The Illini (5-9), winners of five of their last eight, look to continue their winning ways at the Hilltopper Spring Fling. Illinois travels to Bowling Green, Kentucky, this weekend for the penultimate tournament of its season. The team takes on Ball State (4-4), IU Indy (3-8) and host Western Kentucky (10-3) across the five-game showcase.
They get on base
Illinois’ pitchers will have their work cut out for them as they face three offenses with penchants for getting on base. Each of the Illini’s three opponents this weekend boasts a team on-base percentage above .390.
Ball State’s .442 clip paces the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals have drawn 45 walks in just eight games this season, an average of over 5.5 per game. The Illini have done a decent job limiting free passes this year, handing out 40 in 89.2 innings. A patient team like Ball State, however, could wear Illinois’ pitching thin.
The Cardinals have yet to find their power stroke, slugging just three homers this season. Ball State’s offense could provide Illinois a nice respite in that respect. Long balls have haunted Illinois’ pitching in the early going this year, with the team surrendering the most home runs (18) in the conference.
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Western Kentucky owns a .403 on-base percentage, fourth-best in Conference USA. Unlike Ball State, WKU’s penchant for reaching base comes from its batting prowess. The Lady Toppers’ .339 batting average ranks inside the top-50 nationally.
Unlike the Cardinals, the team boasts a well-rounded offense. WKU boasts both threatening power, slugging .517 as a unit, and blazing speed, stealing 31 bases in 35 tries this year.
IU Indy also owns impressive numbers at the plate this season. The Cougars carry a .392 on-base percentage, third-best in the Horizon League. The team doesn’t hit for average or power at the same level as WKU but has scored nine or more runs three times this season.
One-two punch
Through three weekends of play, freshman southpaw Abby Sabalaskey and senior right-hander Karley Yergler have emerged as a clear one-two punch atop Illinois’ rotation. The team will look to the two to navigate the trio of tough offenses it faces this weekend.
Sabalaskey leads team in nearly every pitching category, including starts (5), innings (37.2) and ERA (2.23). This past weekend, the left-hander turned in three outings of at least five innings and one earned run. She also spun her first collegiate complete game, going the distance in Illinois’ 4-1 win over Akron (5-10) at the start of the tournament.
Yergler owns similar numbers in fewer innings but, thanks to her pinpoint control, holds a small edge in WHIP (1.39). The senior has issued just four free passes in 18.2 innings of work, two of which came in her heroic 10.1 inning outing in the season opener against Lamar (7-8). Yergler’s ability to consistently find the zone could prove key this weekend against three offenses that excel at reaching base.
Illinois begins its weekend with a game against Ball State on Friday at 10 a.m. CST. The team later plays WKU at 3 p.m. before taking on IU Indy and WKU in a Saturday doubleheader. The Illini end the tournament with another game against the Cardinals on Sunday morning.
@BrendanGallian
