Indiana softball, coming off a midweek run-rule victory over the University of Evansville on Wednesday, is turning its attention to its final series of the regular season against Illinois from Friday through Sunday.
The Hoosiers dominated Evansville in their 8-0 win, as junior utility player Aly VanBrandt and senior catcher Avery Parker both hit home runs, and redshirt junior starting pitcher Taylor Hess surrendered three hits and no earned runs in the six-inning win.
Now, Indiana will look to continue its momentum into its series against the Fighting Illini.
Illinois enters this weekend at 15-36 overall and 3-17 in Big Ten Conference play. Within conference play, the Fighting Illini tallied victories over Minnesota on March 28, Michigan State on April 3 and Maryland on April 18.
Several players lead Illinois offensively. Among qualified players, junior outfielder Skyler Brennan leads the Fighting Illini in batting average at .327. Junior infielder Eileen Donahue leads Illinois in home runs with 13 and in RBIs with 36, and junior infielder Adisyn Caryl leads the team in hits with 48.
On the mound, freshman left-handed pitcher Abby Sabalaskey has Illinois’ lowest ERA among qualified players at 4.57. In 28 appearances and 12 starts, she has a WHIP of 1.74 and has given up 122 hits and 62 earned runs. She is second on the team with 56 strikeouts.
Senior right-handed pitcher Karley Yergler leads Illinois in strikeouts with 57. In 28 appearances and 20 starts, she has given up 129 hits and 72 earned runs.
The Fighting Illini will face an explosive Indiana offense which ranks second in the Big Ten with a team batting average of .353. The Hoosiers also rank second in hits with 460 and second in RBIs with 381.
The Hoosiers’ offense is primarily led by VanBrandt, who is hitting .407 with 70 hits, 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. Junior utility player Alex Cooper is second on the team in hits with 57. Parker leads the Hoosiers with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs.
On the hill, Indiana has been buoyed by the efforts of freshman pitcher Aubree Hooks and sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt. In 24 appearances and 16 starts, Hooks has the Hoosiers’ lowest ERA among qualified players with a 2.39 mark. In 34 appearances and 16 starts, Troutt is just ahead at 2.69. Hooks has surrendered 66 hits and 24 earned runs. Troutt has given up 93 hits and 38 earned runs.
Junior pitcher/utility player Brooke Mannon has made an impact at the plate and on the mound. Mannon has racked up 24 hits and 15 RBIs in 71 at-bats and has posted a 3.48 ERA in 27 appearances and three starts. She has also given up the fewest hits among qualified players with 36.
In 26 appearances and 12 starts, Hess has a 3.88 ERA and has surrendered 83 hits and 41 earned runs.
First pitch in the opening matchup of the three-game set between Indiana and Illinois will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The second game of the series will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, and the rubber match will be at 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
