Friends of Jaclyn Invitational
Game 1: Providence	Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 | 11 a.m. CT | Longwood, Fla. | Soldiers Creek Park Live Stats (LINK TO COME)
Game 2: North Florida	Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 | 1:30 p.m. CT | Longwood, Fla. | Soldiers Creek Park Live Stats (LINK TO COME)
Game 3: South Alabama	Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018 | 3 p.m. CT | Longwood, Fla. | Soldiers Creek Park Live Stats (LINK TO COME)
Game 4: UCF	Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Longwood, Fla. | Soldiers Creek Park Live Stats (LINK TO COME)
Game 5: Louisville	Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 | 8 a.m. CT | Longwood, Fla. | Soldiers Creek Park Live Stats
Full Tournament Notes	Illinois | South Alabama | Louisville
2017 Statistics	Illinois | Providence | UNF | South Alabama | UCF | Louisville
Series History	Providence: Illinois leads, 3-2 // Last: L, 8-5; 3/8/2015; Los Angeles, Calif. // Streak: Lost 1 UNF: First Meeting South Alabama: Illinois trails, 0-2 // Last: L, 5-2; 3/9/2014; Boca Raton, Fla. // Streak: Lost 2 UCF: First Meeting Louisville: Illinois leads, 3-1 // L (#25), 8-3; 2/10/2012; Miami, Fla. // Streak: Lost 1
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniSB  | YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After earning back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances for the first time since 2009-10, the Illinois softball team will look to make history with a third-straight appearance in 2018 - a would-be first for the program - as the Illini open the 2018 campaign at the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational, hosted by UCF at Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Fla., this weekend. The Illini will take on Providence and North Florida at 11 a.m. CT and 1:30 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 9), and South Florida and UCF at 3 p.m., and 5:30 pm., on Saturday (Feb 10), before finishing the tournament with an 8 a.m., contest against Louisville on Sunday (Feb. 11).

ILLINI NOTES

• The 2018 season will mark the 19th season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini owning a 57.7 winning percentage as a program with a 562-411-2 overall record, as well as a 182-162 mark in Big Ten Conference action.
• The Illini are 10-8 in season opening games, including a 6-2 win over North Carolina last season at the Puerto Rico DI Tournament in San Juan, PR en route to winning their first four games of the season for the first time since 2014 and starting 4-0 for just the fifth time in program history. The Illini's best start in program history came in 2014 when UI opened with eight-straight wins.
• As is tradition under Coach Perry, the Illini will face another tough schedule in 2018, featuring 17 games against eight NCAA Regional teams, including North Carolina, Southern Illinois, Mississippi State, Missouri, Fresno State, UIC, Minnesota, Wisconsin. The Illini will take on six teams that are ranked or are receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll, including No. 16 Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Fresno State, as well as six teams receiving votes or ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25 Poll, including No. 18 Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Nebraska and Missouri.
• The Illini return 19 players from last year's team, including six starters and six pitchers, while adding six new freshmen - Valerie Frank, Rhein Trochim, Shelby Stauffenberg, Serenity Stewart, Bella Loya and Maddison Demers - and Lake Land Junior College transfer Emily Oestreich.
• The Illinois softball team continued its growth in 2017 under third-year head coach Tyra Perry, finishing the year with a 39-20 overall record, tying for the fourth-most wins in program history and making their second-straight NCAA Regional appearance and sixth overall trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Illini registered a top-four finish in the Big Ten Conference with a 14-8 mark, while also advancing to the conference tournament semifinals for the first time since 2004.
• The 2017 campaign marked the second-straight season the Illini have registered 30 wins or more and marks the first time since posting 30-win seasons in 2007 and 2008.
• The Illini's 39 wins a season ago also ranks as the third-most wins in the Big Ten behind Minnesota (56) and Michigan (43).
• On April 1, 2017, Illinois defeated then-No. 6 Minnesota, 4-3, for just the eighth top-10 win in program history and tied for the third-highest ranked opponent that UI has defeated. The victory also marked the lone win over a ranked opponent of the season and the first top-10 win since defeating No. 10 Florida State a season ago.

RANKINGS AND POLLS

• The Illini finished the 2017 season with their third-highest RPI ranking in program history at No. 27. The Illini earned a program-high No. 18 ranking in 2004, just ahead of 2010's ranking of No. 19. The Illini came in as the third-highest team ranked in the Big Ten behind Minnesota at No. 13 and Michigan at No. 20. For the season, the Illini competed against six teams ranked in the final RPI Top-25, including top-ranked Oregon, No. 7 Auburn, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 18 Kentucky  and No. 23 California. The Illini garnered a season-high ranking of No. 19 earlier this season on April 17.
• For the first time since the 2011 season the Illini made an appearance or received votes in the top 25 polls, appearing in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 polls 10 out of the 16 weeks throughout the season, including the final nine weeks of the 2017 campaign.   
• The Illini finished the season with appearances in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 polls, finishing at No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and in the receiving four votes section of the USA Today/NFCA poll.
• The Illini received votes in both polls following the opening weekend, before making their season debut in the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 on April 25 at No. 22 and remained there until dropping out of the top 25 on May 9. The Illini debuted in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Top 25 Poll on April 18 at No. 25, but dropped out a week later on April 25.
• Prior to the 2017 season, the Illini last appeared in the NFCA poll on Jan. 24, 2011, when they were ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll. The highest ranking the Illini have achieved in program history is No. 17, earning that ranking twice on May 18, 2004 and May 11, 2010.

