CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team will begin its 21st season of play this weekend as the Illini travel to Clearwater, Florida, for the NFCA Leadoff Classic Presented by Rawlings at the Eddie C. Moore Complex on February 7-9. UI will open the 2020 season against Liberty on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT, before taking on the US National Team on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. On Saturday, the Illini will face No. 21/-/25 Ole Miss at 2 p.m. CT, followed by South Alabama at 5:30 p.m. CT, before finishing off the tournament on Sunday against No. 23/22/RV Auburn at 12 p.m. CT.
ILLINI NOTES
- The Illini have participated in the NFCA Leadoff Classic on three previous occasions in 2006, 2010 and 2012 and own an 8-4 record in the tournament. The Illini were named NFCA Leadoff Classic Champions in 2010 after winning all five games on the weekend - including victories over No. 22 Florida State, Mississippi Valley State, Radford, Virginia Tech and Arkansas.
- The 2019 season marked the 20th season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini owning a 632-454-2 (.582) record after earning their landmark 600th victory in the season opener - a 7-4 win over then-No. 22 Oklahoma State - while also holding a 204-184 (.526) mark in Big Ten Conference action.
- The Illini wrapped up the fourth season under head coach Tyra Perry with a 33-25 overall record in 2019 and finished in a tie for eighth place in the Big Ten with a 9-14 mark in conference play.
- For the seventh time in program history and the third time in the last four seasons, the Illini earned a berth into the 2019 NCAA Tournament and was selected as one of the 32 at-large bids. The Illini also made postseason appearances in 2004, 2004, 2009, 2016 and 2017 and have advanced to a Regional Final twice in program history, falling to No. 3 seed LSU in the Waco, Texas Regional in 2004 and No. 14 seed Kentucky in the Lexington Regional in 2017.
- The Illini have reached at least 33 wins in each of head coach Tyra Perry's first four seasons, while it marks just the second time in program history that the Illini have registered a four-year span with at least 33 wins in each season after notching wins of 49, 34, 39 and 45, respectively, from 2001-04.
- As is tradition under Coach Perry, the Illini will face another strong schedule in 2020, featuring 24 games against 15 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament (Ole Miss, Auburn, Notre Dame, Tulsa, BYU, Colorado State, Cal State Fullerton, Southern Illinois, Louisville, Missouri, DePaul, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State and Wisconsin) - as well as six games against three NCAA Super Regional teams (Ole Miss, Minnesota, Northwestern) and three games against one Women's College World Series team (Minnesota).
- The Illini return 12 members from the 2019 squad, including five starters and two pitchers while welcoming in the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in sophomore Youngstown State transfer Addy Jarvis, as well as eight freshmen Gabi Robles, Delaney Rummell, Kelly Ryono, Miranda Gallardo, Morgan Scivally, Brianna Nykaza, Jaelyn Vickery and Taylor Murray.
- After a standout sophomore season, junior catcher Bella Loya was named to the first-ever Softball America All-America team after being selected to the Third Team. A National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten First-Team selection, Loya consistently led the Illini at the plate all season and finished ranking second on the team with a .366 batting average. Loya paced the team with 48 RBI, 12 home runs and 27 walks during the 2019 campaign, while also ranking in the top four on the team in slugging percentage (.645), runs (28), hits (63), doubles (12) and total bases (111). The 2019 Illinois Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year finalist was also strong defensively and did not commit an error en route to a 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate with 144 putouts and 13 assists.
- With five saves as a rookie a season ago, sophomore Sydney Sickels broke the Illinois single season record for saves, previously held by Amanda Fortune (2004), Claire DeVreese (2005) and Breanna Wonderly (2017). Sickels led the Illini contigent in the circle, registering a 19-13 record with a 3.41 ERA in 172.1 innings. She made 44 appearances with 28 starts and totaled 11 complete games.
- Illinois went on an 11-day European foreign tour in the fall, traveling to London, England, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Brussels, Belgum and Paris, France on August 6-16, with six fresham joining the returning Illini on the trip. The Illini earned wins over the British Club Team (5-1) and the Amsterdam Pirates Club (18-0), while also hosting a kids clinic in Amsterdam.
- Former Illini great Jenna Hall was one of 16 former Illini included in the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Hall set the offensive standard for Fighting Illini softball by finishing her career as Illinois' record holder for best career (.357) and single-season (.481) batting average, slugging percentage (.580), on-base percentage (.486), home runs (33), RBI (142), total bases (361) and walks (148). As a senior in 2006, she led the nation in walks, while ranking second in batting (.481) and fourth in slugging percentage (.847). In addition, Hall was a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award while being named First-Team All-America by NFCA. Hall was named First-Team All-Big Ten four times and All-Region three times. She still holds the single-season batting average record at .481 set in 2006.
- Illinois softball will be hosting the 2020 Big Ten Softball Tournament at Eichelberger Field for the first time in program history on May 7-9. The annual tournament features the top-12 teams in the conference in a single-elimination competition. Play begins on Thursday with four first round games, with four quarterfinals contests following on Friday. Competition will then conclude on Saturday with two semifinal games followed by the championship game.
- Head Tyra Perry enters her 19th season as a NCAA Division I head coach and fifth at the helm of the Illinois softball program. Perry owns a 554-474-1 (.537) career record and is 145-86 (.628) at Illinois. Perry earned her 500th career win as a Division 1 softball head coach with a 5-3 win over Cal Poly on March 17, 2018.
