Illinois Softball Heads to Hilltopper Spring Fling

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.— Illinois softball (5-9, 0-0 Big Ten) will head to the Hilltopper Spring Fling in Bowling Green, Ky., Feb. 27 – March 1. The Fighting Illini will square off against Western Kentucky, Ball State, and IU Indy during the three-day event.

STANDOUT SABALASKEY

Freshman Abby Sabalaskey put up a standout performance at The Raleigh Times tournament last weekend, posting a 1.17 ERA, 14 strikeouts, two complete-game victories, and just three walks in three appearances. The performance lowered her season ERA to 2.23, which leads the Illinois pitching staff.

HOME RUN HISTORY

In Illinois' victory over Providence on Feb. 21, Keirys Click and Ellie Haggard each notched a pair of home runs, the first time in program history that multiple Illini tallied two or more home runs in the same contest. Haggard leads the team with four home runs on the year.

CONSISTENT CARYL

After being named a 2026 Big Ten Player to Watch, Adisyn Caryl has been a steady force for the Illinois offense, leading the team in batting average (.405), hits (17), on-base percentage (.480), and walks (6). 

FAMILIAR FOES

Head coach Tyra Perry spent six years at the helm of the Western Kentucky program, leading the squad to its first-ever NCAA regional appearance in 2013, and advancing to the championship game of the Tuscaloosa Regional. She also led the Hilltoppers to the program's first 40-plus win season (43-18), and first Sun Belt regular season title, with a 20-3 record in league play.

Coach Perry's next stop as a head coach was Ball State, where she was named 2014 MAC Coach of the Year after her inaugural season, with the team earning a program-record five first-team All-MAC selections. In 2015, she led the Cardinals to a MAC Tournament Championship and the program's first-ever NCAA Regional victory over 16^th-seeded Notre Dame.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois went 2-2 at The Raleigh Times tournament in Raleigh, N.C., earning victories over Akron (4-1), and Providence (11-2, 5 innings), while falling to Akron (9-2) and NC State (4-0). As a team, the Orange and Blue have now scored ten or more runs in three games this year.

MILESTONE MARKS

Head coach Tyra Perry recently earned her 700^th career victory on Saturday, February 21, against Providence, 11-2 in five innings, one of just 35 active Division I head coaches to achieve the milestone. She is also just nine wins away from 300 for her tenure at Illinois. 

OPPONENT SCOUT

Western Kentucky is 10-3, including a perfect 4-0 at home. The Hilltoppers opened the season 6-3 at two different tournaments in Georgia, before going undefeated against Butler, Western Michigan, and Detroit Mercy at WKU Softball Field during the Hilltopper Classic. Redshirt senior Jenna Blanton has propelled the squad offensively, leading the team in batting average (.486), runs (13), hits (18), and on-base percentage (.558). Blanton also excelling on the base paths, going 8-for-11 on stolen base attempts this season.

The Hilltoppers have seen multiple members of the pitching staff make early impacts, but Erica Houge owns a 2.36 ERA in 35.2 innings pitched, the team's most this season. Houge has notched five wins in seven appearances on the year.

Ball State enters the weekend 4-4, taking a pair of wins at both the FGCU Kickoff Classic and the 901 Classic, hosted by Memphis. The team returns to action after a brief hiatus, with its last game on February 14.

A trio of upperclassmen in Skylinn Pogue, Ella Whitney, and Lindsey DeRoeck have propelled the Cardinals on offense, with Pogue leading the way in batting average (.462), runs (8), and hits (12). DeRoeck has four double and two home runs on the year, both team bests, along with 12 RBI and a .913 slugging percentage. Whitney is also excelling in the circle, notching a 2.84 ERA and two wins in four appearances. 

IU Indy is 3-8 overall, with victories against Kent State, Wofford, and Monmouth. Senior Molly Kable, who has started all 11 games for the Jaguars, owns a team-best .464 batting average, along with a 1.400 OPS and .821 slugging percentage. In the win against Wofford, she notched 5 RBIs and two home runs.

SERIES HISTORY

Illinois and Western Kentucky will face off for the first time during the Hilltopper Spring Fling, on Friday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m CT.

The Orange and Blue own the all-time series against Ball State, 4-1, winning the last four meetings. The most recent victory for the Fighting Illini was on April 16, 2002, 4-3, at Eichelberger Field.

IU Indy and Illinois will also meet for the first time, on Saturday, Feb. 28,at 10 a.m. CT.

UP NEXT

Following the Hilltopper Spring Fling, the Fighting Illini will return to Kentucky, March 7-8, for four games at the Cardinal Classic, hosted in Louisville.