Illinois (21-25, 5-13) needed a Big Ten series win to achieve some momentum before the season ends. This weekend on the road against Rutgers (19-33, 3-16) would have been the perfect chance to do so. However, after beginning strong in game one, the Illini couldn’t hold on to the power they started with.
The Illini lost the last two games of the weekend series, jeopardizing their opportunity to make the Big Ten tournament. With the tough losses, here are some critical takeaways the team must recognize heading into its final week of play.
Getting ahead first
One bright note from this weekend was that Illinois scored first in all three games. Establishing the team’s scoring potential is essential to setting the tone for the rest of the game. No one wants to start on the back foot, and scoring first is a confidence boost for the Illini.
“I know that’s been a huge thing for us this year, is we’ve wanted to score first,” said senior catcher Paige Berkmeyer. “It was just nice to be out there, score first and just put our mind on fighting back and getting the little wins.”
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Illinois defeated Rutgers 6-1 Friday and established a 3-1 lead after the second inning. Six Illini had hits that day, and they held their ground on both sides of the diamond to win comfortably. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Megan Nuechterlein stayed in the circle all seven innings and earned her sixth win.
“As a catcher, my number one rule is I’m there to make the pitcher look good,” Berkmeyer said. “I established from day one that I’m a very honest catcher. If you ask me where your pitch was, I will let you know … But also at the end of the day, I’m there for them and my success also comes from their success too.”
While hits score runs, pitchers and catchers do lots of the dirty work for the team. In her fourth and final season with the Illini, Berkmeyer understands and appreciates the complementary workings of the offense and defense. Scoring first allows the defense to come in and play more comfortably — it’s an easier battle to face when the efforts are mutual and everyone can lean on each other for support.
Familiarity with losing
In a painful manner, the Illini lost 8-7 on Saturday after rallying in the seventh inning from being down 8-4. They never gave up, but it can be demoralizing trying so hard to fall just short of a win.
“We just have to continue to learn how to win,” said head coach Tyra Perry. “Winning is something that you get once you kind of get things going, it kind of repeats itself. We’ve just been in a situation where we’ll win a few, and then we’ll fall back. So, just try(ing) to find a consistent space of expecting to win.”
Friday’s victory marked the high point of a three-game win streak, so finishing the weekend with back-to-back losses likely dampened the electricity that previously flowed throughout the dugout. Illinois never got too comfortable with winning this season; a new challenge, injury or upset would always come its way.
The series against Rutgers concluded Sunday with a 4-1 defeat. In the bottom of the sixth inning, a Scarlet Knight launched a grand slam to take the lead, and the Illini failed to round up any additional runs, resulting in the loss.
“I try to stay as steady as possible all the time, whether we win or lose,” Perry said. “The honest answer is, I hate losing … We underperformed a bit this year, so just looking forward to finishing strong this week.”
Same team, same philosophy
There have been numerous obstacles that have hindered Illinois’ progress this season. An inexperienced roster, injuries to valuable players, weather complications, conference powerhouses and so many other factors have led to this point.
With all the adversity Illinois faces, the team makes an effort to stay positive and maintain the same mentality every week.
“Softball is a game of failure,” Berkmeyer said. “As the older group, we’ve just been motivating (the underclassmen) to keep pushing. Every day is a new day; every game is a new game. Every inning you start, that’s a new chance to win a pitch or win a game. We’ve just been telling them to trust the process and understand that sometimes you don’t see results right away, but you’ve got to keep pushing.”
Keeping the dugout alive and high-spirited has been one of the main missions of Illinois’ game this season. With four games left, the Illini have to fight harder than ever to end the year strong.
Their first task of the week is a midweek matchup against the Eastern Illinois Panthers (27-19) Wednesday at 5 p.m. If they keep pushing and trusting the process as Berkmeyer says, then everything could fall into place.
@tess_eken
