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University of Illinois Athletics

2023 Softball Roster

Craig Houtz
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics
Libby Knight / Illinois Athletics

21 Sydney Sickels

  • Position Pitcher
  • Height 5-11
  • Class Fifth Year
  • Hometown Indianola, Iowa
  • High School Indianola
  • Instagram sydney.sickels
  • Twitter sickelssydney21

Biography

Graduation Badge University of Illinois Graduate
Trophy Badge 2022 NFCA All-Region
Big Ten Logo white 2022 All-Big Ten Second Team
Badge Illinois 2 Illinois Record - Career Strikeouts
Badge Illinois 2 Illinois Record - Career Strikeouts Looking
Badge Illinois 2 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

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 21

    2019Freshman

    Pitcher
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2020Sophomore

    Pitcher
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2021Junior

    Pitcher
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2022Senior

    Pitcher
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2023Fifth Year

    Pitcher
    5'11"
    21