The Illinois softball team will face a familiar foe in DePaul for its midweek game at home on Wednesday.

The Illini (11-25, 1-11 Big Ten)will face the Blue Devils (23-14, 10-1 Big East), a team they play yearly and have already beaten this year.

“They’re definitely a really good team,” junior catcher Jenna Mychko said. “They have a really good record right now, and they’re always tough.”

The Illini beat the Blue Devils 4-1 in mid-February at the Hilton Houston Plaza Invite and since then the two teams have gone in different directions. Illinois has lost its last nine and DePaul has won seven of its last eight, moving into a tie for second place in the Big East.

Freshman infielder Katie Repole said the Illini expect DePaul to be at its best because it’s an in-state rivalry game.

“Everyone wants to win the state, so everyone comes out with a lot of energy, a lot of passion and it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

To bounce back from being swept by Minnesota last weekend, the Illini have been working on a multitude of things in practice.

“We’re working on playing together as a team, talking, being together as a team and just having fun,” Mychko said.

Mychko added that on offense, the team has to stay aggressive and be ready to attack the first-pitch strike when it is thrown.

Although it was a loss, Sunday’s offensive performance has given Illinois confidence moving forward.

“On Sunday we played well even though the score didn’t show it,” Mychko said. “Our bats came alive, we got three runs, which has made us feel really ready to go for Wednesday and this weekend.”

Repole added that their simulated-game practice has also added to the Illini’s confidence.

“In this game, confidence is everything,” Repole said. “I think that coach Sullivan and the rest of the coaching staff has done a really good job of keeping everyone’s confidence up even if we’re struggling. Today we scrimmaged just to get some cuts in and get some balls hit at you, which helps with confidence.”

The Illini will add to their confidence even more Wednesday if they come away with a win, something that Repole said will come if the team plays its best.

“We have to have a good pitching performance and score some runs for our pitchers,” she said. “We need to click on all cylinders and put everything together.”

Nicholas can be reached at [email protected] and @IlliniSportsGuy.