Members of the Illinois softball team are writing a blog, which will be published throughout the 2017-18 school year. Follow all the action of Head coach Tyra Perry's squad right here on FIGHTINGILLINI.com.

Hello Illini fans!

My name is Alexis Carrillo and I am a junior infielder from Long Beach, California, majoring in Community Health.

Fall ball has come to an end and our 20-hour weeks are now over. This does not mean our team is taking it easy and waiting for our spring. As we go back into our eight-hour weeks, we are grinding even harder during our individuals and doing some maintenance by focusing on the small things. From the field to the weight room, we are constantly working hard and pushing each other to do better. Our coaches and staff are doing a great job by getting our team to where we want to be in June.

As our fall ball season was going on, we came together as a team with a plan that we have been sticking with and it is working for both the offense and defense. Our team plan is to attack and be aggressive on both sides of the ball. We ended our last fall ball weekend with our Blue and Orange World Series and the Alumni Game. The Blue and Orange World Series was a dog fight. The blue team took the series (2-0) but the orange team battled and fought till the end. It was fun to play all out against your teammates and see both teams make excellent plays and getting the job done without our coaches. Our fall ball season ended with our Alumni Game. I always look forward to this day because I love seeing my old teammates come back. Our alumni are great and everyone becomes one big family when they come back.

I cannot be any more excited for our team to start our 2018 softball season. All the hard work we put in right now will pay off in the end. Hope to see you in the Spring!!

It is a great day to be a Fighting Illini!

Go Illini!

Alexis Carrillo