Final Non-Conference Clash at DePaul on Deck for Illini Softball

Illinois (18-26) Hits the Road for Final Non-Conference Contest at DePaul
When & Where	April 23 // Chicago, Ill.. // Cacciatore Stadium
Tuesday, April 23	DePaul // 3 p.m.
Series History	Illinois trails, 11-14-1
Television	FloSports
Stats	Live Stats
Notes	Illinois // DePaul
Social Media	@IlliniSB  | @IlliniSB  | Facebook | YouTube

ILLINOIS Battles Blue Demons in Final Non-Conference Clash

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois travels for its final non-conference contest at DePaul on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch from Cacciatore Stadium is slated for 3 p.m. on FloSports.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS

DePaul comes into the contest at 8-32 overall this season, boasting a 3-15 BIG EAST record. The team has lost eight straight, with the last win taking place on March 26 at Northern Illinois.

The Blue Demons own a .227 batting average and a 5.06 ERA in 2024. Brenna Smith holds a team-best 3.22 ERA with 41 strikeouts. Through 40 games this year, Brooke Johnson is batting .360 with nine homers and 21 RBI.

The Illini trail the series with DePaul, 11-14-1, but have won four straight against the Blue Demons. Last season, the Orange and Blue shut out DePaul, 5-0. Kelly Ryono posted a pair of home runs in the game.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois took the series at Michigan State last week, topping the Spartans, 6-3, in the series finale. In the circle, Tori McQueen got the start and pitched her 13^th complete game of the year to improve her record to 11-12. The southpaw fanned seven batters and allowed just three runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits. Offensively, Abby Ryniec went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. Kelly Ryono posted a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI.

SUPER SLUGFEST

The Orange and Blue's 19-9 triumph over SIUE proved to be a historic night for the Fighting Illini program. The Illini's 19 runs scored are tied for fifth in the record books, and the team's 20 hits tied the record for most hits in a game. With six doubles in the six-inning victory, Illinois also set a new program record. The squad's 35 total bases ranked second in the record books.

Individually, Kelly Ryono's three doubles tied the most by a single player in a single game. The three homers by Paige Berkmeyer were the most hit in a single game by a single player, and the junior's 12 total bases were also a new program record. With seven RBI, the Ohio native tied the program record for a single game.

LIGHTNING MCQUEEN

Tori McQueen has been stellar during her senior campaign. So far, the southpaw has toss 144.0 innings over the course of 30 games. The Indiana native boasts 13 complete games, two individual shutouts, one combined shutout and 137 strikeouts during the 2024 slate. With a 5.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio, McQueen ranks second in the conference and 23rd nationally. 

Over the course of her career, McQueen has tallied 347 punchouts, putting the pitcher tied for sixth all-time in the Illini record books. During her senior campaign, McQueen has tallied double-digit strikeouts on four separate occasions. When the southpaw fanned 14 batters against St. Thomas, McQueen etched her name in the history books, yet again, for the fourth-most strikeouts in a single contest.

BREAKOUT BERKMEYER

Paige Berkmeyer has had a breakout junior campaign, so far, in 2024. The Ohio native currently leads the Illini in RBI (33).

Against SIUE, Berkmeyer etched her name among the Illini greats in the softball record book. The junior fired off three home runs in the team's 19-9 victory over SIUE, marking a first for any Illinois player. Berkmeyer's 12 total bases were also a new record, while her seven RBI tied for the most by a single player. She is one of just 20 players to tally three homers in a game this season.

The catcher has been also solid behind the plate this season for the Fighting Illini defense. Berkmeyer has caught 16 runners stealing this year, which leads the league and ranks second nationally. The mark currently puts the catcher sixth all-time in the Illini record books for a single season.

THE 200 CLUB

Two Illini reached their 200th career hit this season, with captains Megan Ward and Kelly Ryono recording the milestone mark. Ward recorded the hit against Minnesota on March 29, while Ryono posted her 200th career hit against Michigan State on April 20.

This is the second straight season the Fighting Illini have had a player reach the milestone, as Avrey Steiner did in 2022, closing out her career with 231.

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.

COMING HOME

The Purple and Gold Challenge served as a homecoming for Fighting Illini head softball coach Tyra Perry. A 1997 and 1998 graduate of LSU, Perry earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 1997 and added a master's degree in sports administration in 1998. The Illini's leader became a two-year letterwinner for the Tigers (1997-98), helping the program post a combined 102-28 record over her career, including a 58-14 mark in Southeastern Conference play. She also helped the Tigers pick up a pair of SEC West Division titles and make the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament appearance, in which LSU finished second.

In her first season at LSU, Perry led the Tigers with a .345 batting average, 11 home runs, 40 runs scored, .416 on-base percentage and .612 slugging percentage. Those numbers helped her earn recognition on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region Second Team, as well as First-Team All-Louisiana honors and a spot on the SEC's All-Tournament Team. Perry led the team with five homers in 1998 while posting a .324 average with 29 runs scored and 38 RBI. Off the field, she was twice named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

The Illini's non-conference finale at DePaul sends Illini assistant coach Kirsten Verdun back to her alma mater. Verdun was a two-time All-American (2012 and 2014) and helped DePaul to two NCAA regional final appearances and the 2014 BIG EAST Conference regular-season and tournament titles. She was named the 2014 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year in addition to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Championship. The star-studded pitcher became the first pitcher in program history to accumulate 900 innings with more than 900 strikeouts and 100 or more wins. She currently holds the Blue Demons' school record for career starts, strikeouts looking and batters faced, while finishing second in the record books in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, appearances and complete games. The four-time all-conference and all-Great Lakes Region selection was a double threat in the circle and at the plate. Verdun, who held a .347 career batting average, knocked out 37 home runs and ranks second in DePaul's record books. She holds the record for most career walks with 156.

SWINGING IN THE RAIN

Illinois softball has seen eight games canceled due to weather, so far, this season. The Fighting Illini's Saturday slate against Auburn and Belmont at the Tiger Invitational was called off during opening weekend. After playing games against Liberty and Kansas at The Spring Games, the Orange and Blue's final three games of the weekend were canceled. The team's first Big Ten series finale at Nebraska was also called off due to rain. Inclement weather in the forecast for the Illini's doubleheader against Indiana State forced to team to cancel that twinbill.

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. 

Additionally, the team participated in a community service event prior to the Maryland series. While on the road, the team assisted with the Special Olympics Maryland, making time before the series opener with the Terps.

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.