As Illinois rolls into week eight of the 2024 softball season, it has still only hosted two games at Eichelberger Field. That will change as the Illini (12-15) return to Champaign for seven games in nine days following their first Big Ten series at Nebraska.
Two opponents will visit for midweek games this week: the Northern Iowa Panthers on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars (10-20) on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Five years have passed since Illinois last played Northern Iowa when the two teams engaged in an extra-innings affair in Oklahoma. The Illini won the matchup 10-9 and will try to continue the win streak on Tuesday afternoon.
Taking down the Panthers won’t be an easy feat, as they are battle-tested early in the year. Northern Iowa has already played seven Power 5 opponents and scored a win over the then-ranked No. 24 Auburn Tigers. Six of its 10 losses are to these Power Conference opponents, but two came to ranked teams by a single one, proving it can compete.
The Panthers are led by sophomore catcher Alexis Pupillo, who is their top hitter across the board. A tough out, Pupillo has posted a .292 average, nine homers, 24 RBI and a whopping 1.166 OPS thus far. The backstop is also tied for the team lead in stolen bases, adding to the already large threat she poses to opponents.
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Countering this offensive threat is an Illinois pitching staff that has struggled at times. Senior ace Tori McQueen has been consistent for the Illini, but the team has had difficulty preventing runs from crossing the plate when she isn’t in the circle.
After another seven-plus inning performance from McQueen this past weekend, the right-hander’s earned run average sits at 2.49 with a WHIP of 1.07. She has thrown eight complete games while appearing in 17 of 27 games in 2024, throwing 28.2 more innings than any other pitcher on the roster. The Illini will likely need more of the same this week to slow down the Panther offense.
The Wednesday matchup presents the first matchup between the Illini and the Cougars since 2022, where the Illini were victorious in a five-inning run-rule, 8-0. Southern Illinois Edwardsville has not won as many games as Northern Iowa, but its offense isn’t much worse.
Five starters in the Cougars’ starting lineup are hitting north of .290, but the lack of power has hurt them. A lot of runners left on base contribute to just 3.8 runs scored per game for the Cougars despite their impressive batting average.
They also struggle mightily on the defensive side of the ball. A team ERA of 3.62 isn’t elite but also does not explain the record. Add 43 errors resulting in 40 unearned runs surrendered this year to the Cougar’s problems that the Illini will try to take advantage of.
Illinois’ offense has started to find consistency in the last two weeks, averaging just over seven runs in the last eight games. Tuesday and Wednesday present more opportunities to stay hot, with the conference home opener at the end of the week.
@benfader7
