University of Illinois
Wisconsin
Illinois Softball Opens Big Ten Play against Wisconsin
March 13, 2025 | Softball
Preview
| Illinois (12-9) Welcomes Wisconsin for B1G Opener | |
|---|---|
| When & Where | March 14-16 // Urbana, Ill. // Eichelberger Field |
| Wisconsin |
Friday // 3 p.m. |
| Series History |
Wisconsin // 33-22 |
| Television |
B1G+ |
| Stats | Live Stats |
| Notes | Illinois // Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @IlliniSB  | @IlliniSB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
GAME 22-24 - Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of These Game Notes So We Wouldn't Get Sued
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois softball begins Big Ten play with a home series against Wisconsin. Friday's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. while Saturday's slate is set for 1 p.m. The finale takes place on Sunday at noon. All games will air on B1G+.
THE PHOENIX
Stevie Meade has been a mainstay in the Illinois lineup since she first joined the Orange and Blue. Meade owns the single-season record for most sacrifice hits with 13 in 2022. The senior is one sac bunt away from becoming the program's outright all-time leader in the category as she currently owns 30.
FAVORITE RECORD
The Fighting Illini have five different players who have recorded a triple this season. Stevie Meade, Ava Moore, Zoie Howard, Alaina Miller and Yazzy Avila all posted a three bagger this year. Moore, Howard and Miller own a squad-best two triples.
With eight triples this season, the Fighting Illini squad is already tied for 11th most all-time in program history, just 19 games into the campaign. Eight of the team's 19 games have included a triple.
THE LAST OF THE REAL ONES
The Illini enter the week tied for first in the conference with eight triples this season. The team ls alone at the top of the Big Ten standings with 0.38 triples per game. Ava Moore and Alaina Miller sit fifth in the league with 0.10 triples per game.
GRAND THEFT AUTUMN/WHERE IS YOUR GIRL
Yazzy Avila leads the Orange and Blue, going a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases this season. The redshirt sophomore has posted a pair of steals against Tennessee State, Mercer and Saint Louis.
WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
Illinois is currently riding a three-game winning streak following wins over Indiana State and Illinois State this week. Against the Redbirds, London Park got her second collegiate start in the circle and earned her first win as the freshman went 5.0 innings and allowed just one run on five hits. Megan Nuechterlein tossed the final two innings, earning the save, her first of the year.
SUGAR, WE'RE GOING DOWN
Wisconsin enters the weekend with a 16-8 overall record, coming off a 3-1 performance at the Saluki Invitational. The Badgers are currently ranked eighth in the Big Ten and finished the 2024 season with a 21-31 overall record and an 8-15 mark in conference play.
Sophomore Hilary Blomberg, a 2025 First Team All-Big Ten selection and NFCA Great Lakes All-Region Second Team honoree, broke Wisconsin's freshman doubles record in 2024 with 13. She enters the season ranked No. 90 in Softball America's Preseason Top 100 Players. Blomberg also earned All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Tournament Team honors in 2024.
The Badgers added experience in the circle with fifth-year transfer Molly Jacobson from Virginia Tech. The six-foot pitcher made 28 appearances for the Hokies, posting her best season in 2023 with a 7-2 record and two complete games. Behind the plate, redshirt senior Emmy Wells returns as the team's defensive anchor. Wells led Wisconsin in home runs (14) and walks last season while tying for second in RBIs.
Illinois holds a 33-22 all-time record against Wisconsin, with the most recent meeting taking place on May 10, 2023, as a part of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. Illinois came away with the upset victory, topping the Badgers 8-4.
This weekends meeting marks the first battle between the programs since former Wisconsin pitching coach Kirsten Verdun joined the Fighting Illini staff. Verdun served under Yvette Healy for eight years at Wisconsin.
Other ties between the program's include Danielle Zymkowitz as the Badgers' associate head coach. Zymkowitz was inducted to the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022. As a three-year captain, Zymkowitz led her squad to back-to-back regional appearances in 2009 and 2010. She was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association third-team All-American as a sophomore and a senior, becoming the first two-time NFCA All-American in program history. She was also a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection during her career.
