Champaign, Ill. - It is another busy week for the Illinois softball team as the Illini take a break from Big Ten Conference play to host Eastern Illinois in a single game on Wednesday (April 20) at 5 p.m. CT in Eichelberger Field, before traveling to Madison, Wisc., for a three-game series at Wisconsin in Goodman Diamond on April 22-24. First pitch for the three weekend contests are slated for 4p.m. CT on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Illinois got back to its winning ways over the weekend, earning their second Big Ten Conference series win with a pair of victories at Purdue, a 4-0 shutout on Friday night, before a 10-6 offensive explosion in Sunday's rubber match. Senior Kylie Johnson led the Illini with a .444 batting average in the series, while junior Nicole Evans totaled four RBI, two hits - including her team-leading 10th long ball of the season - and two runs to propel the Illini.
In the circle, junior pitcher Breanna Wonderly pitched all 21 innings against the Boilermakers, posting a 2.00 ERA in three complete games. She earned one shutout on the weekend and held Purdue to just six earned runs and a .160 opponent batting average. In the Illini's 4-0 series opening win, the junior allowed just two hits and struck out six en route to finishing the weekend with nine Ks.
Promotions
Wednesday night will be Country Night at Eichelberger Field, with country-themed music throughout the night and bandana giveaways. It is also Wiffle Ball Wednesday with fans having the opportunity to play wiffle ball on the field following the conclusion of the game.
Illini Notes
- Senior Danielle Trezzo continues her resurgence and owned a team-leading .381 batting average over the last 10 games to go along with eight hits, two doubles, three runs and five RBI. Joining her in leading the Illini attack was Evans with a .357 batting average to go along with 10 hits, two doubles, two homers, six runs and nine RBI.
- With 16 triples on the season, the Illini are the co-leaders the Big Ten and rank fourth in the NCAA with 0.37 three-baggers per game. Individually, sophomore Annie Fleming leads the Illini, ranks second in the Big Ten and sits eighth in the NCAA with five on the season, while Bauch is right behind Fleming with three triples this season to rank in a tie for fifth in the conference.
- The Illini's 16 triples sets a program record for triples in a season, passing the previous record of 15 in 2005.
- Fleming's five triples this season ranks third all-time in program history and have pushed her into the top-10 in career all-time rankings as she is tied for ninth with five career three-baggers.
- The Illini have also recorded the most doubles in the conference with 69 on the season and rank 27th in the country with 1.60 two-baggers per game.
- After leading the Big Ten in doubles and triples, it is no surprise that the Illini also pace the conference with 558 total bases in 2016. UI also sits in the top four in hits (second, 361), stolen bases (second, 66), sacrifice bunts (third, 30), batting average (fourth, .310) and hit-by-pitches (fourth, 35).
- Defensively, the Illini have fielded 20 double plays in 2016 to sit second in the conference and are 21st in the NCAA with 0.47 double plays turned per game.
- Evans has knocked a team-high 10 homers in 2016, upping her career total to 33, which ranks in a tie for fourth in program history. She also owns a career slugging percentage of .640, which ranks as the highest slugging percengage in program history with 11 games left in the regular season as well as post-season.
- The Illini have been stealthy on the base paths and are 66-for-87 in stolen base attempts with senior Kylie Johnson pacing the Illini with a 15-for-17 mark. Along with Johnson, Illinois has five other players with at-least six stolen bases with Fleming, senior Allie Bauch and sophomores Carly Thomas and Jill Nicklas each owning seven stolen bases on the season.
- The Illini's 11-0 five-inning win over East Carolina on March 6 marked an historic occasion for the softball program, as it was the 500th victory in the history of the program.
- The Illini, who have posted seven run-rule victories (Central Michigan, Penn, East Carolina, IUPUI, Seattle, Nebraska, Rutgers) this season, are outscoring their opponents 239-183 and are averaging just over five and a half runs per game.
- In the Illini's season-opening tournament in Miami, Fla., UI registered a 5-1 win over then-No. 10 Florida State on Feb. 13, with the victory over the Seminoles marking the first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 4 Michigan on April 25, 2014 at Eichelberger Field. It was also just the seventh win against a top-10 foe and just the fourth win against a top-10 team not named Michigan.
Scouting the Competition
Eastern Illinois
The Panthers come to Urbana riding a six-game winning streak, including sweeping a pair of series against Austin Pey and Eastern Kentucky in Ohio Valley Conference action. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Wireman earned her second straight and fourth overall OVC Pitcher of the Week award on Monday after pitching two complete game shutouts against APSU, throwing 17 strikeouts and walking only one batter in her 14 innings on the mound. Wireman owns a team-low 3.20 ERA and is 11-16 on the season.
Offensively, EIU does not have a batter with a batting average over .300 with April Markowski leading the Panthers with a .296 average to go along with a team-high 32 hits, five home runs and 17 RBI. Kylie Bennett paces Eastern with six homers and 22 RBI.
Wisconsin
Orginally scheduled to face North Dakota State in a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, Wisconsin will have a week of rest before the Illini come to town as the games were cancelled due to forecasted inclement weather. The Badgers have won back-to-back conference series, taking two of three at Iowa last weekend, before an impressive sweep over then-No. 21 Minnesota on April 12.
Kelsey Jenkins has been an offensive juggernaut for UW and owns a team-leading .407 batting average to go along with 46 hits - including four doubles, a triple and five home runs, 35 runs and 28 RBI. She has also registered a 10-for-15 mark on the base paths. In the circle, Taylor-Paige Stewart owns a 13-9 record and a 3.15 ERA in 135.2 innings with nine complete games and four shutouts. She has registered 1-5 strikeouts on the year.
Next Up
After three-straight Big Ten conference weekend series on the road, the Fighting Illini will return to Eichelberger Field for its final weekend home series of the season as they host Iowa on April 29-May 1. It will be a busy weekend of events with Team Friend Day set for Friday, followed by the Illini fan favorite, World's Largest Softball Tailgate, along with Senior Day on Saturday. The weekend will wrap up Strikeout Cancer Day on Sunday.
