Illinois softball only has four more series weekends left in the Big Ten-only season. This weekend, the Illini are playing again at Eichelberger Field in a four-game series against the Hoosiers.

The Illini are looking forward to play on their home field for the second weekend in a row. Their opponent currently sits at a 14-14 record; with an 18-10 record, and Illinois is ready to defeat Indiana. 

“We feel really good about this upcoming series,” sophomore Delaney Rummell said. “Nothing is better than playing at home. It’s our second to last home series this year, so we’re just going to take advantage of it.” 

The team focuses on playing and sticking together as one. Through all the highs and the lows, their toughness and togetherness will allow them to overcome any challenge as a cohesive unit. Being able to stick together in adverse moments creates stronger bonds on and off the field. Each player knows that another has their back in order to defend, react and adjust with competitive excellence.

When the team breaks out after a game or a practice, they typically call out ‘family’ or ‘together’. This not only builds team spirit but also creates togetherness and toughens their unity. Through a long season grind, it is vital for any team to generate a genuine passion and enjoyment not only for the game but for each other. 

“Sometimes the game of softball can tear you down,” Rummell said. “Having fun is just something that really just makes it enjoyable.”

The Illini are determined to stay physically and mentally tough throughout all four games of the series; Rummell emphasizes that it’s something they haven’t accomplished yet. In previous years, the team usually played three-game series rather than four-game. This year with an additional game added to each weekend, Illinois persists to consistently play with a mentally and physically tough groove. 

“Friday night after the game, one of our coaches had said ‘let’s win a Saturday,’” Rummell said. “He said something else once that really stuck out to me ‘we didn’t come out here on a Saturday all day to split or lose both. We came out there to win both.’ I think this really stuck with some people and we really put it into play on Saturday and it came out in our favor.”

Along with this competitive spirit, Illinois also emphasizes keeping players’ energy up to gain motivation. They’re a team that thrives on energy, as it projects into how they play. Throughout a four-game series, there will always be challenges that may hinder a player’s focus. Yet, through adversity, there are also learning and growing points that lead to success. Illinois is hoping that for this upcoming weekend to be able to keep high energy through all four games. 

A goal of the team is to work on their offensive and defensive processes; whether it’s at the plate stringing quality at-bats together or in the field being mentally and physically tough, making sure they get the last out.

After a game, Illinois makes it imperative to learn new ways as to how the team can come together to make sure that everyone is locked in for every pitch. 

“If we’re able to capitalize on those it would really bring us another step forward in our game,” Rummell said.

While the team progresses through the week, they’re ready to take what they learned from previous games to build off it. Players not only use practice time to work on their game, but they also take time out of their own days to improve on their skills and techniques; from their days off on Monday to after a four-game series on Sunday, Illinois is always taking time out of their day to clock in extra training time.

“I feel like all of that (extra practice time) just pays off,” Rummell said. “We always know that somebody out there is actually working harder than you. So, I feel like that keeps us motivated and has played a lot into our success this year as a team.”

As the Illini prepare for their last few games of the 2021 season, the only way from here is up. With everything they’ve learned, from the start of the season until now, Illinois is prepared to take all the work they’ve put in to end the season victorious. 

“We emphasize that in a four-game series adversity is going to come at some point,” Rummell said. “It’s just finding a way to stick and push through that together to still come out on top.“

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