CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (10-28, 2-9 Big Ten) will host Western Illinois on Tuesday, April 7, at Eichelberger Field for a midweek contest. First pitch from Wii Sports Night is set for 5 p.m. CT, with streaming on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois returns home from Michigan State after splitting a pair of games on Friday evening, falling 7-0, before storming back to win game two, 12-6.
In Friday's game two victory, pitcher Megan Nuechterlein picked up her first win of the season in the circle, throwing 4.1 innings before exiting in favor of Abby Sabalaskey. Sabalaskey picked up her second save of the year, notching two strikeouts in the process. Nine different Illini tallied hits, including Skylar Brennan, who was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate, and Ava Moore who was 2-for-4, her first multi-hit outing of conference play.
BRENNAN BULLETIN
Skylar Brennan, hitting in the leadoff spot for the last nine games, has made her presence felt for Illinois, leading the team with a .351 batting average, 40 hits, and eight doubles. Her 11th multi-hit outing, recorded on Friday against Michigan State, is also a team-best and she has added multiple hits in at least one game against each conference opponent.
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 first in the Big Ten conference, and tied for eighth in in program history, alongside Sarah Bryers, who tallied nine sacrifice hits in 2007.
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 four wins away from 300 victories at the helm of Illinois, which she could achieve as early as April 12 against UCLA.
IN THE CIRCLE
Freshman lefty Abby Sabalaskey and senior right-hander Karley Yergler have thrown the bulk of the innings in the circle for Illinois, at 75.1 and 87.2 innings, respectively. Yergler owns a staff-best 47 strikeouts, 1.63 WHIP, and 4.55 ERA in 23 appearances, while Sabalaskey holds the best record at 5-7. Both Danika Frazier and Megan Nuechterlein have registered their first wins of the season in conference play, with Frazier tallying a win on March 28 at Minnesota, and Nuechterlein on April 3 at Michigan State.
OPPONENT SCOUT
Western Illinois enters the weekend at 10-21 overall, including 5-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play, after taking two of three from Tennessee Tech in a three-game series over the weekend.
Illinois native Payton Brown leads the Leathernecks in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.396), OPS (1.205), hits (38), RBI (31), and slugging percentage (.750). Western Illinois has kept its lineup consistent, with Brown alongside four other players starting all 31 games (Maria Luna, Kam Utendorf, Sophia Sanchez, and Addie McLaughlin).
Libby Spaulding has taken the bulk of the innings in the circle for Western Illinois, with 80.2 innings of work in 14 starts and 21 total appearances. Her 59 strikeouts and 5.03 ERA are both staff bests.
SERIES HISTORY
The Fighting Illini own the all-time series lead over Western Illinois at 7-1. The first-ever meeting between the teams was a 5-4 victory for the Leathernecks on April 25, 2007, at Eichelberger Field. In 2025, Illinois emerged victorious at home, 7-6, rallying late with a two-run seventh inning. Eileen Donahue went 2-for-3 in last season's outing, with a home run, a walk, and two RBI, while Adisyn Caryl added two hits in four trips to the plate, including the two-out RBI double for the victory. Five other current Illini players tallied hits in the contest, including Ella Cushing, Jackie Yeager, Gabrielle Debevec, Keirys Click, and Alaina Miller.
UP NEXT
Following the midweek battle, Illinois hosts No. 10 UCLA, the first conference series between the sides, and first meeting at Eichelberger Field. First pitch times are set for 5 p.m. CT on Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, and noon CT on Sunday. All three games can be streamed on B1G+.
