Illinois (8-24, 0-6) travels to Minneapolis this weekend for its first away conference series of the season, facing Minnesota (11-20, 3-3) at Jane Sage Cowells Stadium. Coming into the series on a 12-game losing streak, the Illini are looking to slow the game down and find Big Ten success.
After a nine-game homestand, the Illini sit 0-6 in conference play and are looking to put some wins on the board. The Illini have not seen the Golden Gophers since 2024, and now have a chance to shake things up halfway through this season.
“We just kind of have to snap out of it,” said head coach Tyra Perry. “We have to play a little bit faster. We’re playing a little bit slow, so just trying to figure out how we can play a little bit sharper.”
Illinois’ formula for breaking losing streak
To break their losing streak this weekend, the Illini need to produce up and down the lineup, continue development in the circle and minimize errors in the field.
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During Illinois’ last outing on Tuesday evening against Northern Iowa (15-12), sophomore right-handed pitcher Danika Frazier delivered her longest performance of the year. She entered in the first inning and threw seven innings in relief of senior right-handed pitcher Karley Yergler.
“We’re excited about (Frazier’s) maturity and her growth,” Perry said. “She had limited opportunities early this year and just started really spinning the ball … And then had some opportunities to come out, which she did really well.”
After proving she can handle herself on the mound and not going down without a fight, Frazier could be a staple in the Illinois pitching rotation this weekend.
Offensively, the top performers continue to be junior infielder Adisyn Caryl, junior outfielder Skylar Brennan and junior infielder Eileen Donahue.
Caryl, hitting a .351, is the team leader in nearly every major offensive category, logging 22 RBIs, 49 total bases and 12 walks. Brennan leads the team in doubles and continues to set the tone from the lead-off spot with a .347 batting average. Donahue went 2 for 3 in Tuesday’s matchup, carrying a .323 average on the season.
If this trio continues to stay hot and the Illini can string together hits, they’ll have a chance to challenge the Golden Gophers’ pitching.
What Minnesota brings to the table
Minnesota enters the weekend 3-3 in Big Ten play and 2-3 at home. The Golden Gophers are fresh off a competitive series win against the Iowa Hawkeyes (21-10, 5-4), taking two of three.
Minnesota’s best pitchers are senior right-handed pitcher Sydney Schwartz and junior right-handed pitcher Macy Richardson, a duo that has kept them competitive in tight games. Schwartz has spun 84.2 innings this season with a 2.56 ERA, while Richardson has a 3.89 ERA, logging 72 innings.
Offensively, Minnesota has struggled, with only one hitter in its lineup hitting above .300: freshman infielder Scarlett Kuhn. She holds the top batting average for Minnesota, hitting .309 with 25 hits.
In the last matchup between Illinois and Minnesota, during the 2024 season, the Golden Gophers swept the Illini, winning two of the three games by run-rule.
While Illinois’ offense will face a strong pitching staff, Minnesota’s lineup has shown vulnerability.
“We talk a little bit about opponents now, but we’re mostly focusing on how do we get our offense, defense and pitching to show up all at the same time,” Perry said.
Illinois opens the series on Friday afternoon, the first pitch is set for 2 p.m. CDT. Game 2 will start at 1 p.m. CDT on Saturday and the series finale will be at noon CDT on Sunday.
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