Urbana, Ill. - Illinois hosts Western Illinois on Tuesday in the final home game of the season. The Illini look to earn a winning record for the first time all season, after overcoming a slow start to win 16 of their last 20 games with five straight Big Ten series victories. The Illini close nonconference play with a single-game at 6:30 p.m. against the 16-20 Leathernecks.
WHAT ABOUT WESTERN?
The Leathernecks enter Tuesday's game with a 16-20 overall record, sitting in fifth place in the Summit League standings at 6-9. The Leatherneck offense is led by Sammy Marshall and Lia Romeo, as Marshall ranks 21st in the nation with a .457 batting average, averaging 1.11 runs scored per game (24th), with a .515 on base percentage (64th) and 25 stolen bases (17th). Lia Romeo has proved a difficult out, ranking 55th in "toughest to strike out" with just five Ks in 101 at bats, sitting in 12th in hit by pitch per game after being plunked 13 times while averaging 0.33 doubles per game (30th). Western does not demonstate a whole of power, as Holly Hoelting leads the team with four of the just 13 home runs hit by WIU this season.
Kaycee Hart has taken the primary load in the circle, going 8-9 with a 3.23 ERA, 83 strikeouts and three shutouts over 108.1 innings. Kayla Kirkpatrick has tossed the majority of the remaining innings, going 5-8 with a 5.74 ERA over 74.1 frames.
AGAINST THE LEATHERNECKS
Illinois and WIU have faced four times in the history of the two programs, all over which have been low-scoring, close games. The Leathernecks took the first-ever meeting between the pair , 5-4, on April 25, 2007, but the Illini have won all three matchups since them, most recently topping WIU, 5-1, on April 17, 2012.
HITTING THAT HOT STREAK
After a slow start to the season, the Illini hit their stride in late March by sweeping Indiana after putting up a total of 40 runs over the three-game weekend series on March 28-29. The series sweep launched an about-face to the program, as the Illini went on to win 16 of the next 20 games, including five straight Big Ten weekend series victories.
The recent surge has the Illini at their best start to Big Ten play since 2010, sitting in fourth with an 13-7 record. Sophomore hurler Jade Vecvanags broke the Illini's record for Big Ten victories on April 26 with her conference-leading 12th win. Meanwhile, the Illini offense has put up 181 runs over the past 20 games (an average of 9.1 runs per game), and leads the Big Ten in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, triples, total bases and sacrifice flies during conference play.
B1G SUCCESS
The Illini are enjoying the most productive Big Ten season offensively in program history, setting team records for batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, RBIs and sacrifice flies with three games still to go on the schedule.
Individually, Carly Thomas, Alyssa Gunther, Allie Bauch, Nicole Evans and Jess Perkins are tearing through the record books. Thomas broke the doubles, RBI and total bases records and currently has the second-best batting average and slugging percentage in Illini history. Perkins surpassed Thomas for the RBI record, while Gunther has tied the triples mark and Perkins and Ruby Rivera have both matched the most sacrifice flies. Thomas, Gunther and Bauch all rank in the top six in batting average, while Thomas, Evans, Perkins and Annie Fleming are in the top 10 in slugging percentage. Additionally, Jade Vecvanags has the most Big Ten wins in Illini history, and ranks second in strikeouts per game.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Illini offense has produced a school-record 1.85 doubles per game, leading the Big Ten and ranking fourth in the nation in two-baggers. Junior Allie Bauch is key contributor to this feat, posting 18 doubles on the year, which ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation and is one shy of the all-time Illinois record. Additionally, Carly Thomas ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 14, breaking the rookie and Big Ten play records for two-basers, and Nicole Evans has slugged 13.
LOVING THE LONG BALL
With four regular-season games still to go, the Illini have hit 60 home runs on the season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 30th in the nation, as well as third among single-season totals in Illinois history.
The Illini posted a 13-game home run streak from March 28-April 17, slugging 30 long balls during that stretch. It was the second-longest streak in Illinois history, trailing only the 2007 Illini, who hit 34 homers during a 14-game streak from March 3-25 en route to the nation's most home runs (84).
Sophomore Nicole Evans is leading the charge, as she is fourth in the Big Ten with 16 home runs, which ranks 31st in the nation and tied for second-most all time at Illinois. Her eight dingers in Big Ten play are one shy of the Illini record and rank ninth all time in Big Ten history.
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.
