CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (11-31, 2-12 Big Ten) is set to face SEMO on Wednesday, April 15, at 4 p.m. CT at Eichelberger Field. The Fighting Illini welcome local heroes for First Responders Night, and the game can be streamed on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois fell in a three-game series to No. 8/10 UCLA at Eichelberger Field. Pinch hitter Ella Cushing tallied two hits in two trips up to plate during the series, and Eileen Donahue also tallied a pair of hits on the weekend.
BRENNAN BULLETIN
Outfielder Skylar Brennan continues to excel for the Fighting Illini, owning the team's best batting average (.333), most doubles (8), and tied for the most hits (40) alongside Adisyn Caryl. She owns 11 multi-hit games, the most on the squad, and the second-longest hitting streak of the year at seven games.
CONSISTENT CARYL
Adisyn Caryl has been a mainstay in the lineup for Illinois, one of just two players to start every game at the same position, alongside shortstop Ava Moore. Caryl leads the squad in runs scored (22), RBI (27), stolen bases (4), and on-base percentage (.411). Caryl has added seven multi-RBI games, the most on the squad.
MOORE MATERIAL
Shortstop Ava Moore owns nine sacrifice hits this year, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten conference, and is tied for eighth in in program history, alongside Sarah Bryers, who tallied nine sacrifice hits in 2007.
IN THE CIRCLE
Senior Karley Yergler continues to own the best ERA on staff, currently at 4.77, along with a staff-best 51 strikeouts. The Mahomet, Illinois, native, has pitched 94 innings in 24 appearances and owns a 2-14 record. Freshman left-hander Abby Sabalaskey sits just behind Yergler with 46 strikeouts and a 5.07 ERA in 22 appearances. Sabalaskey has tallied the best record on staff at 5-7.
NEW FACES IN THE CROWD
Nine players have made their Illinois debut this season, including a pair of true freshmen in Ady Kiddy and Brooke Stang. Kiddy has notched 13 hits, including four doubles, in 19 starts, while Stang has recorded three hits and five runs in four starts.
MILESTONE MARKS
Head coach Tyra Perry achieved her 700th career win as a head coach, over Providence on Saturday, February 21, in Raleigh, N.C. Perry is also just three wins away from 300 victories at the helm of Illinois, which she could achieve as early as April 18 at Maryland.
OPPONENT SCOUT
SEMO sits at 14-23 overall and 10-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play, most recently taking two of three from Eastern Illinois in a three-game series. Both victories were earned with a one-run margin, and the Redhawks battled back from a 7-1 deficit in game one to take the win.
At the plate, outfielder and Louisville transfer Madison Winkler owns team highs in batting average (.341), RBI (21), hits (37), and OPS (.856). She is also 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts, the only member of the team with five or more.
Maddie Carney and Willow Van Haren have led the way in the circle, with 86.2 and 61.2 innings pitched, respectively. Carney narrowly owns a staff-best 46 strikeouts, while Van Haren has tallied 44, and Van Haren's 4.99 ERA is the lowest on staff.
SEMO takes on Evansville tonight, April 14, at 5 p.m. before making the trip to Urbana.
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be the first-ever meeting between SEMO and Illinois softball.
UP NEXT
Illinois travels to Maryland for its third Big Ten series on the road, April 17-19. First pitch times are set for 5 p.m. CT on Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, and 11 a.m. CT on Sunday inside Maryland Softball Stadium. All three games can be streamed on B1G+.
