2023 Softball Roster
Jersey Number 21
Sydney Sickels
- Position:
- Pitcher
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Fifth Year
- Hometown:
- Indianola, Iowa
- High School:
- Indianola
 University of Illinois Graduate |
 2022 NFCA All-Region |
 2022 All-Big Ten Second Team |
 Illinois Record - Career Strikeouts |
| Illinois Record - Career Strikeouts Looking |
| Illinois Record - Single-Game Strikeouts |
Fifth Year - 2023
- Academic All-Big Ten
- CSC All-District
- Appeared in 35 games, making 20 starts, while logging a 3.36 ERA and a.243 opponent batting average during her 150.0 innings pitched
- Went 13-11 on the season, tossing 12 complete games and two shutouts
- Shattered her own single-game strikeout record, fanning 21 batters against Fordham (2/11/23
- Tossed complete game shutouts against Sam Houston (2/24/23) and Michigan (4/7/23)
- Went the distance in an 11 inning affair with Pitt (2/26/23)
- Struck out nine batters in 6.0 innings of work at Mizzou (3/14/23)
Senior - 2022
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Second Team All-Big Ten
- Second Team NFCA All-Region
- Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (4/18/22)
- Appeared in 35 games in her senior season, starting 23 while tossing 12 complete games while compiling a 12-10 record
- Owned six solo shutouts while locking down four saves to bring career total to 17
- Struck out career-high 198 batters across 148 innings, compiling a 2.13 ERA and holding batters to a .197 average
- Threw six innings, striking out eight batters in NCAA Regional game vs. Missouri State (5/21/22)
- Recorded seven complete-games, striking out 65 batters across those outings
- Earned the save tossing one scoreless inning vs. Liberty (3/13/22)
- Tossed second career no-hitter vs. Western Illinois 2/19/22, striking out a career-high 16 batters (most in a single game in Illinois history), allowing just one base runner on an error in the seventh inning
- Pitched five scoreless innings, striking out five batters vs. Central Arkansas (2/11/22)
Junior - 2021
- 2X B1G Pitcher of the Week on 3/16/21 and 4/6/21
- Pitched six scoreless innings against Rutgers on 2/26/21, allowing just two hits and striking out seven
- Threw a complete game win vs. Michigan State on 3/11/21, recording 11 strikeouts, zero walks, and zero earned runs in game one
- Pitched a complete game and earned the win vs. Penn State on 3/13/21 (DH), striking out 10 batters, allowing one hit, and walked none
- Sickels tossed a no-hitter in Game 2 against Penn State on 3/13/21, striking out 10 and allowing one unearned run in her appearance
- Threw two complete game shutouts against Wisconsin on 4/2 and 4/4, recording 12 strikeouts in both appearances, and throwing a one-hitter in the 4/4/21 matchup
- Struck out 11 of the 30 batters faced in a complete-game win against Indiana (4/23/21)
- Struck out 10 batters in a complete-game win vs. Northwestern (4/30/21)
- Had a 5.33 K/BB ratio in three starts vs. Northwestern on 4/30-5/2
Sophomore - 2020
- B1G Pitcher of the Week (2/10/20)
- NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Made 16 appearances on the season, making 11 games starting
- 2.38 ERA, 4-5, 7 CS, 2 shutouts, 5 SV, 70.2 IP, 55 H, 24 ER, 17 BB, 82 K, .212 OBA
- Entered in the top of the seventh against No. 23 Missouri (3/11/20) with runners at the corners and notched back-to-back strikeouts to tie her own single season program record with her fifth save of the season
- Notched her fourth double-digit strikeout performance with 10 Ks against Louisville (3/8/20)
- Equaled the program record with 13 strikeouts en route to holding Oakland (3/7/20) to just one earned run on three hits in the complete game victory
- Allowed only two earned – on six hits and three walks, while registering her second double-digit strikeout outing after sitting down 10 batters in the complete game against Fresno State (2/29/20)
- Struck out 13 batters against NC State (2/15/20) to tie the program record for strikeouts in a single game
- Named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team after going 2-0 with two saves and a 0.00 ERA in 15.2 innings, seeing action in all four games for the Illini and totaling 14 strikeouts
- Allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out seven in a complete game win over No. 23 Auburn (2/9/20).
Freshman - 2019
- Mardi Gras Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Fighting Illini Newcomer of the Year Finalist
- Alice Martin Leadership Award
- Saw action in 44 games, earning 28 starts
- 19-13, 3.41 ERA, 172.1 IP, 168 H, 84 ER, 86 BB, 131 SO, .250 OBA
- Registered five saves to set a program record for saves in a season
- Tied a career high when she threw a scoreless games against Toledo (5/18/19), allowing three hits and five walks in an NCAA Lexington Regional win
- Pitched a scoreless final two and a third innings in a win over Purdue (5/3/19) en route to earning her fifth save and breaking the Illinois single season record for saves previously held by Amanda Fortune (2004), Claire DeVreese (2005) and Breanna Wonderly (2017)
- Allowed just two earned runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out three in the complete game setback against Iowa (4/13/19)
- Earned the win over EIU (3/26/19) after entering in the seventh inning and allowing just one walk and striking out two in two shutout frames
- Picked up the win over No. 23 Wisconsin (3/24/19) after allowing no hits and only two walks and striking out one in 1.2 innings of relief action
- Registered her third save of the season after entering in the top of the seventh in a win over No. 23 Wisconsin (3/23/19) and securing the final two outs of the game
- Posted a 3-0 record at the LMU Tournament with a 1.17 ERA after giving just up three earned runs and striking out eight in 18.0 innings
- Owns four games with six strikeouts, including a stretch of three-straight games against Georgia Tech (2/16/19), South Alabama (2/22/19) and SFA (2/23/19)
- Earned two wins and totaled 17 strikeouts at the Mardi Gras Invitational
- Threw 6.0 innings, giving up just two earned runs on six hits and three walks and striking out six in a win at South Alabama (2/22/19)
- Earned three of the four wins at the ACC/B1G Challenge, registering a 2.27 ERA after allowing just four earned runs on nine hits in 12.1 innings, while also totaling 12 strikeouts
- Earned her her first career win in her first career start, going all 8.0 innings against No. 13 Kentucky (2/8/19), allowing four earned runs on 10 hits and four walks and striking out six
- Made her Illini debut against No. 22 Oklahoma State (2/8/19), entering in the sixth frame with the bases loaded and no outs and forcing a grounder for a double play and then notching a strikeout looking. She threw two hitless and scoreless frames and struck out two en route to her first career save
High School
- Three-year varsity softball letter winner and academic letter winner at Indianola High School
- Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) 5A Second-Team All-State as a junior and Third-Team All-State as a sophomore
- Two-time IHSAA 5A West All-District Team and First-Team All-Conference Team as a sophomore and junior
- Second-Team All-Conference as a freshman
- Two-time Record Herald All-County as a sophomore and a junior
- Three-time All-Academic Team honoree
- Led all 5A pitchers with 254 strikeouts
- Helped lead her HIS to a sixth place finish at State in 2016
- Helped her former club team, the Iowa Sun Devils, to a runner-up finish at the ASA Northern National Championship 16u in 2016
Illini Softball | Ava Moore Media Availability 1/29/2025
Wednesday, January 29
Illini Softball | Karley Yergler Media Availability 1/29/2025
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Illini Softball | Head Coach Tyra Perry Availability 1/29/2025
Wednesday, January 29
ILLINI SB | Berkmeyer Catching Runners
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