University of Illinois
Northern Iowa
Illinois Set for Tuesday Tilt Against Northern Iowa
March 23, 2026 | Softball
PREVIEW
| Game 32 | vs. Northern Iowa |
|---|---|
| When and Where: | 5 p.m. CT, Tuesday, March 24 | Eichelberger Field, Urbana, Ill. |
| Promotions: |
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| Watch: | B1G+ |
| Live Stats: | StatBroadcast |
| Social Media: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois softball (8-23, 0-6 Big Ten) is set to conclude its nine-game homestand with a midweek contest against Northern Iowa on Tuesday, March 24, at 5 p.m. CT.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois fell to Northwestern at home in a trio of games in its second Big Ten series. Adisyn Caryl, Skylar Brennan, and Eileen Donahue each tallied two hits on the weekend.
MILESTONE MARKS
Head coach Tyra Perry achieved her 700th career win as a head coach, over Providence on Saturday, February 21, in Raleigh, N.C. Perry is also just six wins away from 300 victories at the helm of Illinois, which she could achieve as early as April 3 at Michigan State.
With her ninth sacrifice hit of the season in game one against Missouri, sophomore Ava Moore moved into a tie for eighth on the single-season sacrifice hits list at Illinois, alongside Sarah Bryers. Bryers recorded nine sacrifice hits in 2007. As of March 23, Moore leads the conference and ranks eighth in the country in sacrifice hits.
CONSISTENT CARYL
Junior Adisyn Caryl continues to lead the team in batting average (.363), runs (17), hits (33), RBI (22), total bases (49), and walks (12). Caryl owns 12 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games, both also squad bests.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Outfielder Skylar Brennan owns eight doubles on the season, twice as many as any other Illini, and tying her for 15th among all Big Ten players. She reached base twice in games two and three against Northwestern, with an on-base percentage of .417 for the year, second to only Caryl.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Northern Iowa sits at 14-12, including 3-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, most recently taking two of three in a series win over Valparaiso. The Panthers outscored the Beacons 24-6 in the pair of victories, led offensively by Skylar Benesh who owns a team-best .466 batting average and 41 hits. Benesh and senior Kate Lappe lead the team with ten home runs apiece.
In the circle, Anna Wischnowski has thrown more than double the innings of any other pitcher at 63.2, owning a 4.07 ERA and staff-best 43 strikeouts in 13 appearances. On Sunday against Valparaiso, she picked up her sixth victory of the year in a four-inning relief effort. Fellow right-hander Morgan Vertz has maintained a 2.12 ERA in 29.2 frames of work, along with 23 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series is tied 2-2, with Illinois picking up the first pair of victories away from home in 2013 and 2019, before the Panthers earned wins at Eichelberger Field in 2024 and 2025. The sides have never played a seven-inning game, with two of the four contests ending in run-rule victories, and the other pair taking extra innings to be decided.
In the 2025 outing, Keirys Click, Adisyn Caryl, Ella Cushing, and Gabrielle Debevec all tallied two hits each, while in the 2024 contest, a freshman Eileen Donahue was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate.
UP NEXT
Illinois heads to Minnesota for its first Big Ten road test, March 27-29. All three games will be played at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis, with streaming on B1G+. First pitch times are set for 5 p.m. CT Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, and noon CT on Sunday.