A SEASON FOR THE BOOKS
The 2015 Illini are having one of the best offensive seasons in program history, posting a program-high .330 batting average and .540 slugging percentage while ranking second all time with an on base percentage of .399. With four regular-season games still to go, the Illini already rank third all time with 60 home runs, second with 89 doubles and fourth in total bases, runs scored and RBIs. The Illini broke the program record for sacrifice flies on April 18, and have recorded the second-fewest strikeouts ever.
Individually, Allie Bauch ranks in the top 10 in all three averages, sitting in seventh in batting average (.402) and fifth in both slugging percentage (.713) and on base percentage (.484). Alyssa Gunther ranks 10th with a .404 batting average, while Nicole Evans' slugging percentage of .707 is good for sixth.
With 16 home runs on the season, Evans is tied for second all time in long balls, while Bauch is second with 18 doubles and fourth in total bases, and Gunther is third with four triples. Jess Perkins broke the season record for sacrifice flies, while Thomas, Gunther and Rivera are tied for third with three apiece.
CARLY'S KILLING IT
Illini freshman Carly Thomas has exploded offensively during the Orange and Blue's recent tear, leading the Big Ten in slugging percentage and total bases during conference play, and ranking second in batting average and doubles, third in hits and fourth in RBIs. She is among the Illini's all-time leaders during Big Ten play, holding the second-best batting average and slugging percentage, while breaking the all-time doubles, RBI and total bases records. Additionally, she is second all time in hits and third in home runs.
On April 10, Thomas broke the all-time Illini freshman record for home runs with her eighth long ball of the season, and she currently leads all Illini rookies with a .366 batting average and .648 slugging percentage. Additionally, she is second on base percentage and doubles, and broke the rookie records for RBIs and total bases during the Purdue series.
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 were receiving votes.
- According to the NCAA RPI, Illinois has played eight games against top-25 opponents, including two at #7 UCLA. The Illini have 16 games on the schedule against teams in the top 50, with wins over #30 Mississippi State and #34 Northwester, and a total of 27 against top-100 foes.
- 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.
- The Illini close the regular season with a three-game series at #47 Nebraska.
- 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 52 regular-season games, just 16 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-three pitchers in the nation in terms of total strikeouts, seeing #2 Krista Menke (NDSU) and #3 Sara Groenewegen (Minnesota) start four consecutive games from March 17-22, and faced Lilly Fecho (8th) three times on April 24-26. In addition to leading the NCAA in strikeouts, Menke ranks third in shutouts, fifth in wins and 10th in hits allowed per 7 IP.
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 ninth in the nation in shutouts, 14th in hits allowed per seven innings and 11th in strikeouts per game. Carda and Groenewegen are among the 26 candidates selected as finalists for 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Despite facing all-star firepower, the Illini rank fourth in the nation in doubles, 22nd in slugging percentage, 30th in home runs, 25th in batting average and 37th in runs scored.
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 April 18, Perkins broke the all-time career record, driving in her eighth sacrifice fly against Wisconsin, while also tying the single-season record with her fourth. Four days later, Perkins drilled her ninth career sac fly, setting a new single-season record with her fifth of the year. The senior has since extended her lead with six this year and a total of 10 for her career.
LEADING LADIES
Illinois has been productive at the start of innings, as the leadoff batter has reached base 45.3 percent of the time. Batting leadoff for the Illini in nearly every game, Allie Bauch leads the pack by reaching safely 41 times as a leadoff batter (.547). In addition to Bauch, five other Illini have reached base in at least 50 percent of their leadoff opportunities, including Annie Fleming, who is 12-for-18 (.667).
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
The Fighting Illini have several clutch hitters in the lineup, hitting .292 as a team with two outs and .317 with runners on base. Jess Perkins, Allie Bauch and Carly Thomas have proved the batters you want at the plate with the pressure on, combining for 50 two-out RBIs and all hitting over .340 with runners in scoring position.
TREND-SETTER
Allie Bauch has registered 19 home runs since the start of 2014, 12 of which have led off an inning. In all-but-three of the 18 games that Bauch has homered, a second Illini has also hit a home run, and in 11 of those 15 games, a teammate followed her lead.
GOING STREAKING
Heading into Tuesday's game, Allie Bauch is riding a 21-game reached-base streak, the eighth-longest in school history. Nicole Evans had the longest hitting streak of the year, hitting safely in 11 straight games from April 3-18, while Carly Thomas has hit safely in 23 of the last 25 games, including an eight-game multi-hit streak from April 10-22.
