Illini see top pitchers, hitters return after shortened spring season
By Carson Gourdie, Assistant Sports Editor
October 19, 2020
Lights-out pitching and timely hitting made the Illinois softball team competitive last season, as they finished the coronavirus-shortened season with an 11-11 record. While the team had its ups and downs — losing five out of seven games in the middle of the season— Illinois has an advantage this...
Illini softball use transfer portal to enhance roster
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
September 17, 2020
The transfer portal is popping. It’s only been around for a couple of years, but the Illinois softball team has added several transfer players to its roster in recent memory. Assistant coach Laura Trout, who has been at Illinois since 2015, has seen a variety of changes in relation to recruiting in h...
Valparaiso graduate transfer acclimates to life at Illinois
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
September 8, 2020
Kelsie Packard has been at Illinois for just a few weeks, though her enrollment at the University is the culmination of a college career that involved a couple stops along the way. Packard grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin, about a three-hour drive from Champaign-Urbana, and originally signed a letter o...
Illini softball reminisces on European tour
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
June 10, 2020
For the Illinois softball team, a trip to Europe was a once in a lifetime experience. Junior catcher Shelby Stauffenberg found the trip to be unforgettable. “It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Stauffenberg said. The team left for Europe on Aug. 6 and spent a week and a half abroad. ...
Illini softball stays together while social distancing
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
May 26, 2020
The last time an Illinois team competed in a sporting event this school year was on March 12: the Illinois softball team’s win at Missouri. The team has been at home, communicating through apps like GroupMe and Snapchat while social distancing. “Our group chat stays definitely hot during this...
Edwards, Paradise receive Big Ten Medals of Honor
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
May 16, 2020
Illinois announced Taylor Edwards, senior in AHS, and Michael Paradise, senior in Engineering, as the recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor on Wednesday via Twitter. Each year, the University honors one male and one female senior athlete with the award. Edwards played four seasons of softball and ...
Best Illini uniforms: blue-white heads 2019 softball jersey combinations
By Carson Gourdie, Assistant Sports Editor
May 10, 2020
If you’re running the uniforms for an Illini team, you have two distinct colors to choose from: orange and blue. White is also allowed, but everyone has that option. The beauty of Illinois athletics is the ability to have crisp uniforms and original colors, unlike most teams in the Big Ten. Did you k...
Team of the century: 2010 Illini softball storm through regular season
By Carson Gourdie, Assistant Sports Editor
April 20, 2020
The Illinois softball program hasn’t set the world on fire in this century, but they have been a steady force in the Big Ten. With six NCAA tournament appearances since 2000, Illinois is a program that has had success as a Northern program. In 2010, though, Illinois put together one of the most do...
Jarvis finds home with Illini
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
April 14, 2020
After a long journey, several years in the making, Illinois sophomore pitcher Addy Jarvis found her home away from home. Jarvis began her collegiate career at Youngstown State, which is a 20-minute drive from her hometown of Vienna, Ohio, before transferring to Illinois last January. She began her s...
Illini of the season: Sickels, Rummel anchor lineup next spring
By Carson Gourdie, Assistant Sports Editor
March 31, 2020
Illinois wasn’t having a storybook season at 11-11, per se, but there were plenty of bright spots and great moments for a team dominated by underclassmen. Whether it was going undefeated at the NFCA Classic or rallying late to knock off a ranked Missouri squad, this Illinois team had the goods to ...
Big Ten Tournament cancellation affects community
By Claire O, Staff Writer
March 26, 2020
Illinois softball was set to host the Big Ten softball tournament for the first time in program history May 7-9. Head coach Tyra Perry and the Illini had been looking forward to the tournament since the winter. “We are excited to have the honor of hosting the Big Ten Tournament this year,” Perry per...
Illini softball adjust to COVID-19
By Claire O'Brien, Staff Writer
March 20, 2020
The Illinois softball team was the last Illini team to play in a contest this year, defeating Missouri 2-1 on March 11. All sports were canceled on March 12 due to the fluid COVID-19 pandemic. Head coach Tyra Perry said the Missouri game came with uncertainties. The team initially heard the game woul...
