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University of Illinois Athletics

2022 Softball Roster

Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Della Perrone / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics

18 Bella Loya

  • Position Catcher
  • Height 5-6
  • Class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Mission Viejo, Calif.
  • High School Mission Viejo
  • Instagram bella.loya
  • Twitter bellaaaloya

Biography

Graduate Student - 2022

  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Started and played in 53 games for the Illini in her “Super Senior” season, primarily at catcher and designated player
  • Tallied 41 hits and 27 RBI
  • Slashed .263/.324/.372 across the season
  • Connected for six doubles, a triple and three home runs
  • Delivered two sacrifice flies and swiped three bases
  • Owned a .995 fielding percentage with 195 putouts and 20 assists
  • Seven multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 effort against Central Arkansas (2/11/22)
  • Four multi-RBI performances, including a three-RBI outing against Rutgers (4/16/22)
  • Season-best five-game hitting streak and 13-game reached base streak
  • Caught eight runners attempting to steal

Senior - 2021

  • Went 2-for-2 with a double and the team's only two RBI's of the game in a win against Michigan on 2/28/21
  • Went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, and one walk on 4/10/21 vs Nebraska
  • Homered against Purdue on 4/16/21 in her 3-for-4 appearance, recording 2 RBI and three runs scored on the night
  • Hit a bases-clearing double in a 7-5 victory against Indiana on 4/23/21
  • Went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a win against Northwestern on 4/30/21

Junior - 2020

  • Illinois Athletics Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Finalist
  • Started 20 of 21 games she appeared in, seeing action behind the plate and as the designated player
  • Hit .366 with 28 R, 63 H, 12 2B, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 111 TB, 27 BB, 1 HBP
  • Posted a .302 BA with 19 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R, 30 TB, .476 slugging %, 2 BB, .323 OB%
  • Led the team in doubles, total bases and slugging percentage and ranked second in batting average
  • Knocked three hits, 2 RBI and scored a run in a win against South Alabama (2/8/20)
  • Went 3-for-3 with a double and a trip against Cal Poly (2/27/20)

Sophomore - 2019

  • Softball America Third Team All-America
  • NFCA All-Region First-Team
  • Big Ten All-First Team
  • Illinois Athletics Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Finalist
  • Big Ten Conference Player of the Week (2/25/19)
  • Mardi Gras Invitational All-Tournament Team 
  • Started all 58 games this season
  • Hit .366 with 28 R, 63 H, 12 2B, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 111 TB, 27 BB, 1 HBP
  • Paced the team with 48 RBI, 12 home runs and 27 walks during the 2019 campaign, while also ranking in the top four on the team in slugging percentage (.645), runs (28), hits (63), doubles (12) and total bases (111)
  • Turned in a team-high seven RBI with a .545 batting average on six hits – with two coming as doubles and two going for homers – while adding a 1.273 slugging percentage in the Nebraska series (3/30-31/19)
  •  Went 3-for-5 with four RBI and one run in a win over Nebraska (3/31/19)
  • Registered a team-high seven RBI to go along with a .364 batting average with eight hits (including two doubles and a home run), three runs and 13 total bases in games vs. IUPUI, Indiana State and Wisconsin
  • Notched a hit and two RBI in a win over No. 23 Wisconsin (3/24/19)
  • Turned in a 3-for-4 effort with a double, two RBI and two runs in a win over IUPUI (3/19/19)
  • Went 4-for-4 effort with a double, two runs and an RBI in a win over Northern Iowa (3/1/19)
  • Registered a .667 average at the Mardi Gras Invitational with a 10-for-15 effort that included three home runs and two doubles, as well as tallying eight RBI, four runs and a 1.400 slugging percentage
  • Went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a home run in a win over Nicholls State (2/24/19)
  • Tallied a 4-for-4 performance that included two singles, a double and a home run, as well as two runs scored and four RBI in a win at South Alabama (2/22/19)
  • Posted the second-most RBI with six at the ACC/B1G Challenge, to go along with two doubles and a homer
  • Totaled five hits - including four going as home runs - and seven RBI at the season-opening Houston Invitational
  • Went 3-for-3 with two dingers, two RBI and two runs against Sam Houston State (2/10/19)

Freshman - 2018

  • NFCA All-Midwest Region Second-Team
  • Big Ten All-Freshman Team
  • Illinois Athletics Freshman of the Year Finalist
  • Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/19/18)
  • Played in 53 of 55 games as a true freshman, starting 50 games and seeing action at four positions, including catcher, first base, third base and designated player
  • Ranked third on the team with a .362 batting average, with 30 R, 55 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 99 TB, 19 BB, 3 HBP, 1-1 SB
  • Led the team with a .990 fielding percentage with 189 PO, 9 A, 2 E
  • Hit .338 in Big Ten play, with 12 R, 22 H, 6 2B, 13 RBI, 28 TB, 12 BB 
  • Paced the Illini with a team-leading 10 home runs, ranking in a tie for ninth in the Big Ten
  • Ranked in the top 15 in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (eighth, .651), home runs (ninth, 10), total bases (10th, 99), batting average (12th, .362), on-base percentage (14th, .443)
  • Owned the second-longest streak at 16 games and ended the season with a 10-game reached base, while pacing the squad with a 15-game hitting streak and finished the campaign riding a 10-game hitting streak
  • Led the Illini at the Big Ten Tournament with a .400 batting average with a home run and triple, three RBI, one run and a 1.400 slugging percentage
  • Knocked her ninth home run of the season in a win over IUPUI (5/1/18)
  • Had two hits - both doubles - two RBI and a run in a win over Penn State (4/27/18)
  • Registered a .545 batting average in the Iowa series with six hits, three RBI and three runs
  • Totaled two hits, two runs and three RBI - including her team-leading seventh homer in a doubleheader sweep of Green Bay (4/18/18)
  • Notched two hits - including a double - and one run in the Wisconsin series
  • Registered a .429 batting average with three hits - including two doubles - four RBI and two runs in the Maryland series
  • Knocked seven hits - including two doubles and two home runs - with seven runs and seven RBI in six games vs. Northwestern, Purdue and SIUE
  • Totaled five hits, including three going as home runs, four RBI and four runs at the Fresno State Friendly
  • Registered a .800 batting average with four hits in two games vs. Missouri (3/14/18)
  • Posted a .500 batting average over the last week with five hits, including a double and scoring one run
  • Knocked her first career home run - a three-run bomb - against Northern Illinois (3/2/18)
  • Started four contests at the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational in her first action as an Illini, posting three hits - including one double - and a run

High School

  • Helped lead her Orange County Batbusters club team to a United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Elite Select Championship and was selected for the top 50 player camp
  • Two-time top-10 team at the PGF Tournament with the OC Batbusters
  • Earned 2016 South Coast League Second-Team All-League
  • Named to the 2016 Michelle Carew All-Tournament Team
  • Helped lead her Mission Viejo High School team to the CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) championship game for three-straight years, winning the Championship in both 2014 and 2016
  • Her MVHS team was ranked No. 1 nationally in both 2014 and 2016
  • Three-time Best of the West champion and two-time Tournament of Champions winners with her OC Batbusters team
  • Four-year AVID student

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 18

    2018Freshman

    Catcher
    5'6"
    18
  • 18

    2019Sophomore

    Catcher
    5'6"
    18
  • 18

    2020Junior

    Catcher
    5'6"
    18
  • 18

    2021Senior

    Catcher
    5'6"
    18
  • 18

    2022Graduate Student

    Catcher
    5'6"
    18