Illinois Fighting Illini softball
| Illinois Fighting Illini softball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2000 |
| University | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
| All-time Record | 753–563–2 (.572) |
| Head coach | Jenna Hall (1st season) |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Location | Urbana, Illinois, US |
| Home stadium | Eichelberger Field (capacity: 1500) |
| Nickname | Fighting Illini |
| Colors | Orange and blue[1] |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 | |
The Illinois Fighting Illini softball is the team that represents University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in NCAA Division I college softball. The team currently participates in the Big Ten Conference. The Fighting Illini are currently led by their head coach Jenna Hall. The team plays its home games at Eichelberger Field located on the university's campus.[2]
On June 2, 2026, the team announced Jenna Hall as its third head coach in team history. Hall was the team's first NFCA All-American and holds the team's single-season batting average record at .481.[3]
History
[edit]Year-by-year results
[edit]| Season | Coach | Record | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | |||
| 2000 | Terri Sullivan | 13-17 | Played as NCAA Division I independent | |
| 2001 | 49-23 | 12-8 | 3rd in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2002 | 34-24 | 10-9 | 4th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2003 | 39-17-1 | 11-7 | T-5th in Big Ten Tournament; NCAA Regionals | |
| 2004 | 45-21-1 | 14-6 | Big Ten Tournament Runner-Up; NCAA Regional Final; Final Rank #17 | |
| 2005 | 24-26 | 4-14 | ||
| 2006 | 24-31 | 8-11 | T-5th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2007 | 30-25 | 7-8 | T-5th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2008 | 30-32 | 8-12 | T-5th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2009 | 29-17 | 12-7 | NCAA Regionals | |
| 2010 | 45-8 | 16-2 | NCAA Regionals; Final Rank #25 | |
| 2011 | 27-22 | 9-8 | ||
| 2012 | 27-26 | 12-9 | ||
| 2013 | 22-27 | 5-11 | T-9th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2014 | 24-26 | 13-6 | T-5th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2015 | 26-27 | 6-10 | 5th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2016 | Tyra Perry | 36-23 | 12-11 | Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals; NCAA Regionals |
| 2017 | 39-20 | 14-8 | Big Ten Tournament Semifinals; NCAA Regional Final | |
| 2018 | 37-18 | 13-8 | Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals | |
| 2019 | 33-25 | 9-14 | Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals; NCAA Regionals | |
| 2020 | 11-11 | 0-0 | Season cancelled/shortened due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | 24-20 | 24-20 | ||
| 2022 | 34-22 | 15-7 | Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals; NCAA Regionals | |
| 2023 | 29-27 | 6-16 | Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals | |
| 2024 | 21-31 | 7-15 | T-9th in Big Ten Tournament | |
| 2025 | 22-28 | 6-15 | ||
| 2026 | 14–36 | 3-17 | ||
| 2027 | Jenna Hall | |||
Coaching history
[edit]| Years | Coach | Record | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2015 | Terri Sullivan | 487-368-2 | .569 |
| 2016–2026 | Tyra Perry | 301-264 | .533 |
| 2027-Present | Jenna Hall | ||
| Reference:[4][5] | |||
Coaching staff
[edit]| Name | Position coached | Consecutive season at Illinois in current position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenna Hall | Head coach | 1st | |
| Yolanda McRae | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Jeremy Manley | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Lilli Piper | Assistant Coach | 1st | |
| Madi McCrady | Director of Player Development | 1st | |
| Reference:[6] | |||
Notable players
[edit]Awards
[edit]- Big Ten Coach of the Year
- Terri Sullivan, 2010[7]
- NFCA All-Americans[8]
- Meredith Hackett, 2010 (First Team)
- Jenna Hall, 2006 (First Team)
- Nicole Evans, 2017 (Third Team)
- Danielle Zymkowitz, 2009, 2011 (Third Team)
Notable Individual School Records
[edit]Career Records
[edit]- Most Games Played: Lindsey Hamma (2001-04) - 254
- Highest Batting Average (min 250 at–bats): Danielle Zymkowitz (2008-11) – .384
- Most Home Runs: Nicole Evans (2014-17) - 53
- Most Hits: Danielle Zymkowitz (2008-11) - 277
- Most Stolen Bases: Danielle Zymkowitz (2008-11) - 91
- Most Pitching Wins: Amanda Fortune (2001-04) - 80
- Most Strikeouts: Sydney Sickels (2019-23) - 714
- Lowest ERA: Amanda Fortune (2001-04) - 1.50
Single–Season Records
[edit]- Most At-Bats: Erin Jones (2001) - 233
- Most RBI's: Angelena Mexicano (2008) - 62
- Most Home Runs: Angelena Mexicano (2008) - 24
- Most Hits: Kiana Sherlund (2018) - 81
- Highest Batting Average: Jenna Hall (2006) - .481
- Most Stolen Bases: Danielle Zymkowitz (2010) - 36
- Most Pitching Wins: Amanda Fortune (2004) - 31
- Most Strikeouts: Monica Perry (2009) - 223
- Lowest ERA: Amanda Fortune (2004) - 1.24
References
[edit]- ↑ "University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Visual Identity: Color". Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Eichelberger Field". FightingIllini.com. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DIVISION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ↑ "Illinois Announces Softball Coaching Change".
- ↑ "Illinois Softball Record Book" (PDF). FightingIllini.com. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DIVISION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS. p. 10. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ "Illinois Announces Softball Coaching Change".
- ↑ "2027 Softball Roster". FightingIllini.com. University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State Share Top Softball Honors". BigTen.org. May 19, 2010. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ↑ "Illinois Softball Record Book" (PDF). FightingIllini.com. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS DIVISION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS. p. 88. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
External links
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