Chambana Sun

Illinois softball is set to participate in The Marucci Classic, taking place from February 21-23 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Fighting Illini will compete against Central Michigan, Northern Colorado, and host NC State during the tournament. Matches against NC State will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

Stevie Meade remains a key player for Illinois, holding the single-season record for most sacrifice hits with 13 in 2022. She is close to becoming the program's all-time leader in this category with her current total of 29.

The team boasts three players who have hit triples this season: Zoie Howard, Alaina Miller, and Yazzy Avila. Howard leads with two triples so far.

In their last outing, Illinois defeated Quinnipiac 7-3 in an extra-inning game where Adisyn Caryl hit a walk-off grand slam. Karley Yergler secured her first win as an Illini by pitching 3.2 innings and allowing one unearned run.

Central Michigan enters the tournament with a 1-4 record from the Trojan Classic. In 2024, they had a record of 17-33 overall. Key player Carly Sleeman led with 45 hits and ranked second for doubles in a single season at CMU.

NC State began their season with a 6-5 record and was recently invited to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational for the next year. Tori Ensley and Ellie Goins were notable performers last season.

Northern Colorado started their season at 3-7 after finishing last year at 27-26 overall. Ella Gonzales earned recognition on the PV College Challenge All-Tournament Team this year while Amailee Morales shared Player of the Year honors in their conference last year.

Illinois has added new talent this offseason including Lizzie Stiverson and Karley Yergler from Parkland College among others, making them one of the youngest teams in Big Ten play with many underclassmen on their roster.

Head coach Tyra Perry is one of only three Black female head coaches leading programs within power conferences alongside Marissa Young at Duke and Sharonda McDonald-Kelley at Michigan State.

Five players received preseason recognition including Ava Moore who made several watchlists such as Softball America's Freshman Watchlist. Paige Berkmeyer was noted for her defensive skills behind home plate while Adisyn Caryl earned accolades following her freshman year performance.

Last season Illinois finished with a record of 21-31 overall and placed twelfth in Big Ten standings again after winning series against Michigan State and Maryland but losing key players like Kelly Ryono who led batting averages along with pitcher Tori McQueen who held best ERA stats during that time frame.