CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team returns to action this weekend with a three-game conference series against Maryland on April 6-8 at Eichelberger Field. With low temperatures forecasted for Friday night, Friday's game time has been moved up to 1 p.m. CT, followed by a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday and Sunday's series finale set for 12 p.m.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY | Hometown Heroes Day
Honoring those who are and who have served in the Military and welcoming them to help hold the 20 x 30 ft. American Flag
SATURDAY | Little League Day & Scout Day
- Future Fighting Illini shirt giveaway to little leaguers that come in uniform
- Scout shirt and patch giveaway to any scout that signs up | REGISTER
- $6 Family Meal Deal- Hot dog, Drink and Chips
- Post-game autographs - same athletes as card set giveaway
- Softball card set giveaway #1 - (Alexis Carrillo, Akilah Mouzon, Erin Walker, Kiana Sherlund, Emily Oestreich, Rowan McGuire, Leigh Farina, Sam Acosta, Siena Sandoval, Jill Nicklas)
SUNDAY | Kids Club Day
Kids club members will have the opportunity to get a tour of the club house (Need to show membership card)
- Fidget spinner giveaway
- $2 Hot Dogs
- Free post- game youth clinic for kids 8th grade and under
ILLINI NOTES
- Last week, the Illini earned a series split with Northwestern last Wednesday, before dropping a pair at Minnesota on Friday. The Illini were also originally scheduled to play at Illinois State on Wednesday (April 4), but weather and poor field conditions forced the game to be cancelled.
- Depsite the Gopher setbacks, the Illini have won 14 of their last 20 games, with the only setbacks coming against Cal Poly and Big Ten foes, Purdue, Northwestern and Minnesota.
- In the latest NCAA softball RPI that was released on Monday (April 2), the Illini came in at the No. 59 spot.
- The 2018 season marks the 19th season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini owning a 57.9 winning percentage as a program with a 584-424 -2 overall record, with the second game against Cal Poly on March 17 marking the 1,000 game Illini softball has played. In Big Ten conference action, the Illini also hold a 185-166 (.527) mark.
LAST WEEK STANDOUTS
- Redshirt-junior Carly Thomas led the Illini offense last week, hitting at a .385 average with team-highs of five hits - including two home runs and a double - and seven RBI, as well as three runs.
- Junior Stephanie Abello was right behind Thomas with a .364 batting average to go along with five RBI, four hits, three runs and a home run.
- Senior Maddi Doane posted a .333 batting average on the week with four hits, including two doubles and a home run, to go along with four runs and two RBI, while classmate Sam Acosta also turned in four hits and four runs on the week.
- In the circle, junior Danielle Brochu and senior Erin Walker were strong in relief action. Brochu notched a 0.00 ERA in two appearances, allowing two hits and four walks in 2.1 innings, while Walker posted a 2.62 ERA after giving up just one earned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out two in 2.2 innings against Minnesota on Friday.
- Junior Emily Oestreich picked up the win over Northwestern in game two after giving up just two runs – only one earned – on seven hits and three walks and struck out three in 5.0 frames.
ILLINI SPLIT RAINY DOUBLEHEADER WITH WILDCATS
- For the first time since the 2015 season, Illinois earned a win over Northwestern as the Illini split their Big Ten Conference doubleheader with the Wildcats on a rainy Wednesday (March 28) at Eichelberger Field. The Illini dropped the opener, 8-7, before rebounding for a 15-9 victory in game two.
- The Illini last defeated the Wildcats on April 22, 2015 in Evanston, with the last win at Eichelberger Field coming on May 1, 2011.
- Junior Stephanie Abello led the Illini offense with a .800 average on the day, including four hits, three runs and five RBI. Redshirt-junior Carly Thomas added a team-high seven RBI with four hits, including two home runs and a double, and three runs. Seniors Maddi Doane and Sam Acosta also totaled four hits and four runs on the day.
DINGERS FOR DAYS
- The Illini have registered 33 home runs this season and have knocked at least one home run in 11 of the last 15 games - including hitting three in each game of last Wednesday's doubleheader against Northwestern and also posted an eight-game span that ran from the second game against Missouri on March 14 to SIUE on March 21.
- In the last 10 games, the Illini have totaled 17 home runs, including hitting a season-high five dingers in game one against UIC on March 21.
- Freshman Bella Loya owns a team-high six home runs to rank tied for eighth in the Big Ten, with senior Maddi Doane and redshirt-junior Carly Thomas sitting right behind her with five each to sit tied for 13th in the league. Freshman Maddison Demers has also knocked four dingers this season, while juniors Kiana Sherlund and Stephanie Abello each have three in 2018.
HEAD COACH TYRA PERRY EARNS 500TH CAREER WIN
- With a 5-3 win over Cal Poly on March 17, head coach Tyra Perry earned her 500th career win as a Division 1 softball head coach. In her 17th season as a head coach, Perry owns a 506-444-1 overall record for a 53.3 winning percentage.
- In her third season at the helm of the Illinois softball program, Perry is just three wins from marking her 100th in Champaign and is 97-56 (.634) during her time in the Orange and Blue.
SHERLUND STAYING HOT
- Junior Kiana Sherlund has been an offensive catalyst for the Illini this season, leading UI and ranking fourth in the Big Ten with a .386 batting average. The junior also paces the squad with 51 hits, 31 runs, six triples and 75 total bases.
- The junior sits in the top 15 in several offensive categories in the Big Ten, including leading the league in hits, triples and total bases, ranking tied for third in runs, fourth in batting average, tied for 11th in RBIs and tied for 12th in stolen bases.
- Her six three-baggers this season ranks fourth in the nation as well as tied for second-most in program history, while also ranking eighth with 0.17 triples per game. Sherlund is just one triple off the program record set by Rachelle Coriddi in 2005.
- Sherlund also ranks 16th with 31 hits in the NCAA, as well as 60th with 75 total bases and 85th with 0.89 RBI per game.
- She owns a team-high 17 multiple-hit games - including three three-hit contests and one four-hit game - while also totaling six multiple-RBI games this season, highlighted by four-RBI performances in wins over Murray State on March 3 and UIC on March 20.
ILLINI AT THE PLATE
- The Illini lead the Big Ten in eight offensive categories, including batting average (.323), slugging percentage (.500), runs scored (220), hits (322), RBI (198), doubles (56), triples (11) and total bases (499), while also sitting tied for second in home runs (33) and third in on-base percentage (.386).
- Nationally, the Illini rank 15th in batting average and slugging percentage, 22nd in triples per game (0.31), 34th in doubles per game (1.60) and 34th in home runs per game (0.94).
- The Illini are averaging 6.29 runs per game to rank 16th in scoring in the NCAA.
- Redshirt-junior Carly Thomas ranks seventh in the nation and paces the Big Ten with 14 doubles on the season, while also ranking 13th in doubles per game (0.40), 39th in sacrifice flies (3), 66th in total bases (74), 80th in hits (43) and 81st in RBI per game (0.91).
- In the Big Ten, Thomas also ranks in the top 15 in sac flies (t-second, 3), total bases (fourth, 74), RBI (t-fourth, 32), runs (t-fifth, 30), hits (t-fifth, 43), batting average (t-ninith, .368), slugging percentage (11th, .632) and home runs (t-13th, 5).
- Along with Sherlund and Thomas, the Illini have four players in the top 15 in batting average in the Big Ten with seniors Maddi Doane (seventh, .373) and Sam Acosta (15th, .363) joining the duo in the rankings.
- In Big Ten action, Acosta leads the league with 10 runs scored, while Doane ranks in a tie for second with four doubles and is fourth with 15 total bases during conference play.
