Chambana Sun

Illinois softball is set to participate in the Wooo Pig Classic, taking place from February 28 to March 2 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Fighting Illini will compete against Missouri State, Iowa, and Arkansas over the three-day tournament. The match against host team Arkansas on Saturday will be broadcast on SEC Network +.

Stevie Meade continues to be a key player for Illinois. She holds the single-season record for most sacrifice hits with 13 in 2022 and is one sac bunt away from becoming the program's all-time leader in this category with a current total of 30.

The Illini have shown strong performance with triples this season, having three players—Zoie Howard, Alaina Miller, and Yazzy Avila—each recording one during their opening weekend at the Black and Gold Classic. Howard and Miller lead with two triples each this season.

Lauren Wiles enters the tournament boasting an impressive ERA of 0.55, ranking second in the Big Ten and 17th nationally. Meanwhile, Alaina Miller and Zoie Howard lead the conference with two doubles each.

In their last outing at The Marucci Classic, Illinois fell to NC State despite Megan Nuechterlein starting strong on the mound. Lauren Wiles provided relief pitching for two innings.

Missouri State comes into the classic with a record of 1-9 after finishing last season at 19-32 overall. Key player Kayla Ulrich led her team in batting average (.394) last year.

Arkansas holds a strong position as they enter with a record of 14-1. Senior Bri Ellis leads their lineup with nine home runs this season under head coach Courtney Deifel’s guidance since 2016.

Iowa boasts a record of 10-3 after sweeping both Lion Invitational and FIU Panther Invitational tournaments. Senior Hannah Lindsay was recently named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week following her stellar performance at Lion Invitational where she hit .667 across four games.

Illinois added significant new talent during offseason recruiting by signing ten freshmen along with three transfer students including Lizzie Stiverson and Karley Yergler who hail from nearby Monticello and Mahomet respectively.

Head coach Tyra Perry stands out as one among only twenty-one Black female head coaches within Division-I softball programs nationwide for this season while being just one out of three leading teams within power conferences alongside Marissa Young (Duke) & Sharonda McDonald-Kelley (Michigan State).

Several players received preseason recognition such as Ava Moore who was listed on D100 list alongside Softball America's Freshman Watchlist; Ellie Haggard ranked sixty-first overall by Extra Innings Elite Class '24; London Park reclassified joining Orange & Blue squad early originally part class '25 plus returners Paige Berkmeyer & Adisyn Caryl also earned spots Big Ten Players Watch List

Last year Illinois concluded its campaign holding records twenty-one wins thirty-one losses seven-fifteen conference placing twelfth league standings consecutive seasons losing key contributors Kelly Ryono Tori McQueen looking forward fresh start upcoming challenges ahead