CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Â After having its 2017 home opener postponed due to weather, Illinois softball will finally be back at the friendly confines of Eichelberger Field for its official home opener against UIC in a doubleheader on Tuesday (March 21) beginning at 1 p.m. CT, before taking on Bradley on Wednesday (March 22) in a single game at 6 p.m. The Illini will then make a trip to Iowa City, Iowa, to open the 2017 Big Ten Conference schedule against Iowa in a three-game series this weekend, Friday-Sunday (March 24-26).Â
The first NCAA softball RPI was released on Monday (March 20), with the Illini coming in at the No. 22 spot. One of the highest rankings for the program, the Illini sit as the third-highest Big Ten team behind No. 11 Minnesota and No. 16 Ohio State. Also highlighting the Top 25 list are Illini opponents No. 7 Auburn, No. 8 Oregon, No. 13 LSU and No. 18 California.
WEEKEND STANDOUTS
- The Illini concluded its nonconference tournament action this past weekend, posting a 4-1 record at the Clearwater Spring Break Classic, with the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 4/2 Auburn. The Illini earned wins over LIU (11-3, six innings), Chattanooga (13-12), USF (7-3, eight innings) and Bethune-Cookman (13-5, five innings).
- Senior Nicole Evans registered a team-high six RBI to go along with a .385 batting average, five hits, five runs and 12 total bases in Clearwater. Of her five hits, four were multi-base hits, with two doubles, a triple and her team-leading eighth home run of the season. Along her her prowess at the plate, Evans was walked a team-high seven times, including three intentional walks in the five games. She also posted team-highs with .923 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage and was perfect on defense with a .1000 fielding percentage with six putouts in left field. Â
- Evans' highlights included two hits, two runs and three RBI against Bethune-Cookman, a 2-for-3 effort plus two runs, two intentional walks and an RBI against USF and a two-run triple against Chattanooga.Â
- Junior Maddi Doane paced the Illini with a .400 batting average, totaling six hits - including one double - to go along with four runs and three RBI.Â
- In the circle, sophomore Taylor Edwards went 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA after allowing just three earned runs on eight hits and two walks in 8.0 innings of work. She added two strikeouts on the weekend.Â
- Against Chattanooga, Edwards started the game and re-entered in the seventh to secure her seventh win of the season, allowing just two earned runs on five hits and struck out one in five innings of work. Edwards then earned her eight victory of the season on Sunday against Bethune-Cookman, giving up just one run on three hits and two walks in three innings of work.
- Redshirt-freshman Veronica Ruelius started four of the Illini's five games as the designated player, posting a .250 batting average with three hits – including a double and her first career home run – as well as two runs and four RBI. She added seven total bases and a walk and registered a .583 slugging percentage and a .308 on-base percentage. Ruelius's weekend highlights included two hits – one of which went for her first career home run, a to-run shot to right center field, two RBI and a run against LIU and a hit and two RBI against Chattanooga.
ILLINI NOTES
- The Fighting Illini have won 10 of their last 13 games and are currently riding a two-game winning streak. The Illini longest winning streak of the season was five games from February 25 to March 4, when the Illini fell to then No. 12/12 LSU.Â
- Individually, junior Maddi Doane owns a five-game hitting streak after recording hits in all five contests at the Clearwater Spring Break Classic and senior Nicole Evans is riding a 10-game reached base streak and sophomore Stephanie Abello is on a seven-game reached base streak.
- Offensively, the Illini have outscored their opponents, 152-102 and rank 21st in the nation scoring with an average of 6.33 runs per game, as well as 28th with a .324 batting average. Nationally, the Illini rank in the top 40 in triples per game (18th, 0.33), slugging percentage (24th, .498), doubles per game (27th, 1.58) and home runs per game (38th, 0.92).Â
- In the Big Ten, the Illini rank in the top four in almost every offensive category, including batting average (fourth, .324), slugging percentage (fourth, .498), hits (second, 224), runs (third, 152), RBI (third, 133), doubles (fourth, 38), triples (second, eight), home runs (t-fourth, 22) and total bases (second, 344).Â
- The Illini have two players that rank in the top 15 in the conference in batting average. Junior Annie Fleming leads the duo with a .415 average to rank seventh in the Big Ten, while senior Nicole Evans is eighth with a .400 clip. The duo also rank third and seventh in slugging percentage with Evans leading the way at .880 and Fleming right behind her at .638, while sophomore Stephanie Abello make it three Illini in the top 15 in slugging percentage with a .652 clip.
- Junior Annie Fleming owns 11 doubles on the season to lead the conference and rank sixth in the NCAA and is fourth with 0.46 double per game, while also ranking 117th with a .415 batting average, 121st with 0.92 RBI per game and 115th with a .683 slugging percentage.
- Senior Nicole Evans ranks in the top 30 in the nation in several categories, including ranking 17th with a .880 slugging percentage, 20th with eight home runs, 21st with 0.33 home runs per contest, 24th with 66 total bases and 25th with 1.21 RBI per game and 29th with seven homers on the seasons.
NEXT UP
- Following their Big Ten road series with Iowa, the Illini will return to host Illinois State in single midweek match-up on Wednesday, March 29 at 5 p.m., before welcoming in Minnesota for the first Big Ten home series of the season on Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2 at Eichelberger Field.
