Illini Open Final Week of Regular Season with IUPUI Tuesday

Game 50: Illinois (33-16, 11-7 B1G) vs. IUPUI (14-30)
When & Where	May 1, 2018 // 5 p.m. CT // Eichelberger Field // Urbana, Ill.
Game Coverage	Live Stats // Live Video
Full Game Notes	Illinois
Statistics	Illinois \| IUPUI
Series History	Illinois leads, 5-0 // Last: W, 5-4; 3/15/2016; Urbana, Ill. // Streak Won 5
Tickets	FREE
Social Media	@IlliniSB \| #Illini \| Facebook \| @IlliniSB \| YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team will look to finish of the regular season on a high note with four-straight games at Eichelberger Field, starting with a 5 p.m. CT game against IUPUI on Tuesday (May 1). The Illini's contest with the Jaguars was orginally scheduled to be Illinois home opener on March 13, but weather forced the game to be moved to April 24, before it was pushed a week to Tuesday.

The Illini then finish of the 2018 regular season as they host Nebraska for a three-game conference series this weekend (May 4-6). The popular World's Largest Softball Tailgate promotion is set for Saturday (May 5) beginning at 11 a.m., with Senior Day festivities following the conclusion of the game.

ILLINI NOTES

With just four games remaining on the schedule for the regular season, the Illini sit at 33-16 on the season and are in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference standings with a 11-7 record. The Illini own an impressive 12-1 mark at home in Eichelberger Field.
In the latest NCAA softball RPI that was released on Monday (April 30), the Illini came in at the No. 59 spot and rank as the seventh-highest team in the RPI rankings. No. 25 Minnesota leads the conference, with No. 30 Ohio State, No. 32 Michigan, No. 35 Northwestern, No. 36 Nebraska and No. 51 Wisconsin sitting ahead of the Illini.
The 2018 season marks the 19th season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini just eight wins from recording the program's 600th victory with a 595-427-2 (.582) overall record. In Big Ten conference action, the Illini also hold a 193-169 (.533) mark.
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 Illini registered back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances for the first time since 2009-10 and are looking to make history in 2018 with a third-straight appearance, which would be a first for the program.

ILLINI EARN FOURTH BIG TEN SERIES WIN AT PENN STATE

For the fourth time this season, the Illini earned a Big Ten Conference series win with a pair of wins on over Penn State over the weekend. The Illini extended their win streak to a season-long eight games as they finished off their Friday night game that was postponed due to weather on Saturday (April 28) with an 10-4 win, before sweeping the day with an 11-4 victory in the day's regularly scheduled contest at Beard Field. Illinois then dropped the series finale on Sunday on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The eight-game win streak the Illini held from April 18 to April 29 tied for the seventh-longest win streak in program history.
Junior Kiana Sherlund paced the Illini offense with a 5-of-9 effort at the plate in the first two games of the series, as well as team-highs of six RBI and five runs. In game one against the Nittany Lions, Sherlund posted three hits, two runs and an RBI, before tying her career-high with five RBI to go along with a pair of homers – including her fourth grand slam of the season - and three runs in game two. She then added a run and two walks in Sunday's series finale.
Junior Stephanie Abello added five hits - including two doubles - and five RBI in three games against the Nittany Lions.

LAST WEEK STANDOUTS

Junior Kiana Sherlund registered a .438 batting average on the week, while leading the team with seven hits - including a double, a triple and two home runs - seven runs, seven RBI, 16 total bases and three walks. She owned a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .526 on-base percentage on the week, while also adding a 1.000 fielding percentage with five putouts.
Freshman Bella Loya posted a .333 batting average with five hits – including two doubles and a home run - as well as totaling five RBI, three walks and two runs. She notched 10 total bases, a .667 slugging percentage and owned a 1.000 fielding percentage after seeing action at both first base and behind the plate.
Loya started off her week with a two-run home run – her eighth of the season – in a win over EIU, before opening the PSU series with a two-double, two-RBI, one-run in the weekend's first game. She then added a pair of hits, three walks and an RBI in the final two contests against the Nittany Lions.
Junior Emily Oestreich owned a 1-1 record with a 1.85 ERA in 11.1 innings last week. She started one game and made three appearances, allowing just three earned runs, while striking out five strikeouts on the week. Her week was highlighted by a series-clinching win over PSU on Saturday after giving up just two unearned runs on three hits and two walks and striking out one in 5.2 innings of relief work.

SHERLUND SETS SEASON RECORD FOR TRIPLES

With a triple in a win over Eastern Illinois on April 25, junior Kiana Sherlund set a new season record with her eighth three-bagger of the season.
Sherlund bested Rachelle Coriddi's recoed of seven triples set during the 2005 season.

DINGERS FOR DAYS

The Illini have registered 44 home runs this season and have knocked eight home runs in their last nine games - including posting two multiple-home run games in the last four contests. UI also posted an eight-game span of knocking at least one home run in each game that ran from the second contest against Missouri on March 14 to SIUE on March 21.
The Illini have registered mulitple home runs in 12 games in 2018, including knocking a season-high five dingers in game one against UIC on March 21 and notching five contests with three homers.
Senior Maddi Doane paces the Illini with nine home runs and ranks tied for 11th in the Big Ten.
Freshman Bella Loya sits just behind Doane with eight homers, while redshirt-junior Carly Thomas and junior Kiana Sherlund sit in a tie for third on the team with six dingers. Freshman Maddison Demers has also added four dingers this season.
Of Sherlund's six home runs on the season, four had gone a s grand slams.

SHERLUND & THOMAS LEADING THE ILLINI OFFENSE

Junior Kiana Sherlund and redshirt-junior Carly Thomas have been offensive catalysts for the Illini this season with the duo leading the squad and ranking in the top 10 of the Big Ten with Sherlund sitting fourth with a .403 average and Thomas ranking 11th with a .368 clip, while also ranking in the top 10 in the conference in runs, hits, RBI and total bases.
Sherlund paces the conference with 75 hits, 49 runs, eight triples and 115 total bases, as well as sitting fourth with 44 RBI, 13th with 12 stolen bases and 14th with a .618 slugging percentage.
Thomas also leads the league with four sacrifice flies, while also ranking third with 17 doubles and 99 total bases, fourth with 60 hits, fifth with 44 runs, 10th with 40 RBI and 15th with 10 stolen bases.
Sherlund's eight three-baggers this season ranks second in the nation, with her 0.16 triples per game also sitting second in the NCAA.
With 17 doubles on the season, Thomas ranks in a tie for fourth all-time in program history for two-baggers in a season.
Sherlund also ranks fourth in the nation in hits, as well as 23rd in runs per game (1.00), 27th in total bases and 67th in batting average, while Thomas ranks 11th in the country in doubles, as well as 25th in sacrifice flies, 26th in doubles per game (0.35), 57th in runs per game (0.90), 71st in total bases and 73rd in hits.
Sherlund owns a team-high 25 multiple-hit games - including six three-hit contests and two four-hit game - while also totaling 11 multiple-RBI games this season, highlighted by two five-RBI efforts against Penn State on Saturday and Maryland on April 8 as well as four-RBI performances in wins over Murray State on March 3 and UIC on March 20.
Thomas also owns 10 multiple RBI games with two three RBI games and two four RBI games this season.

Schedule