Illinois (34-19, 15-7 B1G) at 2022 Big Ten Softball Tournament
When & Where	May 11-14 // East Lansing, Mich. // Secchia Stadium
Tickets	BUY HERE
Tournament Central	Big Ten // Michigan State
Quarterfinal	Thursday, May 12 // 12:30 p.m. CT vs. #6 Ohio State OR #11 Purdue
Television	Big Ten Network (all games)
Radio	WDWS 1400-AM / Sirius XM 372 (all Illinois games)
Notes	Illinois
Team Information	Illinois
2022 Season Stats	Illinois
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | #Illini | @IlliniSB  | Facebook | YouTube

ILLINI BEGIN POSTSEASON AT 2022 BIG TEN SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

After finishing the regular season with a 34-19 overall record, and a 15-7 mark in conference play, the Fighting Illini softball team will begin their postseason journey at the 2022 Big Ten Softball Tournament this weekend, May 11-14. Michigan State University is the host of the 23rd Big Ten Softball tournament, playing all 11 games at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. All games at the tournament will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network, and all Illinois games will be broadcasted on the radio by Scott Beatty on WDWS 1400- AM and Sirius XM 372.

2022 BIG TEN SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

Northwestern, Nebraska, Illinois, and Michigan all earned first round byes at the tournament as a result of a top-four finish in the regular season standings, and will await the winners of the first round of matchups on Wednesday (May 11). Northwestern led the conference this season with a 19-4 overall record, while Nebraska pulled away for second place with a 17-5 conference record this season. The Illini had their best finish in the Big Ten under current head coach Tyra Perry with a 15-7 conference record, good for third, while Michigan snuck into the top four with a 14-8 overall record, winning their last five games and winning a tiebreaker against Maryland, who also finished with a 14-8 conference record.

HISTORY AT BIG TEN SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

Illinois is 12-17 in 14 overall appearances at the Big Ten Softball Tournament. The last time the tournament was held was in 2019, hosted by Indiana, where the Illini won their opening round matchup against Nebraska 6-4 but fell in the quarterfinal round to eventual champion Michigan, 1-0 in eight innings. Illinois has never won the Big Ten Softball Tournament, and has made one appearance in the final in 2004, falling to Michigan State 7-2. With the third-seed this year, Illinois has it's best seed at the tournament since 2004 when the Illini were the two-seed and lost in the championship game.

ILLINI FINISH THIRD IN BIG TEN

Illinois finished the regular season with a 15-7 mark in conference play, their most regular season Big Ten wins in a season under head coach Tyra Perry and just one away from tying the most in program history with 16 set in 2010. The Illini went 5-1-2 in Big Ten series this season, with their lone series loss coming this past weekend to Penn State (1-2). Illinois picked up series wins against Minnesota (2-1), Wisconsin (3-0), Rutgers (3-0), Iowa (2-1), and Indiana (2-1), while splitting series with Northwestern and Purdue (1-1).

ILLINI ECLIPSE 30 WIN MARK

With their midweek victory over DePaul, Illinois eclipsed the 30 win mark for the fifth time under head coach Tyra Perry. Illinois did not reach 30 in only two seasons, the COVID canceled 2020 season and the shortened Big Ten only schedule in 2021. It is the 12th time in program history that an Illinois softball team has reached 30+ wins. 

SICKELS NEARING ALL-TIME STRIKEOUTS RECORD

With 556 career strikeouts, senior Sydney Sickels now ranks second all-time in Illinois history in strikeouts and is nearing the all-time record of 592 set by Pepper Gay from 2010-13. She is just 37 strikeouts away from that mark. Sickels is just the second pitcher in Illinois history to eclipse 500 career strikeouts, with the only other being Pepper Gay.

