While Illinois (17-20, 4-8) has had its fair share of predicaments this season, one thing that’s been consistently positive is the team’s determination to fight hard until the very end. The Illini know what they’re capable of. This weekend, they showed their strength on both sides of the ball to take two victories over the Michigan State Spartans (13-22, 3-10).
The Nuechterlein show
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Megan Nuechterlein has risen to the top of the leaderboards for Illinois. She finished with six strikeouts on the weekend and stayed on the mound for the entirety of both victories.
Now, her record moved to 4-5 and her ERA set to 3.68. Even with her poise in the circle, she credits her success to the supportive women on her side.
“I know I have my teammates behind me,” Nuechterlein said. “Everyone’s working so hard, and I have so much trust in my team, it’s just a mutual thing. It feels really good.”
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Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Wiles was seen in a boot this weekend. With no timetable for her return, it’s vital for Nuechterlein to step up and stand firm with limited pitchers. Fortunately, Nuechterlein understands her role and believes this series victory will propel the team to more success.
“We just come in, and we know what to do,” Nuechterlein said. “We just work really well, and we’re just like a family … I think this series win just gives us a lot of momentum, and we’re going to go into the next games doing our best, nose down, and knowing that if we put up a fight, we can do it.”
Best of both worlds
The Illini amassed seven home runs this weekend against the Spartans. Once again, some of these home runs came from both ends of the experience spectrum.
After falling behind the Spartans, senior left fielder Stevie Meade and freshman catcher/utility player Keirys Click connected to put the Illini back on track. Not only did Click hit her first collegiate home run last weekend, but she outdid herself with two dingers against Michigan State.
Her home run on Sunday came at the perfect time. Here, she sent the ball over the left field fence to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh.
“We knew we were going to battle no matter what; it was never a question of if we were going to lose, it was just, ‘How hard are we going to fight?’” Click said. “We have such a strong lineup and such a great group of girls. Everyone — from the dugout to the nine people on the field, there’s always a battle, there’s always energy, so I never have any fear when it comes to if we’re going to come back or not.”
Click’s enthusiasm and fight on the field paid off. After two home runs, three hits and three RBI, Click earned the honor of Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Funny enough, the last Illini to earn this title was Meade in 2022, and her excellence has continued in 2025. After a 7-1 deficit on Saturday, Meade began a seventh-inning rally with a homer to build momentum for the Illini. Though they lost 7-5, Meade’s efforts lit the fire for the team. Now, she’s up to five home runs on the season and a .284 batting average.
Donahue saves the day
Sophomore first baseman Eileen Donahue made her mark at Eichelberger Field this weekend. First, she hit a monster grand slam on Friday to give Illinois a 12-4 victory in just five innings.
“We knew we’ve been playing better,” Donahue said after Friday’s win. “We had a lot of tough practices, tough games the past couple weekends, and we’ve been seeing the growth, so we knew our time was bound to come.”
Finally, their time came, and Donahue’s timing couldn’t have been any better. Tied 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Sunday, Donahue had a chance to end the game.
She stepped up to the plate, swung and watched the ball go over the left field wall. She circled the bases with a massive smile on her face as she embraced her teammates at home plate.
“Crazy,” said Donahue after the game. “We were talking, we were playing defense, just how mad we were at our previous at-bats, so to see us come out for the next ones and hit bombs — I’m so proud.”
Nothing but good energy and joy radiated from Eichelberger Field after Illinois’ victories. Now, this energy and enthusiasm must continue on Wednesday against Valparaiso (17-21).
@tess_eken