ALONE TOGETHER
The Fighting Illini added 13 newcomers in the offseason. The Orange and Blue Signed 10 Freshmen and added three transfer student athletes. Notable additions include Lizzie Stiverson and Karley Yergler. The duo started their careers at Parkland College and are local to the Champaign-Urbana area, hailing from Monticello, Ill., and Mahomet, Ill., respectively.
YOUNG VOLCANOES
The Fighting Illini enter the season as the youngest team in the Big Ten with 17 underclassmen on the roster. The team is made up of 10 freshman, five sophomores, two redshirt sophomores, five juniors, one redshirt junior and four seniors.
WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE
Illini softball head coach Tyra Perry is one of 21 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 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.
THNKS FR TH MMRS
The Orange and Blue's opening weekend features a game with Georgia, associate head coach Laura Trout's alma mater. Trout helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2010 Women's College World Series and a final rank of No. 3 in the nation while receiving the award of Best Defensive Player. The Bulldogs' starting shortstop, Trout had a breakout season as a senior, hitting .348 to help the Dawgs return to the Super Regionals.
The Illini's meeting 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.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Fighting Illini saw five different players earn preseason recognition prior to the start of the 2025 campaign.
Ava Moore took home multiple preseason honors, being named to the D100 list, Softball America's Freshman Watchlist and the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
The freshman infielder was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Tecumseh High School. The Ohio native received the Allstate Insurance Good Hands award three times during her high school career. Moore was also named to the All-Central Buckeye Conference team in 2021-22 and 2024. During her senior campaign, when she was received First Team All Southwest District honors, Moore batted .548 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI. It was her third season batting above .500 as she did so during her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Ellie Haggard and London Park joined Moore on the Softball America list.
Haggard comes to Champaign-Urbana ranked 60th overall by Extra Innings Elite Class of 2024. She was a four year varsity letterwinner at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School. The Illinois native took home 4A All-State honors form 2022-23. The infielder owns the state record for grand slams in an inning with two and ranks fifth all-time with eight RBI in an inning. She's also 15th all-time with 46 career homers during her high school career. Haggard continued to etch her name into record books during her four-year stint at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School as she walked away with the school records for runs, hits, triples, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Park was originally part of the Class of 2025, reclassifying and joining the Orange and Blue squad this season. A three-year letterwinner at Spring High School, the pitcher logged a 3.10 ERA in 160.1 innings of work during that time. The Texas native recorded 186 strikeouts en route to a 20-10 high school record in the circle. Park was named all-district each of her three years.
Of the returners, Paige Berkmeyer and Adisyn Caryl received recognition on the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
Illinois catcher Berkmeyer was stellar behind the plate in 2024. The Ohio native caught 18 runners stealing last year, which led the league and ranked fourth nationally. The mark currently put the catcher tied for third all-time in the Illini record books for a single season and fourth with 34 for her career.
Berkmeyer also held a hot bat during her junior campaign. The catcher finished the year with a .500 slugging percentage. Against SIUE, Berkmeyer broke the program record for home runs and total bases in a single game, tallying three and 12, respectively.
Caryl earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team following the 2024 regular season. Caryl played in all 52 season games for the Fighting Illini, making 51 straight starts following the season opener when she came on in relief.
On the year, Caryl was third on the team in batting with a .335 average along with 25 RBI. The newcomer logged 12 multi-hit games during her first year, tallying three hits in four of those games.
The Illini third baseman posted a .306 batting average with 10 RBI and four extra-base hits during league play. The Kansas native's lone homer of the season came during the Orange and Blue's series finale at Maryland, helping the team to a 4-0 win.
Caryl was the first Illinois player to make the All-Freshmen Team since a trio of Illini garnered the recognition in 2022. Following that season, Lauren Wiles, Stevie Meade and Paige Berkmeyer each took home the award.
CENTURIES
Illinois softball finished at 21-31 last season with a 7-15 record in Big Ten play, placing the Orange and Blue 12th in the league for a second-straight year.
The Illini won two Big Ten series in 2024, taking two-of-three from Michigan State and Maryland while on the road.
Key losses from the 2024 squad include Kelly Ryono and Tori McQueen. Ryono led the Illini with a .348 batting average and 10 home runs. McQueen tossed178.2 innings during her senior campaign and owned a squad-best 3.45 ERA in the circle.
