Illinois (15-21, 5-4 Big Ten) at Maryland (23-16, 5-4 Big Ten) - April 10-12, 2015 - Maryland Softball Stadium
 	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3
Date	Friday, April 10	Saturday, April 11	Sunday, April 12
Time	1 p.m. ET	1 p.m. ET	1 p.m. ET
Live Stats	Live Stats	Live Stats	Live Stats
 
Printable Notes	Illinois
Series History	Series is tied, 2-2 | Last: Maryland won, 5-0, on 3/17/12 | Streak: MD 1 | Results
Site Info	Maryland Softball Stadium is located off Paint Branch Drive adjacent to XFINITY Center.
Social Media	@IlliniSoftball   |  #Illini   | Facebook | YouTube

College Park, Md. - Illinois makes its first-ever trip to College Park to face the newest member of the Big Ten Conference this weekend. The series looks to present a close matchup, as the Illini and Terrapins are tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings at 5-4. Illinois has faced Maryland four times in the past but always at a neutral site. This weekend will mark the first Illini softball games ever played in the state of Maryland, with North Carolina being the furthest north the Illini have ever been on the East Coast.

TALE OF THE TERRAPINS

Maryland enters the weekend sitting at 23-16 on the season with a 5-4 mark over its first three weeks of Big Ten play. In one of the wildest (and longest) softball games ever played, the Terps won their first-ever Big Ten game on March 20, overcoming an 11-run third inning by plating 13 of their own over the final four frames and top Iowa, 15-14. The Terps have won two of their first three Big Ten series, taking two from Iowa and Indiana, but dropping 2-of-3 to Ohio State. The Terrapins have played 12 games against top-50 opponents this season, grabbing a pair of one-run victories over #46 BYU (2-1) and #50 Ohio State (11-10).

The Terrapins have excelled in nearly every offensive category, including ranking ninth in the nation in doubles (1.77/g), 21st in scoring (7.05 rpg), 24th in on base percentage (.421), 27th in home runs (1.28/g) and 29th in slugging percentage (.522). However, Maryland has struggled defensively, sitting in second-to-last in the Big Ten with a .943 fielding percentage.

Hitting .314 as a team, Maryland has six starters hitting above .300 on the season, including Erin Pronobis (.388), Hannah Dewey (.382) and Lindsey Schmeiser (.371). Schmeiser ranks 10th in the NCAA with a conference-best 0.42 doubles per game (15 total), while Dewey is fifth in walks and 29th in on base percentage and Pronobis is 29th with 11 home runs on the year. Kaitlyn Schmeiser shoulders the weight in the circle, going 17-6 with a 3.09 ERA, 137 strikeouts, three saves and two shutouts, ranking 12th in the nation with just two HBP on the season, 14th in wins, 15th in walks allowed (1.12 per 7 IP) and 20th in saves.

MEETINGS WITH MARYLAND

Illinois and Maryland have faced off four times over the programs' histories, all of which have come in neutral territory. The Terrapins won the first-ever meeting, 1-0, at the Florida Atlantic Tournament on Feb. 23, 2001, but the Illini got revenge a month later with an 8-0 shutout in five innings at the Buzz Classic on March 25. After a 10-year gap, the Illini topped the Terps again on March 4, 2011, with a 3-1 decision at the ESPN Citrus Classic, while Maryland was victorious in the pair's most-recent meeting, claiming a 5-0 victory at the USF Under Armour Invitational on March 17, 2012.

BAUCH'S SLAM SHUTS DOOR ON SYCAMORES

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth against Indiana State on April 8, the Illini loaded the bases with two outs on hits by Nicole Evans, Brittany Sanchez and Kylie Johnson. Allie Bauch then stepped up to the plate and drove a 1-0 pitch nearly to Florida Ave., crushing her first career grand slam and the third for the Illini in a span of 10 days to give the Illini a come-from-behind win over the Sycamores in nonconference play.

A GRAND OLE TIME

On April 5, Carly Thomas hit her second grand slam in as many weeks, becoming the first Illini freshman ever to hit two grand slams in her rookie campaign. Both four-RBI dingers occurred during Big Ten play, as she became just the second Illini to post two career grand slams during conference games, while also becoming the fifth Illini overall to hit two grand slams in a season. There are just two Illini in program history who have hit more than two grand slams in their career, as teammates Angelena Mexicano ('06, '06, '08) and Kisten Martin ('06, '07, '07) each registered three.

Just three days later on April 8, Allie Bauch hit her first career grand slam to lead the Illini past Indiana State, 5-3, marking the first time since 2009 and fourth time ever that the Illini have struck three grand slams in one season.

ILLINOIS CLAIMS IOWA SERIES

After a rough start to the weekend, allowing nine runs in the bottom of the first inning at Iowa, the Illini offense exploded to out-score the Hawkeyes 32-20 and capture their second straight Big Ten series. After falling behind, 9-0, the Illini scored six runs in the top of the second an cut the lead to 9-7 in the third, but dropped the opener, 15-7, in five innings.

