Illinois (10-28) will face off against Western Illinois (10-21) Tuesday at Eichelberger Field for Wii Sports Night. The Illini are coming off a split with the Michigan State Spartans (14-22) in a series that was cut short due to inclement weather. Illinois took home the series finale, propelling it to double digits in the win column.
Keys to a Tuesday win
Illinois should focus its scouting on Western Illinois junior infielder Payton Brown. Brown has troubled pitchers, slashing .326/.455/.705 with 8 homers and 31 RBIs — all team highs.
Brown has been the vocal point of the Leathernecks’ offense, not only boasting outstanding numbers at the plate, but also on the basepaths. The junior is 7 for 8 on steals, another team high. She is going to require a hefty amount of focus from Illinois.
Illini star, junior outfielder Skylar Brennan, needs to continue bashing the ball at the plate. Brennan has 11 multi-hit outings this season, most recently Friday against Michigan State.
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This season, she has proved to be a sparkplug at the top of the lineup. Illinois will need her star power at the plate to have success against Western Illinois.
Struggles in the circle
The Illini’s biggest issue as of late has been in the circle. Illinois’ two-horse rotation, consisting of senior right-hander Karley Yergler and freshman southpaw Abby Sabalaskey, has struggled this season, with each boasting an ERA over 4.50.
The bullpen hasn’t fared much better. No reliever coming out of the Illini pen posts an ERA lower than 6.40. On the other hand, sophomore right-hander Danika Frazier has shown her ability to command the circle, with a dazzling relief performance two weeks ago against Northern Iowa in which she twirled seven productive innings.
However, recently it’s been another story. Unfortunately for the Illini, Frazier has given up 13 runs in her past three outings, which accumulated to 9.1 innings pitched. If she’s called upon, which she has been in five of their past seven games, Illinois will need her to step up if it wants to see some success.
Illinois will take the field against Western Illinois on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. CDT. The Illini will look to build off their series finale win against the Spartans.
