Red & Black Challenge Up Next for Illini Softball

Friday, March 6

Louisville, Ky.

1:15 PM CT

University of Illinois

Louisville

March 5, 2020 | Softball

Red & Black Challenge
Where & When	Louisville, Ky. \| Ulmer Stadium \| March 6-8
Game 18: Louisville (7-12)	Friday, March 6 \| 1:15 p.m. CT Live Stats \| Live Video: ACCNX
Game 19: Oakland (7-6)	Saturday, March 7 \| 9 a.m. CT Live Stats
Game 20: Louisville	Sunday, March 7 \| 11:15 a.m. CT Live Stats \| Live Video: ACCNX
Game 21: Evansville (8-9)	Sunday, March 8 \| 1:30 p.m. CT Live Stats
Notes	Illinois
2020 Stats	Illinois \| Louisville \| Oakland \| Evansville
Social Media	@IlliniSB \| #Illini \| Facebook \| @IlliniSB \| YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois softball team next travels to Louisville, Ky., for the Red and Black Challenge, hosted by the University of Louisville on March 6-8 at Ulmer Stadium. The Illini will face the host Cardinals twice as well as Oakland and Evansville in the three-day tournament.

The Illini lead in both series against Louisville (3-2) and Oakland (2-1) and will meet Evansville for the first time in program history.

Both Louisville games will be available to stream on ACC Network Extra.

ILLINI NOTES

The Illini wrapped up the Judi Garman Classic with a 1-4 record, with the weekend highlighted by a 5-0 win over Colorado State on Friday, Feb. 28.
The 2020 season marks the 21st season for the Illinois softball program, with the Illini owning a 640-463-2 (.580) record after earning their landmark 600th victory in the 2019 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.

JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC STANDOUTS

Junior Bella Loya led the Illini offense in California at the Judi Garman Classic, registering a .333 batting average with six hits, including two doubles and a home run, two runs, two RBI and 11 total bases, while sophomore Avrey Steiner also knocked six hits - with two of them going as doubles - for a .316 batting average and scored three runs.
Junior Shelby Stauffenberg added a .308 average and three runs while hitting her first home run of the season against Fresno State.
Freshman Miranda Gallardo earned her first career start at short stop against BYU and had a break out tournament after starting four of the five contests, posting a .300 batting average with three hits, two runs an RBI and a 1.000 fielding percentage on the weekend.
Sophomores Addy Jarvis and Sydney Sickels combined for 28 strikeouts on the weekend, with Jarvis having a magnificent outing in the circle against Colorado State on Friday as she threw a one-hitter against the Rams – with that one knock coming in the seventh inning – while striking out six in the complete game win.

MARTIN FAMILY GIFT LAUNCHES PLAN FOR ILLINOIS SOFTBALL FACILITY

The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday, Feb. 24 it will break ground on a new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility for the Fighting Illini softball program thanks to a $3 million lead naming gift from Rex Martin and his daughters, Ashley Martin and Alexis Martin-Klose. Their gift will honor their late wife and mother, Alice Martin. The facility, pending Board of Trustees approval, will be named the Rex and Alice A. Martin Softball Training Center.
The new $6 million Rex and Alice A. Martin Softball Training Center will provide a premier indoor performance and development facility for Fighting Illini softball student-athletes. The structure, measuring approximately 13,000 square feet, will be constructed as an addition to the existing softball clubhouse and will include a full infield as well as hitting and pitching cages. The center's ability to host full infield practice will be rare among comparable softball training facilities. Other features include a new recruiting lobby and hall of fame, an expanded player lounge, increased storage, and improved parking. Project construction is expected to commence in late 2020 and will conclude in December 2021.

BAYLOR INVITATIONAL RECAP

The Illini finished the Baylor Invitational with a 2-2 record after notching a pair of 1-0 victories over Texas State and Tulsa, while dropping both contests against the host Bears, 5-1 on Friday night and 5-4 in Sunday's weekend finale.
Sophomores Danielle Davis and Kailee Powell and junior Bella Loya led the Illini offense with a .300 hitting percentage after all three went 3-of-10 at the plate in Texas. Davis turned in a team-high four RBI, while Loya added two RBI, with the pair each hitting one homer on the weekend.
Sophomore Sydney Sickels posted a 1-1 record with a 0.00 ERA after not allowing an earned run in 13.0 innings, while also securing her fourth save of the season. The sophomore allowed just six hits and one walk on the weekend, while striking out seven batters as opponents batted at a .130 percentage against the righthander.

SICKELS EQUALS SINGLE GAME PROGRAM RECORD WITH 13 STRIKEOUTS VS. NC STATE

Sickels struck out 13 batters against NC State on Feb. 15 to tie the program record for strikeouts in a single game. Sickels equals the mark set by Amanda Fortune against Virginia Tech on March 18, 2001.

HEAD COACH TYRA PERRY

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 562-483-1 (.538) career record and is 153-95 (.617) 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.
The Illini have reached at least 33 wins in each of 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.

ILLINI TO HOST 2020 BIG TEN SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

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.