It was the Illini who would jump out in front early in game two, leading 7-0 midway through the fifth. Iowa capitalized on some Illini errors to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth, but the Orange and Blue rebounded to plate eight runs in the top of the seventh and even the series at one game apiece with a 15-7 result in game two.

Iowa struck first in game three with five runs in the second, but a Carly Thomas grand slam put the Illini on top, 6-5, in the third and three more Illini home runs, including a pair of two-run shots by fellow first-year Annie Fleming, gave the Illini the best-of-three series with a 12-7 victory on Sunday.

ILLINI WALK OFF ON REDBIRDS

Illinois captured its fourth straight win on March 31, completing a perfect homestand in walkoff fashion. The Illini offense was bookended by home runs, as Allie Bauch hit a solo bomb as the first Illinois batter of the game, and Ruby Rivera drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh with a long ball of her own. Jade Vecvanags limited the Redbirds to just four hits in the game and retired 12 of the final 13 batters after surrendering runs in just one inning for the 5-4 victory.

OFFENSE EXPLODES FOR HOOSIER SWEEP

The Fighting Illini offense unleashed a fury against Indiana on March 28-29, putting up 40 runs over a three-game sweep with nine doubles, three triples and 10 home runs. Every single Illini had at least one hit in the series, led by Allie Bauch and Alyssa Gunther who were both 8-for-11, while six Illini slugged over 1.000.
After tight victories on 9-6 and 9-8 in the Saturday doubleheader, Illinois found itself down 6-0 before stepping up to the plate in the series finale. Despite the large deficit, the Illini turned the tables with a record-shattering performance, scoring 22 runs with 21 RBIs and 39 total bases, all program highs, collecting 18 hits in both games two and three, which is two off the all-time record. Even more impressive, with a 22-12 lead, the Illini sealed up a run-rule victory, breaking each program record in just four innings at the plate.

BAUCH, THOMAS EARN B1G AWARDS

Allie Bauch and Carly Thomas were influential in the Illini's sweep of Indiana and were honored with Big Ten weekly awards on March 30. Bauch was named Big Ten Player of the Week after going 10-for-14 with three doubles, a home run and eight runs over the four games against No. 20 Missouri and Indiana, reaching base at least three times in every contest including going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three runs, a stolen base and scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh in game two against Indiana.
Thomas was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week for hitting .643 with a 1.429 slugging percentage on the week. She led the conference by driving in 13 runs over the week, including a school-record-tying seven RBIs in the series finale. She began the week by going 2-for-3 with a bases-clearing double vs. the No. 20 Tigers, and ended the week going 3-for-4 with two home runs including a grand slam in the series finale.

A SEASON FOR THE BOOKS

The 2015 Illini are having one of the best offensive seasons in program history, posting a program-high .532 slugging percentage and ranking second all time with a team batting average of .320 and a .390 on base percentage. With 15 regular-season games still to go, the Illini already rank fifth all time with 46 home runs and have registered the second-fewest strikeouts.

Individually, Allie Bauch ranks in the top 10 in all three categories, sitting in eighth in batting average (.398), sixth in slugging percentage (.686) and seventh in on base percentage (.482). Alyssa Gunther is just behind with a .393 batting average, while Nicole Evans' slugging percentage of .726 is good for fifth. With 13 home runs on the season, Evans is already seventh all time in long balls, while Bauch is eighth with 13 doubles. Additionally, Evans leads the Big Ten in dingers, and Bauch is second in two-baggers.

LOVING THE LONG BALL

With 15 regular-season games still to go, the Illini have already hit 46 home runs on the season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 28th in the nation in homers per game, as well as fifth among single-season totals in Illinois history.

Sophomore Nicole Evans is leading the charge, tying for tops in the Big Ten with 13 home runs, which ranks 23rd in the nation. Sitting seventh all time at Illinois, it is the most bombs for an Illini since Jessica Davis clocked 14 in 2011. Additionally, the Illini have hit three grand slams on the year, two by Carly Thomas and one from Allie Bauch, which is the most since 2009.

TREND-SETTER

Allie Bauch has registered 15 home runs since the start of 2014, 11 of which have led off an inning. In all-but-two of the 14 games that Bauch has homered, a second Illini has also hit a home run, and in 10 of those 12 games, her teammate followed her lead.

LEADING LADIES

Illinois has been productive at the start of innings, as the leadoff batter has reached base 45.4 percent of the time. Batting leadoff for the Illini in nearly every game, Allie Bauch leads the pack by reaching safely 31 times as a leadoff batter (.585). In addition to Bauch, six other Illini have reached base in at least 50 percent of their leadoff opportunities, including Ruby Rivera, who is 7-for-12 (.583).

