University of Illinois
Minnesota
Illini Set to Host No. 6 Minnesota in B1G Opener
March 30, 2017 | Softball
Illinois looks to continue its nine-game winning streak in weekend series
| Illinois (23-8, 3-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 6 Minnesota (28-2, 3-0 Big Ten) | |
|---|---|
| When & Where | March 31-April 2, 2017 // Friday: 5 p.m. CT // Saturday: 1 p.m. // Sunday: 12 p.m. // Eichelberger Field // Urbana, Ill. |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | Live Video: FightingIllini.com (Friday & Sunday only) | Live Audio: WDWS 1400 (Saturday only) |
| Full Game Notes | Illinois | Minnesota |
| Statistics | Illinois | Minnesota |
| Series History |
Illinois trails, 18-19 // Last: L, 2-0 (#23); 5/13/2016; University Park, Pa. // Streak: Lost 14 |
| Social Media | @IlliniSB  | #Illini | Facebook  | @IlliniSB  | YouTube 
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini softball team looks to continue their nine-game winning streak as they host No. 6 Minnesota for their Big Ten home opening series this weekend, March 31-April 2 at Eichelberger Field. The Illini and the Gophers are set for a 5 p.m. start on Friday, followed by a 1 p.m. game time on Saturday and a noon first pitch on Sunday.
The second NCAA softball RPI was released on Monday (March 27), with the Illini coming in at the No. 30 spot. The Illini, who came in at No. 22 in the season's first ranking last Monday, sit as the fifth-highest Big Ten team behind No. 11 Minnesota, No. 20 Michigan, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 23 Wisconsin. Also highlighting the Top 25 list are Illini opponents No. 3 Oregon, No. 5 Auburn, No. 12 LSU and No. 14 California.
The Illini powered their way to a 5-3 win over Illinois State as senior Nicole Evans, junior Annie Fleming and sophomore Stephanie Abello each homered on Wednesday (March 29) night at Eichelberger Field. Sophomore Taylor Edwards (11-1) entered in the fourth and gave up just one earned run on three hits and notched a pair of strikeouts in 3.1 innings to earn her 11th win of the season. Senior Breanna Wonderly notched her third save of the season after coming in to secure the final two outs of the game in the top of the seventh inning.
The Fighting Illini opened Big Ten play last weekend in Iowa City, Iowa, and swpet the Hawkeyes (8-0 [5], 5-2, 7-4) to start off conference action at 3-0, marking the first time since 2009 that Illinois has opened conference play with three-straight wins.
The Illini own a 4-0 mark at Eichelberger Field this season, posting a doubleheader sweep of UIC (7-5, 7-3) on March 21 and a single game victory over Bradley (7-1) on March 22, before Wednesday's victory over the Redbirds.
WEEKLY STANDOUTS
- Senior Breanna Wonderly had a stand out week for the Illini last week, going 3-0 and earning her second save of the season with a 0.75 ERA after allowing just two earned runs on seven hits and three walks in 18.2 innings of work. She also totaled 11 strikeouts, two complete games and a shutout in those four appearances, with her opponents registering just a .115 batting average against the senior.
- In the first weekend of Big Ten play, Wonderly lowered her ERA to 0.51 in 13.2 innings as she held Iowa to just one earned run on four hits and struck out seven in her three appearances.
- Wonderly tossed just the 12th no-hitter in program history in a 8-0 five-inning win over Iowa in the Illini's Big Ten Conference opener last Friday (March 24). It was the first career no-hitter for the senior, who capped the victory with her fourth strikeout of the game.
- Wonderly started off the week with a win over Bradley, allowing just one earned run on three hits and stuck out four on Wednesday. She then finished up her week with a win and a save on Sunday at Iowa, as she allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks and struck out two in the game one win, before entering in the bottom of the sixth and earned her second save of the season with 1.2 hitless innings of action in game two of the doubleheader.
- Senior Nicole Evans was an offensive force over the past week, registered a .375 batting average with six hits, including a team-high three home runs and a double, team-highs of 10 RBI and five walks, and seven runs and 16 total bases. She paced the Illini with a 1.000 slugging percentage and posted a .524 on-base percentage for the week.
- In the first weekend of Big Ten play, Evans registered a .500 batting average with five hits, five runs and six RBI, while also posting a 1.200 slugging percentage.
- Evans started off the week by hitting just her third-career grand slam against UIC on Tuesday, before following that up with a two-run homer on Friday against Iowa. Evans then finished her week with a four-hit – including her team-leading 11th dinger of the season - four-RBI, and four-run day in a doubleheader sweep against the Hawkeyes on Sunday.
- Sophomore Stephanie Abello led the Illini with a .500 batting average on the week, totaling 10 hits - including two doubles and two home runs - as well as seven RBI, five runs and a .900 slugging percentage.
- Senior Alyssa Gunther came out strong in her first Big Ten series, registering a .600 batting average with six hits, including one double, five runs and one RBI. She also tallied a .700 slugging percentage and a .636 on-base percentage.
ILLINI NOTES
- Senior Nicole Evans knocked her 12th home run of the season on Wednesday night against the Redbirds, pushing her career total to 47 and moving her within four dingers of Angelena Mexicano's career record of 51.
- With two RBIs against ISU, Evans moved into a tie for second with Hollie Pinchback with 159 career RBIs, just five away from Mexicano's career mark of 164.
- The Fighting Illini have won nine-straight games dating back to March 18 and rank in a tie for the 10th longest winning streak in the NCAA.
- Individually, sophomore Stephanie Abello owns a 14-game reached base streak, as well as an 11-game hitting streak, while senior Ruby Rivera owns an eight-game reached base streak.
- Senior pitcher Breanna Wonderly tossed just the 12th no-hitter in program history in a 8-0 five-inning win over Iowa in the Illini's Big Ten Conference opener last Friday (March 24). It was the first career no-hitter for the senior, who capped the victory with her fourth strikeout of the game.
- The Illini rank in the top 40 in the nation in several offensive categories, including ranking 11th in slugging percentage with a .516 clip and 15th in scoring with an average of 6.39 runs per game. UI also sits 17th in batting average (.328), 18th in home runs per game (1.06), 26th in doubles per game (1.55) and 39th in triples per game (0.26).
- Junior Annie Fleming leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the NCAA with 12 doubles on the season and is 12th with 0.39 doubles per game.
- Senior Nicole Evans has been a juggernaut at the plate and ranks in the top 12 in the nation in several categories, including fifth in home runs (12) and total bases (86), seventh in RBI (41), RBIs per game (1.32) and home runs per game (0.39) and ninth in slugging percentage (.915).
- Sophomore Stephanie Abello also ranks 23rd with nine homers on the season and is 27th with 0.3 homers per game.
- Senior Breanna Wonderly owns three saves on the season to rank 10th in the nation and tied for first in the Big Ten in that category.
- Sophomore Taylor Edwards' team-high 11 wins ranks in a tie four fourth in the conference and 44th in the NCAA.
NEXT UP
- Illinois continues Big Ten play with a midweek doubleheader at Northwestern on Wednesday (April 5), starting at 2 p.m. CT on BTN. The Illini then return to Eichelberger Field for a three-game series against Purdue on April 7-9.
