Trip to Sunshine State Awaits Fighting Illini Softball

Illinois (0-3) Travels for The Spring Games
When & Where	Feb. 16-18 // Leesburg, Fla. // Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex
Friday, Feb. 16	Liberty // 1 p.m. CT Kansas // 3:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 17	Southern Illinois // 11 a.m. CT UC Riverside // 1:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 18	Coastal Carolina // 8:30 a.m. CT
Series History	Liberty // 4-0 Kansas // First Meeting SIU // 10-1 UC Riverside // 3-0 Coastal Carolina // 6-4
Television	FloSports
Stats	Live Stats
Notes	Illinois // Liberty // Kansas // SIU // UC Riverside // Coastal Carolina
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | @IlliniSB  | Facebook | YouTube

FIGHTING ILLINI TRAVEL FOR THE SPRING GAMES

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois softball travels to Leesburg, Fla., for The Spring Games from Feb. 16-18. The Fighting Illini face off against Liberty, Kansas, Southern Illinois, UC Riverside and Coastal Carolina during the three-day affair. The games can be streamed on FloSports.

SCOUTING LIBERTY

Liberty comes into the week at 1-4 on the year. After topping St. John's (NY), 3-1, to start the year, the Flames have dropped four straight, including two five-inning affairs with then-ranked #15 Oregon and Missouri.

As a team, Liberty is batting .212 on the year, while the pitching staff owns a 6.00 ERA. Rachel Roupe comes into the weekend batting .714 on the year with a 2.019 OPS. The junior has 10 hits so far this season, including a triple and two home runs. Elena Escobar holds a team-best 0.78 ERA, pitched a complete game against the Johnnies, and made two appearances at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

Illinois is undefeated against the Flames, posting a 4-0 record with the last meeting taking place in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD AT KANSAS

The Kansas Jayhawks enter the tournament at 2-3-1 on the year, having also participated in the NFCA Leadoff Classic last weekend.The team picked up wins over St. John's and Central Arkansas but fell to Oregon and Indiana before tying Western Kentucky, 2-2.

The team is hitting .312 on the year, while the Jayhawk pitching staff is tallying a 2.76 ERA. Hailey Cripe paces the Jayhawks with a .412 batting average and a .944 OPS, having tallied seven hits and three RBI. Katie Brooks owns both of the KU wins, tossing two complete games and making three appearances while holding a 1.10 ERA with 12 strikeouts.

The contest against the Jayhawks will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Southern Illinois enters the weekend at 3-2 following a run at the Texas State Tournament. In their season opener against Creighton, Saluki pitcher Maddia Groff tossed a perfect game with twin Rylinn Groff behind the dish,

On the year, SIU pitching staff owns a 3.24 ERA with M. Groff holding a squad-best 0.48 ERA with 16 strikeouts. With a team batting average of .207, Sidney Jones leads the way at .364 on the young season. During her four games played, the senior has posted four runs and four hits with a triple and three RBI.

Illinois posts a 10-1 overall record against the Salukis, having won eight straight meetings. However, the teams have not battled since the 2018 campaign, with the Orange and Blue coming out on top, 5-0, last time out.

REVIEWING UC RIVERSIDE

UC Riverside owns a 2-2 record for its 2024 campaign. The tournament down in Florida will be the team's first test away from its home field this year. In their last contest, the Highlanders topped California Baptist, 6-2.

As a squad, UCR is batting .327 on the year, while the pitching staff holds a 5.04 ERA. Nadia Witt paces the Highlanders with a .583 batting average, posting seven hits including five for extra bases. Briza Blanco's 1.40 ERA is a team-best as the Murrieta, Calif., native has three appearances on the year and a 1-0 record.

Overall, Illinois is undefeated against the Highlanders, posting a 3-0 mark all-time. The teams have not met since the 2010 campaign, when the Illini came away the victors following a five-inning bout.

CHECKING IN WITH COASTAL CAROLINA

Coastal Carolina went undefeated on opening weekend, posting a 4-0 record that included wins over Syracuse, George Washington, Bucknell and Campbell. This weekend will be CCU's first away from their home field, having hosted the Kickin' Chicken Classic last weekend.

The team comes into the weekend with a .287 batting average and a 0.27 ERA, having allowed just one earned run all weekend. Indya Smith heads to the Sunshine State batting .556 with a 1.858 OPS. The graduate student has five hits, four runs and two dingers so far this season. In the circle, Raelee Brabham paces the team with a 3-0 record and 19 strikeouts.

