Feb. 7, 2001

Champaign, Ill. - A new era begins at Illinois this spring. While the Illini played their first season of softball in 2000, the team played a limited schedule of just 30 games.

With 17 freshmen and just two players returning from last season's inaugral squad, head coach Terri Sullivan's team dives in with both feet. A challenging five-tournament schedule along with the program's first year as a member of the Big Ten Conference will mean more than 60 games of competition.

The Illini open play on Friday at the Sam Houston Tournament in Huntsville, Tex. Illinois will Texas Southern, the University of Buffalo and Sam Houston on Friday and the same three teams on Saturday. Illinois had a setback when Bridget Pluta (South Bend, Ind.), the anticipated starting first baseman, tore her ACL in her knee during practice two weeks ago. She will likely miss the rest of the season, but that is still to be determined.

The two players who return, Reed Evans (Champaign, Ill./Centennial H.S.) and Kim Hubbard (Aeia, Hawaii), saw limited action during the eight-game fall schedule. Evans, a junior outfielder, still wasn't recovered from knee surgery, while sidelined for most of the 2000 season. Before that, Evans was the Illini's leading hitter. Hubbard, a senior catcher, had just one at-bat after hitting .247 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBIs in 2000.

Of the 17 new players joining Sullivan's squad this year, 11 were named MVP's or received player of the year honors from their respective metro areas. Karyn Bird (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) was named The Star's Softball Player of the Year in 1999, Megan Watson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) was named The Star's Softball Player of the Year in 2000. Lauren Gronski (Morris, Ill./H.S.) received co-MVP accolades from the Joliet Herald as well as being named to the all-state first team by the Illinois Coaches Association as a junior at Morris.

Lindsey Hamma (Buffalo Grove, Ill./H.S.) picked up Athlete of the Year distinctions from the Daily Herald. Pitcher Shannon Lindgren (Lockport, Ill./H.S.) is a former Gatorade Player of the Year. Erin Montgomery (Casey, Ill./Casey-Westfield) was also a Super 60 participant and named Decatur Herald-Review Player of the Year.

Along with the home-state talent of Illinois, Sullivan was able to dig deep into the pool of talent in Indiana and California. Pluta was the South Bend Tribune Athlete of the Year and also became the first female athlete at St. Joseph to win 12 varsity letters. Amanda Fortune (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart) garnered up CIF Player of the Year honors as pitcher for Hart H.S. in California. Erin Jones (Fullerton, Calif./Sunny Hills) was named team MVP two consecutive years and was a North/South All Star. Kathryn Nevard (Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) was LA Times Ventura County Pitcher of the Year and Pacific View League MVP. Janna Sartini (Galt, Calif./H.S.) was a two-time MVP and named female athlete of the year.

Kathryn Nevard, a freshman from Camarillo, Calif., was the ace of the staff in the fall. In six appearances and four starts, Nevard was 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA with two walks and 30 strikeouts. During her high school career, Nevard struck out 696 batters in 523 2/3 innings pitched with a 0.29 ERA.

Amanda Fortune logged the second most innings in the fall (18.0) and posted a 1.94 ERA. In her final two years at Hart High School, Fortune posted a 27-8-1 record with a 0.44 ERA and 224 strikeouts.

Sherri Taylor (Stockton, Calif./Lincoln H.S.) threw four perfect games for the California Grapettes Club Team during the summer of 1998 and earned First Team All-San Joaquin Valley. Lindsey Tanner (Concord, Calif./Carondelet H.S.) adds much-needed depth to the staff, especially in tournaments. Tanner had a 0.56 ERA with 252 strikeouts as a junior and last year played for the fifth-ranked team in the state. Tanner earned all-state honors and was named the Pitcher of the Year in the city.

Catching was another major priority for the Illini. Sartini had a stellar fall behind the plate with three assists and was the third leading hitter at .389. Montgomery started seven of the eight games in the fall, one behind the plate, posting one triple. She poses an impressive bat, having batted .431 with 13 doubles, 12 triples and 47 RBI as a junior at Casey-Westfield. Gronski will share duties behind the plate. She batted .372 with 14 doubles and three home runs during the 2000 season after hitting .365 and setting and IHSA record for doubles with 22 in 1999.

Despite starting a freshman line-up, defense was a big plus for the Illini in the fall as the team committed just three errors. Hamma and O'Connell highlighted the hitting for the Illini in the fall. Hamma started all eight games at shortstop and posted a .542 batting average with a double, triple and eight RBI while O'Connell knocked the only two home runs for the Illini in the fall and drove in a team-high 10 runs while hitting. .300. O'Connell, a second baseman, will form a potent double-play combination with Hamma.

Erin Jones (Fullerton, Calif./Sunny Hills H.S.) rounds out the starting infield at third base. Jones hit .267 in the fall and stole two bases. Jones was a two-time high school MVP 2000 and earned North/South All-Star as well as American/National All-Star accolades. Byrd proved one of the most flexible players on the team during the fall, starting four games at right field, one in left and three games off the bench. Byrd was 4 for 13 in the fall with a double, a triple and two RBI. She batted .348 with seven doubles in 2000 while also pitching for Sandburg.

Sarah Baumgartner anchors the outfield in center field. Baumgartner started all eight games for the Illini in the fall, hitting .267 after leading Wheaton-Warrenville (Ill.) South to the DuPage Valley Conference title while batting .375.

In addition to catching, Montgomery started six games in left field, a bat that Coach Sullivan would like to keep in the line-up. Gronski, and Kristie Sauter (Mokena, Ill./Providence H.S.) also started in the outfield. Sauter earned third team All-State honors and was chosen for the Super 60 Classic after batting .486 and leading her club team to the NSA World Series.

Meghan Watson, the third player on the squad from Sandburg, will see time in the outfield and adds depth to the pitching staff. A three-time All-SICA performer, Watson posted a 15-11 record with a 0.81 ERA and 186 strikeouts during her sophomore and junior seasons.

Watson's high school teammate Alicia Hammel, a standout for the Orland Park A's club team, adds depth to the infield. Hammel missed most of the fall, but is expected to be a key player this spring.

Besides the Big Ten, the schedule puts the Illini against some of the best teams in the country. The field dedication takes places March 27, the date of the Illini's first home game (vs, Valparaiso). The much anticipated first weekend of Big Ten play at Eichelberger Field is March 30-April 1. Thus starts another winning tradition in Champaign.