| Tournament |
The Raleigh Times |
| When: |
Friday-Sunday (Feb. 20-22) |
| Game Schedule (CT): |
|
| Where: |
Dail Softball Stadium, Raleigh, N.C. |
| Social Media: |
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (3-7, 0-0 B1G) is set to head to The Raleigh Times tournament in Raleigh, N.C., from Feb. 20-22. The three-day event will be hosted by NC State at Dail Softball Stadium. The Orange and Blue will face Akron and Providence twice, and NC State once. The game featuring Illinois and NC State will stream on ACC Network Extra. Admission to all events is free for fans.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois finished the War Eagle Classic in Auburn, Alabama, with a 10-5 win over the Bradley Braves. Adisyn Caryl added her second home run of the season, while Eden Echevarria and Ellie Haggard added their first home runs of 2026. Echevarria's was also her first in an Illinois uniform.
KIDDY CORNER
Freshman Ady Kiddy had a standout weekend for Illinois at the War Eagle Classic, starting four of five games, including a two-RBI double in her first collegiate start against Binghamton. The same day, against Campbell, she added two more hits and went two-for-two on stolen bases, the lone Illini with multiple stolen bases in a single outing this season. Kiddy extended her hitting streak with one hit each against Campbell and Bradley on Saturday, improving her season batting average to .417.
HITS FOR HAGGARD
Ellie Haggard has logged hits in seven of her nine appearances this season, including a pair of multi-hit games against Campbell and Bradley. Against the Braves, she notched her team-leading fourth double and first home run of the year, also the first four-RBI performance from an Illini this season. Her .417 batting average and 8 RBI lead those averaging two or more plate appearances per game, and alongside Kiddy and Adisyn Caryl, she is one of just three Illini to steal a base this year.
BRENNAN BULLETIN
As the leadoff hitter for all five contests in Auburn, Skylar Brennan reached base in four of five games, including a three-hit day against the Bearcats, where she added a pair of base hits and an RBI double.
IN THE CIRCLE
Freshman Abby Sabalaskey added a pair of wins in the circle at the War Eagle Classic, against Binghamton and Bradley, improving her record to 2-1 overall. Against the Bearcats, she registered a career-high seven strikeouts against just 15 batters. The lefty threw a career-high 5.2 innings versus Bradley, conceding just one earned run and notching a pair of strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
- Illinois and Akron will meet for the first two times on Friday and Saturday.
- The Illini are 4-2 all-time against Providence, with five of the six prior meetings coming in the state of Florida. The last meeting on Feb. 9, 2018, in Longwood, Fla., was a 9-1 victory in eight innings for Illinois.
- Following the loss earlier this season, the Orange and Blue are 1-2 all time against NC State. Both of the other two contests came in February 2020 before the season's cancellation, also at Dail Softball Stadium.
MILESTONE MARKS
Head coach Tyra Perry is just two victories away from 700 wins for her career as a head coach. Only 35 other active D1 coaches (out of 310) have achieved the milestone. Perry is also just 11 wins away from 300 wins at the helm of the Illinois program, which she could achieve as early as March 7.
OPPONENT SCOUT
Illinois and NC State have already faced off once this season in Baton Rouge, La., a 9-4 victory for the Wolfpack. Sabalaskey made her collegiate debut against NC State, also logging the first strikeout of her young career. NC State is now 4-7 overall on the season, winning one against Missouri at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, while falling to No. 15/17 Georgia, No. 11/8 Texas A&M, No. 1 Texas Tech, and  UCF in Florida.
The Providence Friars are 1-4, falling to Utah State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M twice at the Aggie Classic, but defeating Bryant, 1-0, on opening day. Through four appearances and one start, Alyssa Twomey owns a 0.81 ERA, allowing one earned run in eight innings of work. Cameron Dunn tops the Friars at the plate, slashing .417/.462/1.000.
Akron is 4-7 on the year, with victories over Charleston, UConn, Western Carolina, and Charleston Southern. Maddie Jamrog has taken the largest load in the circle, logging a 3.57 ERA through 31.1 innings of work, along with 12 strikeouts. At the plate, sophomore Andrea Day leads the way for the Zips, with a .320 batting average, eight hits, and three RBI.
NEXT UP
Following the five-game slate at NC State, the Orange and Blue travel to Bowling Green, Ky., Feb. 27-March 1, for the Hilltopper Spring Fling hosted by Western Kentucky.
