bats in the Illinois lineup, have a penchant for power-hitting, with a combined 51 home runs and 49 doubles among 214 total hits during their careers. Hackett, a 2010 NFCA First Team All-American, clubbed 16 homers during her sophomore season - tied for the second-most in a single year in school history - before leading the Big Ten in doubles with 16 as a junior in 2011. As a result of her powerful swing, Hackett currently leads the Illinois career slugging percentage list, with .642 percentage through three seasons. After fighting through injuries during her first two seasons, Davis broke onto the scene in 2011 with 14 homers and eight doubles en route to First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-NFCA Midwest Region honors. Davis own a career slugging percentage of .634 in 227 career at bats, needing only 23 more times up to the plate to become eligible for the Illinois top-10 and challenge Hackett for the all-time lead.

Ironwomen At The Corners
Over the previous three seasons, Kelley Wedel and Meredith Hackett have combined to start 294 of a possible 296 contests at the respective positions of third and first base, with both accruing streaks of more than 140 consecutive starts simultaneously.

Wedel has started 147 of the 148 career games she has played in, securing third base for all but eight total innings during the 2009-11 campaigns. The first of two games Wedel has not played the entirety of at the hot corner for the Orange and Blue was during the opening tournament of her freshman season, when she subbed in for Audrey Gallien at third to begin the fifth inning against #17 California on Feb. 7, 2009. Most recently, Wedel switched from third to designated player against #24 Georgia Tech on Feb. 18, 2011 before the start of the fourth inning.

During her time with the Illini, Wedel has played 967.2 innings at third, recording 157 putouts and 169 assists in 356 total chances, good for a .916 fielding percentage.

Hackett has played in 147 total contests, making 146 starts, including the first 152 games of her Illini career. During the previous three seasons, Hackett missed one game due to injury (vs. DePaul, May 5, 2011) and was limited to pinch-hitting duties in the game prior to the one against the Blue Demons (vs. Iowa, May 4, 2011).

At first base, Hackett has consistently been one of the most sure-handed players in college softball, earning a .984 career fielding percentage behind 852 putouts and 44 assists in 911 total chances, the seventh-most in program history.

In Search of No. 400
Over the previous 12 seasons, Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan has secured success of a regional and national level as the leader of the Illini. As a result of this ability to win immediately, Sullivan is already in search of win No. 400 as a head coach. Sullivan enters the 2012 season with 389 victories at the helm of the Orange and Blue program and is averaging nearly 30 wins per season. In total, Sullivan has taken the Orange and Blue to four NCAA Tournaments and battled conference foes in the Big Ten Tournament in seven of the eight seasons it has been held since the Illini joined the conference for the 2001 season.

Breaking Onto The Scene
After suffering two gruesome injuries to begin her Illini career, Jessica Davis produced at an outstanding rate in the middle of the Illini lineup as the cleanup hitter during 2011. Davis, a redshirt-sophomore, led the Orange and Blue with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs, while tying for second in batting average (.336) and doubles (8). The Zephryhills, Fla., native began the season as the starting left fielder before shifting in to field the shortstop position - starting and playing in all 49 games on the season.

Like her teammate, Danielle Zymkowitz, Davis was particularly dangerous against in-conference opponents, connecting for 22 hits in 60 at bats (.367). Davis hit a Big Ten-best seven homers while driving in 23 runs and scoring 14 more. Davis' .783 slugging percentage ranked second in the Big Ten along with her RBIs and total bases (47) numbers for conference-only contest statistics, while reaching base 47.2 percentage of the time the Zephyrhills High School graduate stepped to the plate placed her second among Illini hitters. For her efforts this season, Davis was awarded First Team All-Big Ten as well as NFCA Midwest All-Region Second Team honors.

Another 20-Game Winner
After wrapping up the 2010 season with the best single-season winning percentage following a 16-1 win-loss record, sophomore Pepper Gay became the sixth Illinois pitcher to record a 20-win season as the Avondale Estates, Ga., native finished 20-14 in 2011, her first season as the ace of the Illini staff. Gay's season marks the fourth consecutive year an Illini pitcher earned at least 20 wins, with Claire DeVreese recording 20 victories in 2008 before Monica Perry recorded 24 in 2009 and 25 in 2010.

To earn this feat, Gay out-dueled some of the best pitchers in the nation and the Big Ten conference. Against non-conference opponents only, Florida International's Jenn Gniadek (14 wins, 2.65 ERA), Maryland's Kerry Hickey (18, 1.91), Fordham's Jenn Mineau (24, 1.22) and Chelsea Plimpton (17, 2.20) and Southern Illinois' Danielle Glosson (24, 2.21) were all outdueled by Gay. The St. Pius X Catholic graduate continued to outperform top-level talent in the Big Ten, including Penn State's Lisa Akamine (11, 1.89) and Jackie Hill (20, 1.93), Purdue's Suzie Rzegocki (26, 2.18) and Minnesota's Sara Moulton (28, 2.06).

With two seasons completed for the Orange and Blue, Gay owns a 36-15 overall record and a 16-7 Big Ten mark while holding opponents to a .215 batting average against, tied for the lowest in Illini Softball history. Gay also has the second-highest strikeouts per seven inning contest mark (6.14), third-lowest program career ERA (2.21) and fifth-most victories and strikeouts (261).

World's Largest Softball Tailgate IX
The Orange and Blue will host World's Largest Softball Tailgate IX against Penn State on Saturday, May 5, when the Nittany Lions travel to Urbana for a doubleheaders. WLST, organized by Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics representatives, provides a fun family atmosphere full of live music, inflatable games, face painting and, of course, softball and tailgating. The event has drawn over 1,000 fans to Eichelberger Field on four occasions, setting the single-game attendance record at April 28, 2007 against DePaul when 1,445 people arrived to support the Orange and Blue. Admission and parking to the game, as well as each contest played on Eichelberger Field in 2012, is free to all.

Detrick Rejoins Illini
After transferring to Eastern Illinois for her junior year, Linnea Detrick has returned to the University of Illinois and the Illini softball program. Detrick played her freshman and sophomore seasons with the Orange and Blue before departing for Eastern Illinois. Having transferred once, Detrick will have to sit out the 2012 season as per NCAA policies and will be eligible as a redshirt-junior in 2013.