The Fighting Illini hold the slight 6-4 edge during the all-time series with CCU. However, the programs have not met since the 2006 season. Last time the teams duked it out, Coastal Carolina walked away victorious, handing the Orange and Blue a 7-2 loss.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois went 0-3 in its opening weekend after having a pair of games canceled due to inclement weather. Sydney Malott paced the squad with a .500 average and a 1.500 OPS. The sophomore recorded the squad's first home run this season during the Illini's 6-4 loss to Belmont. Malott and Kelly Ryono were the only players to tally a hit in each game. Serena Starks was the only Illini student-athlete to post a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 against the Bruins.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Illini softball head coach Tyra Perry is one of 19 Black female head coaches in all of Division-I softball for the 2024 season. Additionally, the Fighting Illini leader is one of just three at the helm for a program in a Power-5 conference, along with Marissa Young at Duke and Sharonda McDonald-Kelley at Michigan State. 

The 2023 series between Michigan State and Illinois marked the first time two Black female head softball coaches faced off during Big Ten play and was believed to be the first meeting between two Black female head softball coaches at the Power-5 level.

OUT[FIELD] OF THIS WORLD

Illini outfielders Kelly Ryono and Serena Starks earned preseason accolades, courtesy of D1Softball. The publication named the duo in its 2024 Preseason Power Rankings among outfielders.

Ryono came in at 34th, according to the publication. The 2023 All-Big Ten Second-Team member paced the Fighting Illini with a .352 batting average and a .619 slugging percentage in 2023. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native tallied 48 RBI, tying for ninth in the record books for a single season. She also garnered NFCA honors last year, being named to the Midwest All-Region second team. 

Starks placed 42nd on the power-ranking list, having joined the Fighting Illini for the 2024 slate after spending four seasons at Princeton. The outfielder earned a multitude of accolades following her career with the Tigers, including First-Team NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region in 2023, First-Team All-Ivy League in 2022 and 2023, Ivy League All-Tournament Team in 2023, and Honorable-Mention All-ECAC in 2022. During her time in New Jersey, she slashed .384/.412/.457, owning 135 hits and 69 runs with 18 doubles, a triple, and two home runs. In 2023 alone, she led the Ivy League with a .397 average and 69 hits, the most for a Princeton player since 1996.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILLY

The Illinois softball program added seven newcomers this off-season, including a pair of transfers. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Serena Starks joined the Illini following a stint at Princeton. Briana Bower returned to her home state following two years at Mississippi State. No stranger to the Illini program, Adisyn Caryl joined sister Zoe Caryl on the Orange and Blue squad.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

The Fighting Illini saw changes in personnel during the offseason. Kirsten Verdun joined the Orange and Blue staff, serving as the Illini's new pitching coach. Verdun spent the last eight seasons at Big Ten foe Wisconsin as the Badgers associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.

An Illini great also joined head coach Tyra Perry's staff, as Sydney Sickels was named an assistant coach this past July. With the NCAA's coaching limit increase going into effect, Sickels was able to join the coaching staff following an impressive career on the field. The Indianola, Iowa, native rewrote the Illinois softball history book during her time in Champaign-Urbana. Sickels closed out her stint in 2023 as the program's leader in career strikeouts (714), strikeouts looking (204), and saves (19). She owns the single-game strikeout record, fanning 21 batters in an extra-inning thriller against Fordham this past season. The NFCA All-Region selection also tossed the 14th and 15th no-hitters in program history.

RYONO TAKES HOME HARDWARE

The 2023 season was one to remember for Kelly Ryono, as the outfielder received NFCA Midwest All-Region Second-Team honors and All-Big Ten Second-Team accolades following her most impressive season in the Orange and Blue. 

A standout at the plate last season, Ryono tallied a career-best six RBI in a tilt with conference foe Rutgers. Her 12 home runs in 2023 led the Orange and Blue and included her first collegiate grand slam during the Fighting Illini's 13-4 rout of SIUE. Coming into her final season, Ryono owned a .307 batting average with a .484 slugging percentage in 172 games played. 

MORE THAN A GAME

Prior to the Illini's opening weekend, the team traveled to Selma, Ala., to co-host the 2024 B1G Impact Youth Clinic. The B1G Impact is an initiative of the Big Ten Conference as a part of its commitment to positively impacting communities. 

LOOKING BACK AT 2023

The Illinois softball team closed out the season with a 29-27 record, including a 6-16 mark in Big Ten action. 

The season opener against Southern marked a special occasion for head coach Tyra Perry, as the matchup was against Perry's sister, Brittney Williams. Against Fordham on opening weekend, Sydney Sickels broke the career strikeouts record and the single-game record when she fanned 21 batters in the 6-4 victory over the Rams in extra innings.

The Fighting Illini hosted the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history and continued to etch their name in the Big Ten record books. The Orange and Blue became the first-ever 12-seed to take down a 5-seed at the event, topping Wisconsin, 8-4.

Kelly Ryono and Kailee Powell were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while Delaney Rummell was an All-Defensive Team selection. Miranda Gallardo was the team's Sportsmanship honoree.

THIS YEAR'S BIG TEN TOURNAMENT

The 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament will be held in Iowa City, Iowa, at Bob Pearl Field. Of the 14 teams in the Big Ten, 12 qualify for the single-elimination tournament. This is the first time that Iowa has hosted the conference event since 2003.