CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (13-33, 3-14 Big Ten) is set to host Indiana State on Tuesday, April 21, for a midweek contest at Eichelberger Field. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. CT, and fans not in attendance can stream the game on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois emerged victorious in one of three games at Maryland. In Saturday's victory, Skylar Brennan recorded three hits and Jackie Yeager and Ava Moore each tallied two, including a two-score homer for Yeager. Megan Nuechterlein got the start in the circle and Abby Sabalaskey entered in relief, picking up the win after Illinois' seventh inning comeback. Sabalaskey improved to 7-7 on the season, allowing no hits and no runs in the final 1.2 frames.
BRENNAN BULLETIN
Junior college transfer Skylar Brennan continues to excel, leading the team in batting average (.341), hits (46), on-base percentage (.412), and doubles (8). Brennan also owns the most multi-hit games on the squad, with 13, and has reached base in all but eight games this season.
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 one win away from 300 victories at the helm of Illinois, which she could achieve as early as April 21 against Indiana State.
MOORE MATERIAL
Shortstop Ava Moore is one of two Illinois players to start every game this season at the same position, alongside Adisyn Caryl at third base. Moore owns nine sacrifice hits this year, which is tied for eighth in in program history, alongside Sarah Bryers, who tallied nine sacrifice hits in 2007.
TOUGH AS THEY COME
Sophomore Keirys Click has been hit by pitch ten times this season, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten Conference and 46th nationally. She is now tied for ninth in single-season program history, alongside Jaelyn Vickery, who was hit by pitch ten times in 2021.
IN THE CIRCLE
Abby Sabalaskey picked up her seventh win of the season against Maryland, improving her record to 7-7, the best on the pitching staff. Sabalaskey owns a 4.81 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts. Senior Karley Yergler continues to own a staff-best 4.76 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts in 100 innings of work this season. Yergler has also notched the most complete games, with eight.
Megan Nuechterlein and Danika Frazier have notched the squad's other pair of conference wins, with Frazier tallying a win on March 28 at Minnesota, and Nuechterlein on April 3 at Michigan State.
OPPONENT SCOUT
Most recently, Indiana State split a doubleheader with Murray State, bringing its overall record to 20-23, and 8-11 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Madison Poulson leads the Sycamores at the plate, with a .373 batting average and 47 hits, having started all 43 games so far this season. Poulson has recorded a team-best 13 multi-hit games. Mallory Chavez has also excelled offensively, leading the squad in RBI (28), slugging percentage (.476), and doubles (8).
In the circle, Lauren Sackett and Caylee Gaytan have hurled the large majority of the innings, with 121.2 and 107.0, respectively. Sackett owns the best ERA on staff at 3.57, and the most strikeouts (60), while Gaytan owns the lowest WHIP (1.47).
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois is 13-2 all-time against Indiana State, with the last 12 meetings coming at Eichelberger Field. The Fighting Illini have emerged victorious in four of the last five meetings, and have outscored the Sycamores 92-31 in the series.
The most recent games between the teams occurred in 2023, after a scheduled doubleheader in 2024 was canceled. In the 2023 doubleheader, current senior Alaina Miller added two runs and two walks. Reese Hunkins and Gabrielle Debevec also made appearances at shortstop and second base, respectively.
UP NEXT
Illinois hosts Penn State for its final home conference series of the season, April 24-26. First pitch times are slated for 5 p.m. CT Friday, 1 p.m. CT Saturday, and noon CT on Sunday. Saturday's game will air on Big Ten Network, while the other two contests can be streamed on B1G+. All fans are invited to attend the World's Largest Softball Tailgate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., prior to Saturday's game.
