CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (8-18, 0-3 Big Ten), meets Missouri at Eichelberger Field on Wednesday, March 18, for a non-conference doubleheader. Game one of the Braggin' Rights battle will begin at 1 p.m. CT, with game two to follow approximately 30 minutes after. Fans are encouraged to wear orange, and both contests will stream on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois fell in three games to Iowa to begin Big Ten play, also its first of nine consecutive games at Eichelberger Field. Across the weekend, the team tallied 16 runs on 21 hits, including four home runs. Karley Yergler pitched two complete games, lowering her season ERA to 3.75.
DONAHUE DETAILS
Junior Eileen Donahue went 5-for-8 at the plate in three starts as the designated player against Iowa, batting .625, with two home runs, two walks, and four RBI. Her pair of home runs on Friday marks the third multi-homer outing from an Illinois player this season, after Keirys Click and Ellie Haggard both hit two home runs in the same game against Providence (2/21/26).
MOORE MATERIAL
Ava Moore owns eight sacrifice hits on the year to lead the Big Ten, and is one of just three power-four players with eight or more (Lexie Roberts, UNC and Chelsea Mack, Louisville). She ranks ninth in the nation with 0.31 sacrifice hits per game. The eight sacrifice hits also place her tied for ninth in Illinois single-season history, along with Kylie Johnson (2016), Sam Acosta (2018), and Kiana Sherlund (2019). The program single-season record is 13 sacrifice hits, set by Stevie Meade in 2022. In 25 games last season, Moore had notched only two sacrifice hits.
KEIRYS KNOWLEDGE
Infielder Keirys Click added the 56th grand slam in Illinois history on Friday evening against Iowa, also the team's first this season, and first of her career. Click ranks second on the squad in home runs this year, with four.
CONSISTENT CARYL
Adisyn Caryl continues to lead the team in batting average (.390), OPS (1.020), on-base percentage (.462), runs (14), hits (30), and walks (11). Caryl also owns nine multi-hit games, including most recently on March 13 against Iowa, when she went 2-for-3 at the plate. She is one of just two Illini, alongside Moore (shortstop), to start every game this season at the same position (third base).
BRENNAN BULLETIN
Consistently hitting in the one or two spot for Illinois, Skylar Brennan has made her presence felt, leading the team in doubles (7), and just one shy of Caryl's lead with 29 hits. The junior college transfer currently owns a 12 game reached base streak, dating back to February 27 against Ball State. In those 12 games, she has notched five multi-hit outings and five walks.
OPPONENT SCOUT
Missouri sits at 12-16 and 0-3 in SEC play, having already played eight games against ranked opponents this season. Most recently, Missouri defeated Minnesota, South Dakota twice, and Iowa State as part of its bye-week series. Abby Hay owns the best batting average (.363) and OPS on the squad, (1.063), while freshman Abby Carr has excelled both in the circle and at plate, owning a staff-best 2.28 ERA in 14 appearances, along with five home runs and six doubles as a hitter.
SERIES HISTORY
Missouri owns the all-time series, 17-4. Illinois' last victory came on March 11, 2020, against No. 23 Missouri in St. Charles, Mo., in the team's last game before the season was canceled due to COVID-19.
MILESTONE MARKS
Head coach Tyra Perry achieved 700 wins for her career as a head coach on February 21, 2026, against Providence at Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. Perry is also just six wins away from 300 for her career at Illinois, which she could achieve as early as March 24 against Northern Iowa.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns to Eichelberger Field, March 20-22, for its second Big Ten series against in-state rival, Northwestern.