ILLINI IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

(Rankings as of Tuesday, May 10)

NCAA RPI: 34

Team

Batting Average: .309 (2nd B1G, 29th NCAA)

Doubles: 93 (1st B1G, 3rd NCAA)

Doubles per game: 1.75 (2nd B1G, 8th NCAA)

Slugging Percentage: .440 (7th B1G, 88th NCAA)

Scoring: 5.600 (7th B1G, 86th NCAA)

Shutouts: 12 (3rd B1G, 33rd NCAA)

Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 3.90 (2nd B1G, 17th NCAA)

ERA: 2.43 (3rd B1G, 38th NCAA)

Individual

Megan Ward: 16 doubles (4th B1G, 17th NCAA), 0.30 doubles per game (4th B1G, 43rd NCAA)

Kailee Powell: 15 doubles (5th B1G, 26th NCAA), 0.28 doubles per game (6th B1G, 71st NCAA)

Avrey Steiner: 73 hits (1st B1G, 5th NCAA)

Tori McQueen: 6.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd B1G, 27th NCAA), 8.1 strikeouts per seven (6th B1G, 87th NCAA)

Sydney Sickels: 9.4 strikeouts per seven (3rd B1G, 32nd NCAA), 181 strikeouts (6th B1G, 43rd NCAA)

Bella Loya: 37.0 Toughest to Strike out (1st B1G, 6th NCAA)

PERRY EARNS 200TH WIN AS ILLINI HEAD COACH

In Illinois' game one victory over Wisconsin last Saturday (April 9), head coach Tyra Perry earned her 200th win as head coach of the Fighting Illini. This is the second wins milestone coach Perry has passed this season, after gaining her 600th career win over Liberty in March.

2022 OUTLOOK

Illinois returns 18 letter winners and seven position starters to the 2022 roster, and welcomed eight new members of the Illini family this season. All-B1G honorees Kailee Powell, Delaney Rummell, Avrey Steiner, and Jaelyn Vickery also return to the diamond for the Illini this season.

2021 IN REVIEW

• The Illinois softball team completed the season with a 24-20 record in the B1G conference-only schedule.

• Illinois started the season with two weekends in Leesburg, Fla., posting a 10-2 record with series victories over Rutgers, Michigan State, Penn State, and a doubleheader sweep over No. 17 Michigan.

• The Illini earned seven series wins in 2021, including two wins over ranked opponents, and were the only team to not be beaten by the eventual Big Ten champions (Michigan).

• Junior Sydney Sickels tossed the 14th no-hitter in Illinois softball history in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Penn State on Mar. 13, 2021.

• Illinois ranked top three in the Big Ten in batting average (.276) and hits (324).

• Juniors Kailee Powell (First, All-Defensive), Avrey Steiner (Second), Freshman Jaelyn Vickery (Second, All-Freshman), and Sophomore Delaney Rummell (Second) earn All-Big Ten honors.

• Junior Avery Steiner was named to the NFCA Midwest All-Region First Team.

2022 SCHEDULE

After the Big Ten conference-only schedule in 2021, the Illini return to nonconference play this season, squaring off with high quality competition as is tradition under head coach Tyra Perry. Illinois will play 12 opponents who made the 2021 NCAA Tournament (LSU, South Alabama, Wichita St., Arkansas, Liberty, Clemson, Missouri, Georgia, SIUE, Minnesota, Northwestern, Louisiana-Lafyette) and 10 opponents who are ranked or recieving votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. The Big Ten slate begins with a trip to Purdue on Mar. 25-27, while the Illini will also play host to the Braggin' Rights double-header vs. Missouri on Mar. 15, which doubles as the home opener at Eichelberger Field.

ILLINI IN THE RECORD BOOK

Heading into the 2022 campaign, several Illini rank in the top-10 in program history in multiple statistical categories, with a chance to climb up the all-time list this season.

• Graduate Student Bella Loya currently ranks eighth on the all-time batting average list with a career .335 average, while also ranking sixth in slugging percentage (.574) and tenth in on base percentage (.406). She also ranks tenth all-time in home runs (28) and RBIs (117). She also has the sixth highest fielding percentage in Illini history (.989) and ranks eighth in putouts (598).

• Senior Sydney Sickels currently ranks fourth all-time in ERA (2.80), third in opponent batting average (.230), and ranks first in K/7 (6.77). Sickels is also first all-time in saves (13), seventh in wins (38), eighth in appearances (89), seventh in games started (63), tied for fifth in complete games (33), tied for fifth in shutouts (9), seventh in innings pitched (387.2), and fifth in strikeouts (375).

• Senior Kailee Powell currently ranks fourth all-time in fielding percentage (.990).

NEWCOMERS

Illinois welcomes seven newcomers to the 2022 roster, including freshmen Zoe Caryl, Stevie Meade, Macy Krohman, Paige Berkmeyer, Lauren Wiles, and Zoie Howard, while also welcoming in Dayton transfer Megan Ward,

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