ILLINI IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• For the second consecutive season, the Illinois softball team earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and was selected to the Kentucky Regional for the second-consecutive year as one of the 32 at-large bids.
• Illinois made their sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and owns a 10-12 record in postseason play with previous appearances in 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2016.
• The Illini opened the tournament with a 12-inning, 3-2 walk-off win over Marshall that lasted three hours and 26 minutes and was the second-longest game in program history after a 15-inning affair against Minnesota during the 2001 season. Then-senior Breanna Wonderly went the distance for the Illini – a career high innings pitched – allowing just two earned runs on eight hits and one walk and striking out a season-high eight in the outing. Former Illini Nicole Evans knocked in the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 12th and then-junior Annie Fleming added a 3-for-5 effort, including a home run, an RBI and a run.
• In the second game of the tournament, the Illini dropped a 1-0 decision to host and 14th-seeded Kentucky, before rebounding with a 10-2 run-rule victory over the Herd in an elimination game and advancing to just the program's second ever NCAA Regional Final.
• The Wildcats jumped out early in the Regional Final as the Illini's late-inning comeback fell short and brought the 2017 season to a close in a 4-2 setback. UI advanced to its first Regional Final in 2004, falling to No. 3 seed LSU in the Waco, Texas Regional.
• Wonderly pitched 27 of the 30 innings played, registering an impressive 1.81 ERA with 11 strikeouts, while then-sophomore Kiana Sherlund and Fleming led the Illini offense as Sherlund posted a .500 batting average with eight hits, three runs, two RBI and two stolen bases. Fleming notched a .429 batting clip and a .714 slugging percentage with six hits - including a double and a home run - as well as three RBI and two runs. Senior Nicole Evans added three hits, three RBI and two runs in her final games in an Illini uniform.

2017 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT RECAP 

• For the first time since the 2004 season, the Illini advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after posting a 3-0 win over Penn State in the 2017 quarterfinals, before falling 6-5 to eventual champion Minnesota.
• Then-senior Breanna Wonderly threw a three-hit, complete game shutout against the Nittany Lions and classmates Alyssa Gunther and Ruby Rivera knocked RBIs for an early 2-0 lead in the opening frame. Rivera then added her second RBI of the game on a single through the left side in the fifth inning.
• It was a back-and-forth affair against the regular season champion Gophers on Championship Saturday as the Illini jumped out to a 2-0 on a Gunther RBI sacrifice fly in the second and an RBI double from then-sophomore Stephanie Abello in the third. Minnesota responded with a five-run fourth inning on a solo home run, followed by a grand slam for the 5-2 edge. UI battled back to knot the score at 5-5 with an Abello three-run homer in the fifth and moved to the seventh with game still tied before Sydney Dwyer sent a long ball to left center for the walk off winner.

A LOOK AT THE 2017 NUMBERS

• The Illini finished the season ranked in the top 60 in the nation in a number offensive categories, including ranking 25th in scoring (5.53), 32nd in batting average (.303), 37th in win-loss percentage (.661), 39th in slugging percentage (.454), 46th in doubles per game (1.39) and 58th in home runs per game (.780)
• In the Big Ten, the Illini ranked in the top four in multiple categories, including ranking third in hits (487), triples (11), total bases (729) and hit-by-pitches (43) and fourth in batting average (.303), runs (326), RBI (285), doubles (82), sac bunts (42) and strikeouts looking (75).
• Additionally, the Illini led the league in innings pitched (397.2), chances (1,793), putouts (1,193), assists (528) and caught stealing by (21).
• Junior Taylor Edwards' 14 wins ranked in a tie for eighth in the conference, with her ERA of 2.67 sitting 12th in the conference.
• Junior Kiana Sherlund led the Illini and ranked in a tie for sixth in the Big Ten and 67th in the nation with 71 hits on the season, while also ranking 10th in the league with 14 doubles and tied for fifth with 17 stolen bases.
• The Illini had three players in the top 10 in the conference for doubles as junior Annie Fleming paced the squad with 15, while Sherlund and Evans tied for 10th with 14.
• Junior Stephanie Abello was strong behind the plate and ranked second in the Big Ten with 18 caught stolen base attempts, while also sitting sixth with 13 home runs and 12th with a .620 slugging percentage.

ILLINI WELCOME IN SEVEN TO CLASS OF 2018-19

• Head coach Tyra Perry and the Illinois softball team announced the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on November 8. Avrey Steiner (Flower, Ohio), Zaria Dunlap (Charlotte, North Carolina), Abby Sagert (Prior Lake, Minnesota), Danielle Dennis (Sherman, Illinois), Sydney Sickels (Indianola, Iowa), Hannah Sasaki (Irvine, California) and Kailee Powell (Canyon Country, California) will suit up for the Orange and Blue for the 2018-19 campaign.