As the nonconference portion of its season winds down, Illinois softball head coach Terri Sullivan is starting to find solutions to her team’s struggles. Although their final two games were canceled due to inclement weather, the Illini did have their first positive tournament record (2-1) last weekend in Florida.

Illinois’ offense is starting to take off. In Florida, the Illini posted 23 runs in their three games. Because the pitching staff is still struggling to shut out batters so far into the season, Illinois has learned it will not win games unless its offense continues to post high numbers. This was evident in the Illini’s 14-10 win over Georgia Southern.

The Illini (7-11) will make their final nonconference trip to Los Angeles for the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament. Sullivan’s team will alternate between playing the California-Davis and host UCLA for its four games Friday and Saturday.

UC-Davis sits at 7-10. The Aggies split last weekend’s tournament in San Diego, outscoring their opponents 32-5. Though the teams have similar records, two games against UC-Davis could be trouble for Illinois if the Illini pitching staff continues to allow high amounts of runs — they allowed 21 runs in their three games last weekend. The Illini’s fielding has stepped up but also made critical errors that lead to the team’s only loss in Florida. Winning against UC-Davis will come down to the offense’s ability to control the scoreboard.

No. 15 UCLA (17-5) is an obvious test for Illinois. The Bruins went 4-1 last weekend at the Long Beach Louisville Slugger Invitational and four of UCLA’s five losses this season have been to ranked opponents.

Senior Ally Carda will be the Bruin to look out for. Against Northwestern last weekend, Carda made statements at the plate and in the circle. She recorded two hits, including a bases-clearing double, and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts.

The Illini’s final game is against Providence (0-5). The Friars have yet to win a game — they lost all five games in their first tournament, and their second tournament was cancelled.

Sullivan recognizes the difficulty her pitching staff is having, which makes it even more important for her offense to continue to lead the team.

“We feel we have a lot of momentum from Florida,” Sullivan said. “Our offense has really been tough from top to bottom. Any opponent facing us will really have to bear down, especially since we have a lot of different people contributing with RBIs and clutch hits.”

UCLA is the highest-ranked team Illinois has played since facing off with then-No. 12 Georgia in early February.

Sophomore infielder Ruby Rivera said Illinois’ confidence is at a season high, and the team is looking forward to facing tougher opponents this weekend.

“We’re ready to kick some butt,” Rivera said. “We know what we need to work on. We know what we can do, and we’re just excited to go out of the preseason with a bang.”

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