Penn State softball will play its last away series of the Big Ten Conference regular season against the Illinois Fighting Illini from April 24 to 26, according to an April 23 announcement. The three-game set will take place at Eichelberger Field in Champaign, with two games available on B1G+ and one airing nationally on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App.
This series is important as it marks a key point in Penn State’s conference schedule. The Nittany Lions are coming off a strong performance, having defeated Saint Francis 12-0 in five innings earlier this week. In that game, Penn State scored ten runs in the second inning and hit four home runs, including first homers of the year for seniors Madison Seidel and Cara Bohner. The pitching staff allowed only one hit and struck out ten batters over three appearances.
Freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre has been recognized as a Top 25 finalist for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award. Oneacre holds Penn State’s single-season RBI record with 56 and leads her team in several categories such as batting average (.385), home runs (16), slugging percentage (.846), on-base percentage (.514), and assists (68). She joins teammate Bridget Nemeth as one of only two Nittany Lions to be named finalists for this national honor.
The Nittany Lions also lead all college softball teams with 248 walks drawn this season after surpassing UCLA following their midweek matchup against Saint Francis. Penn State ranks among the top four teams in both on-base percentage nationally and overall scoring within the Big Ten Conference, averaging more than seven runs per game.
Illinois enters this weekend’s contest under head coach Tyra Perry with a challenging record of 14-33 overall and 3-14 in conference play. Key offensive contributors include Skylar Brennan (.343 average) and Eileen Donahue (11 home runs). On pitching, Karley Yergler has thrown over 100 innings but holds a record of just two wins against fifteen losses.
This weekend marks meetings number forty-nine through fifty-one between these programs since their first matchup in 2001. Illinois leads the all-time series but Penn State has won their last four games against them—including sweeping both games during their weather-shortened meeting last season.
