Champaign, Ill. -Â After three-straight Big Ten conference weekend series on the road, the Fighting Illini softball team will return to Eichelberger Field for its final weekend home series of the season as they host Iowa on April 29-30. With rain in the weekend forecast, the schedule has shifted with a doubleheader on Friday (April 29) set to start at 4 p.m., with game two to follow approximately 20 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Game three of the series is tentatively scheduled for Saturday (April 30) at 1 p.m., but could be changed depending on the weather. Â
It will be a busy weekend of events as the World's Largest Softball Tailgate as well as Senior Day was changed from Saturday to Friday due to the weather. Team Friend Day will also be held on Friday, with StrikeOut Cancer Day to be held during game three.
The 2016 edition of Senior Day will honor a group of five student-athletes, including Allie Bauch, Kylie Johnson, Remeny Perez, Danielle Trezzo and Nicole Tobon, as well as the teams' two outstanding managers, Kyle Waltenburg and Jeremy Olson.
Promotions
Friday, April 29 | 4 &Â 6 p.m. | World's Largest Softball Tailgate // Senior Day //Â Team Friend Day
- WLST will begin at 4 p.m.
- Live DJ
- Tailgate games, including bags/cornhole
- Inflatables
- Balloon artist
- Snow cones
- Chance to meet other student-athletes
- Senior recognition
- Team Friend Day: Players will be handing out invite cards. Players and their friends with the most returned cards will receive mini helmets with the player's number on it.
Saturday, April 30 | 1 p.m. | StrikeOut Cancer Day - DATE & TIME MAY CHANGE DUE TO WEATHER
- Donate here: http://bit.ly/StrikeOutCancer-DONATE
- Recognizing cancer survivors
- Throwing out pink balls during first pitch
- Fans encouraged to wear pink to the game
- Nike Illinois branded pink t-shirts giveaway
- small pink ribbons for fans
Illini Notes
- Illinois continued its winning ways last weekend, posting a 3-1 record with a nonconference win over Eastern Illinois, before winning their second-straight Big Ten Conference series with two wins over Wisconsin over the weekend. Sophomore Carly Thomas led the Illini over the week with a .417 batting average to go along with five hits, including one homer, two runs and two RBI. Classmate Annie Fleming and junior Nicole Evans each added five hits and three RBI on the week as well.Â
- Junior Breanna Wonderly continued to show her grit and toughness in the circle as she once again pitched every inning for the Illini in Madison, registering a 1.05 ERA in 20 frames. While giving up 17 hits in three games, only two of those hits went for extra bases – a pair of doubles, while she allowed just three earned runs and four unearned runs, while posting 10 strikeouts on the weekend. Â
- Wonderly has pitched just over 80 percent of the team's innings in conference action with 88.2 frames and 13 starts, both of which lead the Big Ten. She has started the last 10 league games - including throwing the last 41.1 innings-straight in Big Ten play. Wonderly's six wins in B1G play rank tied for fourth, while her 3.16 ERA in Big Ten action ranks sixth-best and her 34 strikeouts sit ninth in the league.
- For the season, Wonderly has thrown for 159.2 innings, which ranks fourth-most in the conference, with her 24 starts ranking tied for fourth-most in the league and her 12 wins ranking eighth in the Big Ten.
- With 16 triples on the season, the Illini are the co-leaders the Big Ten and rank sixth in the NCAA with 0.34 three-baggers per game. Individually, sophomore Annie Fleming leads the Illini, ranks second in the Big Ten and sits 12th 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.
- The Illini have also recorded the most doubles in the conference with 71 on the season and rank 44th in the country with 1.51 two-baggers per game.Â
- After leading the Big Ten in doubles and triples, it is no surprise that the Illini also rank second in the conference with 601 total bases in 2016. UI also sits in the top four in hits (second, 396), stolen bases (second, 75), hit-by-pitches (t-third, 38), sacrifice bunts (fourth, 32) and batting average (fourth, .311).Â
- Defensively, the Illini have fielded 23 double plays in 2016 to rank in a tie for first in the conference and are 15th in the NCAA with 0.49 double plays turned per game.Â
- Evans has knocked a team-high 11 homers in 2016, upping her career total to 34, which ranks fourth in program history. She also owns a career slugging percentage of .642, which ranks as the highest slugging percengage in program history with seven games left in the regular season as well as post-season play.Â
- 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 254-197 and are averaging just under five and a half runs per game. Â
- 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. Â
Next Up
The Fighting Illini will wrap up their 2016 home slate with their final home game of the season on Wednesday (May 4) as they welcome in Indiana State for a midweek game beginning at 5 p.m. CT in Eichelberger Field.
