Illinois at the LSU Invitational
Game 14: Illinois State	Friday, March 3, 2017 | 12 p.m. CT | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park Live Stats | Tickets
Game 15: RV/RV FAU	Friday, March 3, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. CT | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park Live Stats | Tickets
Game 16: Troy	Saturday, March 4, 2017 | 11 a.m. CT | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park Live Stats | Tickets
Game 17: No. 13/12 LSU	Saturday, March 4, 2017 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park Live Stats | Live Video | Tickets
Game 18: Troy	Sunday, March 5, 2017 | 9 a.m. CT | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park Live Stats  | Tickets
Tournament Central	http://bit.ly/LSUInvite-TourneyCentral
Full Tournament Notes	Illinois
Statistics	Illinois | Illinois State | FAU | Troy | LSU
Series History	Illinois State: Illinois leads, 12-8 // Last: W, 7-1; 4/5/2016; Normal, Ill. // Streak: Won 3 FAU: Series tied, 4-4 // Last: L, 8-4; 3/8/2014; Boca Raton, Fla // Streak: Lost 1 Troy: First meeting LSU: Series tied, 2-2 // Last: W, 5-3; 2/12/2005; Las Vegas, Nev. // Streak: Won 1
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniSB  | YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team continues its nonconference portion of the season with a trip south to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Invitational on March 3-5 at Tiger Park. The Illini opens the tournament against regional foe Illinois State and RV/RV Florida Atlantic on Friday, followed by Troy and host No. 13/12 LSU on Saturday. The Illini then wraps up play with its second game of the weekend against Troy on Sunday.

 The Fighting Illini went 3-2 at the I-75 Challenge last weekend in Atlanta, splitting doubleheader series with Georgia State on Friday and Kennesaw State on Saturday, before earning a 10-6 win over Georgia Tech to sweep all three games against the Yellow Jackets this season.

WEEKEND STANDOUTS

• The Fighting Illini went 3-2 at the I-75 Challenge last weekend in Atlanta, splitting doubleheader series with Georgia State on Friday and Kennesaw State on Saturday, before earning a 10-6 win over Georgia Tech to sweep all three games against the Yellow Jackets this season.
• Junior Annie Fleming registered a .500 batting percentage to go along with team highs of nine hits, including two doubles and a home run, six runs and seven RBI in five games at the I-75 Challenge. She tallied hits in all five contests and runs in four of the five games. 
• Fleming's weekend was highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance with three RBI and two runs in the second game against Kennesaw State on Saturday, while also adding a three-run home run in game one against the Owls, as well as a two-hit, two-run day against Georgia Tech on Sunday. She also added three hits, one run and one RBI in the two contests at Georgia State on Friday.
• Sophomore Taylor Edwards registered a 3.62 ERA with a 2-1 record over the weekend at the I-75 Challenge. Edwards allowed six runs, with only five earned, on 11 hits and five walks, while striking out eight batters in 9.2 innings of action. She earned her first win of the weekend in the second game against Kennesaw State on Saturday, giving up just one run on three hits and two walks and striking out three in four innings. She followed that performance with a strong relief outing against Georgia Tech on Sunday. Edwards entered in the fourth frame and allowed just one unearned run on two hits and a walk, while totaling a career-high five strikeouts in four innings of work to earn the win.
• Senior Alyssa Gunther paced the Illini with a .563 batting average in Atlanta, totaling team-highs of nine hits and six runs, while also adding four RBI and a 1.000 fielding percentage with 38 putouts.
• Despite only totaling six hits on the weekend, senior Nicole Evans made sure those hits counted with four home runs and a double, leaading to six runs and 11 RBI. 

ILLINI NOTES

• Defensively, the Illini have been sharp to start the 2017 season and rank ninth in the NCAA and second the Big Ten with a .983 fielding percentage after only committing six errors through 13 games. In total, the Illini have recorded 248 putouts and 102 assists in 356 chances and have fielded four double plays.
• Offensively, the Illini have outscored their opponents, 87-53 and rank seventh in the country and lead in the Big Ten with a .369 batting average and are 14th in the NCAA and second in the conference with a .560 slugging percentage. The Orange and Blue are averaging 6.69 runs per game to sit 24th in the nation in that category, as well as 15th in home runs per game (1.23), 52nd in doubles per game (1.54) and 62nd in stolen bases per game (1.46).
• The Illini have registered 139 hits through 13 games this season, with 27 percent of their hits going for extra bases, including 20 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs.
• The Illini have five players that rank in the top 15 in the conference in batting average. Junior Maddi Doane leads the pack with a .459 average to rank seventh in the Big Ten, while junior Annie Fleming is eighth at .458, sophomore Kiana Sherlund is 10th at .439, senior Nicole Evans is 11th at .432 and sophomore Stephanie Abello is tied for 15th at .405.
• Junior Annie Fleming and senior Nicole Evans have paced the Illini and rank 25th in the NCAA with 17 RBI on the season. Fleming also ranks 15th with six doubles, 21st with 22 hits and 21st with 37 total bases.
• Evans ranks seventh in the nation with six home runs so far this season and is ninth with 41 total bases. She is also 16th with 0.46 homers per contest and 29th with a .932 slugging percentage. 
• Joining Evans in the home run rankings is sophomore Stephanie Abello, who's five long balls sits her 19th in NCAA and is 20th with 0.42 homers per game.
• Fleming, Evans, sophomore Kiana Sherlund and junior Maddi Doane have combined for 76 hits, including 17 doubles and nine home runs, 47 RBIs, 38 runs and 122 total bases - which translates into 55 percent of the hits, 60 percent of the RBIs, 44 percent of the runs scored and 58 percent of the total bases. 
• With the Illini's 5-1 win over Saint Mary's on Feb. 17, head coach Tyra Perry registered her 450th career win. Perry, who has made coaching stops at Ball State, Western Kentucky and Birmingham Southern along with Illinois, owns a 453-416-1 (.521) record in her 16 seasons as a head coach and is 44-28 (.611) in her two years at the helm of the Illini.  

NEXT UP

• The Illini will break for 10 days before welcoming Northern Illinois on Wednesday, March 15 for its 2017 home opener at Eichelberger Field for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. CT.