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

The Fighting Illini have several clutch hitters in the lineup, hitting .293 with two outs. Kylie Johnson has proved prolific with two away, hitting .440, while while collecting hits with runners on bace 39.5 percent of the time, including hitting .406 with runners in scoring position.

Allie Bauch has proved the Illini you want in big moments, hitting .408 with runners on and .457 with a team-high 16 hits with runners in scoring position. She has collected 11 two-out RBIs, trailing only Jess Perkins.

Sophomore Alyssa Gunther has also produced with her teammates on base, hitting .453 with a team-leading 24 hits with runners on, while Annie Fleming has gone a team-best 7-for-15 (.467) since her recent addition to the starting lineup, hitting .571 with teammates in scoring position.

STREAKS

Ruby Rivera posted the longest hitting streak for the Illini this season, hitting safely in 10-straight games from Feb. 8-21. Carly Thomas tied Rivera's team-leading streak on April 5, hitting safely in every game since March 21, including two grand slams.

Rivera extended her streak to a 14-game reached base streak, which tied Alyssa Gunther for what was then the team's longest streak of the year. On March 20, Allie Bauch topped the pair by reaching safely in her 15th-straight game, getting on base in every game for a full month.

The Illini enter the weekend on a hot streak, as Rivera currently holds a seven-game hitting streak, while Johnson has hit safely in the past six straight. Additionally, Bauch has reached safely in the past nine games, and Annie Fleming has been on base in each of the past seven.

BEAT THE BEST TO BE THE BEST

The Illini have always operated under the notion that to be the best you have to play the best, and the 2015 campaign certainly gives Illinois that opportunity.

• Illinois has 24 games scheduled against teams that participated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, including four opponents that advanced to the Super Regionals.
• The Illini have played eight games against four teams that were ranked in the NFCA and ESPN.com polls, with an additional three games against teams that are receiving votes. The Orange and Blue will also play a doubleheader at RV Northwestern on April 22.
• According to the NCAA RPI, Illinois has played 10 games against top-25 opponents, including three against #8 Missouri and #9 UCLA. The Illini have 14 games on the schedule against teams in the top 50, and a total of 25 against top-100 foes. Illinois already has a top-25 win, defeating #22 Mississippi State on Feb. 15.
• The Illini took on then-No. 12/10 Georgia twice on opening weekend, but dropped both contests.
• Illinois split a pair of contests with RV Mississippi State, falling 9-8 but bouncing back to hand the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 4-3. The Bulldogs appeared in the top 25 on March 17.
• The Orange and Blue took on No. 13/15 UCLA on their home turf on March 6 and 7, but came up empty in the pair of matchups.
• Illinois opened Big Ten play against No. 15 Minnesota, and the three-game series included a fantastic three-hitter pitched by Jade Vecvanags, despite a 3-2 loss in the game.
• Illinois faced No. 20 Missouri on March 25 in St. Charles, Missouri. The Illini dropped game one, 17-5, and pouring rain prevented the Orange and Blue from a chance at revenge in the nightcap.
• Throughout non-conference play, the Illini were scheduled to face teams from 15 different leagues, including three from the powerhouse SEC. The 2015 slate includes four teams that won their conference last season and four that captured their conference tournament crown.
• Of their 51 regular-season games, just 15 will be played at Eichelberger Field, while the remaining 36 are slated to take place away from home.
• Illinois' Big Ten draw features five of the top six teams from last season, including Big Ten Co-Champion Nebraska and Big Ten Tournament Champion Minnesota.

FACING FIREPOWER

In addition to facing some of the top teams in the nation, the Fighting Illini have gone up against some of the NCAA's best pitchers. Illinois' batters have faced two of the top-seven pitchers in the nation in terms of total strikeouts, including seeing #1 Krista Menke (NDSU) and #7 Sara Groenewegen (Minnesota) start four consecutive games from March 17-22.

Additionally, the Illini took on UCLA's Ally Carda on March 6. A top-three finalist for National Pitcher of the Year in 2014, Carda ranks fifth in the nation in shutouts, seventh in hits allowed per seven innings and 12th in strikeouts.

Despite facing all-star firepower, the Illini rank 26th in the nation in slugging percentage, 25th in doubles, 28th in home runs, 41st in batting average and 55th in runs scored, posting their best-ever slugging percentage at .527.

MAKING A SACRIFICE

On Feb. 20, Jess Perkins became the first Illini ever to record two sacrifice flies in a single game, doing so against New Mexico. The three sac flies by the team in the game also tied the all-time record set April 27, 2013, at Michigan State.
On March 31, Perkins drove in the tying run on fifth-inning sacrifice fly against Illinois State, matching the Illini career record with her seventh sac fly.

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

The Illini have used three catchers so this season, and the trio has combined to lead the Big Ten with 12 runners thrown out stealing. Emily Brodner ranks seventh in the Big Ten by throwing out six runners stealing in just 11 games played, while Jess Perkins has five and Nicole Tobon gunned down one.