Game 41: Illinois (26-14) vs. SIUE (12-18)
When & Where	April 17, 2019 // 5 p.m. CT // Eichelberger Field // Urbana, Ill.
Game Coverage	Live Stats | Live Video: BTN Plus ($) | Live Audio: WDWS 1400
Full Game Notes	Illinois
Statistics	Illinois | SIUE
Series History	Illinois leads, 2-0 // Last: W, 10-0 (6); 3/21/2018; Edwardsville, Ill. // Streak Won 2
Tickets	FREE
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniSB  | YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team returns to the friendly confines of Eichelberger Field for a four-game homestand, starting with a midweek match-up with SIUE on Wednesday (April 17) at 5 p.m. CT, before hosting No.22/19/23 Michigan in a three-game conference series on April 19-21.

ILLINI NOTES

• The Illini secured their second Big Ten Conference series of the season with a 2-1 record in a road series at Iowa over the past weekend, April 12-13. Powered by grand slams from sophomore Katie Wingerter and redshirt-senior Carly Thomas, the Illinois softball team opened the series at Iowa with a 12-1 five-inning, run-rule victory on Friday, before earning a doubleheader split on Saturday, taking a come-from-behind 12-11 win in game one, before falling 4-3 in eight innings in game two.
• UI dropped both games in a neutral-site doubleheader with Missouri in its last midweek match-up on April 9, falling 2-0 in game one and 3-2 in game two, at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on the campus of Lindenwood University.
• The 2019 season marks the 20th season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini owning a 58.5 winning percentage as a program and earned their landmark 600th win in the first game of the 2019 season - a 7-4 win over No. 22 Oklahoma State - and own a 625-443-2 overall record.
• The Illini own a 20-10 record in nonconference action and are 7-4 at Eichelberger Field. On the road, the Illini hold a 9-3 advantage. 
• In the latest NCAA softball PRI that was released on Monday (April 15), the Illini came in the No. 43 spot, after holding at No. 20 during the first two rankings and No. 36 in the last two rankings. The Illini are the fifth-highest Big Ten team, sitting behind No. 9 Minnesota, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 15 Michigan and No. 39 Wisconsin.

IOWA SERIES STAT SHOUTOUTS

• Redshirt-seniors Carly Thomas notched a .500 hitting percentage with a 6-for-12 mark at the plate, with one double and two home runs, to go along with eight RBI and seven runs and a 1.083 slugging percentage. 
• The California native's week was highlighted by five-RBI, four-run, two-hit series opener at Iowa on Friday that included her third career grand slam, before tallying a 4-for-8 mark – including a double and a home run at the plate in Saturday's doubleheader to go along with three RBI and three runs. 
• Sophomore Bella Loya paced the Illini with a .556 batting average against the Hawkeyes, to go along with five hits, including one homer, four RBI, one run and a .889 slugging percentage. 
• Sophomore Katie Wingerter turned in six RBI on the weekend and registered her first career grand slam in Friday's win. 
• Freshman Sydney Sickels recorded a 2.15 ERA in 13.0 innings, with a 1-1 record and her fourth save of the season in Saturday's win. She gave up just four earned runs on 10 hits and five walks, while striking out 11.
• Senior Emily Oestreich earned the Saturday win after giving up three runs – only one earned – on three hits and a walk in three solid innings of relief.

GRAND SLAM ILLINI

• Powered by grand slams from sophomore Katie Wingerter and redshirt-senior Carly Thomas, the Illinois softball team opened its Big Ten Conference series at Iowa with a 12-1 five-inning, run-rule victory over the Hawkeyes on Friday (April 12) at the Bob Pearl Softball Complex.
• This is just the second time in program history that the Illini have registered two grand slams in a single game. The first time came on February 9, 2007 with Kisten Martin and Shanna Diller each hitting a grand slam in an 11-5 win over FIU.
• It is the third time in program history that Illinois has hit two grand slams in a single day, with the second occurrence coming on March 21, 2007 when Nicole Evans and Emily Brodner each hit a grand slam in a doubleheader with UIC.

ILLINI AT THE PLATE

• As a team, the Illini pace the Big Ten Conference in batting average (.322), hits (364), doubles (74) and total bases (585), while also ranking second in slugging percentage (.518), on-base percentage (.399), runs (239) third in home runs (45) and fourth in RBI (205).
• Nationally, the Illini rank in the top 35 in the NCAA in doubles per game (fifth, 1.85), batting average (16th), slugging percentage (22nd), scoring (27th, 5.98) and home runs per game (31st, 1.13). 
• Sophomore Bella Loya ranks nationally in several offensive categories, including total bases (22nd, 103), hits (30th, 55), RBI per game (32nd, 1.08), home runs (37th, 12), slugging percentage (43rd, .774), home runs per game (49th, 0.30) and batting average (57th, .414). 
• Redshirt-senior Carly Thomas and senior Kiana Sherlund sit right behind Loya with 52 hits on the season to rank 50th in the country, with Thomas also sitting 42nd in runs per game (0.98) and 43rd in total bases (93).
• Loya is the Big Ten co-leader with 43 RBI and is second in the league in batting average (.414), hits (55) and total bases (103), while also sitting in the top 10 in the conference in slugging percentage (fourth, .774), home runs (t-fifth, 12), doubles (t-seventh, 12) and on-base percentage (t-ninth, .470)
• The Illini have four players - the most of any school - ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in batting average, with Loya (.414) leading the way in second, Sherlund (.380) in ninth, Thomas (.377) in 11th and redshirt-senior Annie Fleming (.370) in 13th. 
• The quartet also ranks in the top 15 in the Big Ten in hits, with Loya leading in second with 55 knocks, Sherlund and Thomas tied for fifth with 52 hits and Fleming tied for seventh with 50 hits. 

SICKELS LEADING IN THE CIRCLE

• Freshman Sydney Sickels leads the Illini in the circle with a 2.95 ERA in 123.1 innings and ranks tied for fourth in the Big Ten and is 21st in the country with 17 wins and is second in the league and 11th in the NCAA with four saves on the season.
• With four saves on the season, Sickels ties three other Illini - Amanda Fortune (2004), Claire DeVreese (2005) and Breanna Wonderly (2017) - for the most saves registered in a season. 
• Sickels also ranks in the top 15 in the Big Ten in appearances (32, fourth), games started (20, t-sixth), innings pitched (eighth), strikeouts looking (23, t-10th) and strikeouts (91, 11th).

THOMAS IS DOUBLE TROUBLE

• With three doubles in a win over UNI on March 1, redshirt-senior Carly Thomas became the career doubles leader at Illinois after passing Erin Montgomery's (2011-14) total of 52 two-baggers and currently owns 64 in her Illini career. 
• Along with the career record, Thomas registered her 20th double of the season in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader at Iowa to break Lana Armstrong's program mark of 19 two-baggers set during the 2008 campaign.
• Thomas leads the NCAA with her 20 two-baggers and is also first with 0.50 doubles per game. 

SHERLUND NEARING TRIPLES RECORD

• Senior Kiana Sherlund owns 12 career triples and is just two three-baggers away from tying Rachelle Coriddi's program record of 14 from 2003-06. 

ILLINI STREAKS

• Sophomore Bella Loya currently owns the longest reached-base streak at 19 games, with redshirt-senior Carly Thomas leading the way with a eight-game hitting streak. 
• Thomas also owned the longest hitting streak of the season for the Illini after she recorded at least one hit in the first 14 games of the season.