DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Illinois
Blue Demons Host Illinois for Midweek Matchup
4/26/2022 6:38:00 PM | SOFTBALL
Two programs meet for the 25th time on Wednesday
CHICAGO — DePaul will look to continue its current seven-game win streak on Wednesday when the Blue Demons welcome Illinois to Cacciatore Stadium for a midweek contest scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Live action can be seen on FloSoftball with a subscription required, while fans can take advantage of a special ticket offer and purchase four tickets for $10 with promotional code: BEATBIG10.
The Blue Demons look to continue their success in the month of April as head coach Tracie Adix-Zins and company have gone 13-2 over 15 games this month including a stretch of nine-consecutive BIG EAST victories. The offense has been firing of all cylinders as of late as the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents 138-65 and combined for a team batting average of .366 while totaling 25 home runs.
On the season, DePaul leads the BIG EAST in eight offensive categories including batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.392), runs (261) and RBI (245). The Blue Demons have combined for 135 extra-base hits to lead the league.
Brooke Johnson, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, leads the way with a .403 average on a team-high 52 hits, 47 RBI and 13 home runs. Tori Meyer is riding a 13-game hit streak with a season average of .351. The junior outfielder has driven in 28 runs on 46 hits including 14 for an extra base. Anna Wohlers has adjusted well to college play as a two-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. The Davenport, Iowa native was lifted six for a home run while driving in 29 runs and reaching base at a .434 clip. Maranda Gutierrez reaches base at a .461 rate at the leadoff spot with a .320 average while drawing 22 walks. Graduate student Kate Polucha provides the power in the heart of the lineup with seven home runs and 13 extra base hits for 30 runs batted in.
Graduate right-hander Sarah Lehman owns a staff-best 3.27 ERA in 25 appearances and over 100 innings pitched. Lehman has allowed just a pair of earned runs in her last 25 innings pitched. Senior Erin Hocker has pitched seven complete games and is 7-7 on the season with a 3.68 ERA.
Illinois enters the non-conference matchup with a 29-16 record and 12-4 mark in the Big Ten. The Illini are coming off a 3-3 week including a doubleheader split with then-No. 10 Northwestern and a series win over Iowa last weekend. Senior infielder Avrey Steiner leads Illinois with 51 hits and a .365 average while Kelly Ryono holds a .363 average while driving in 26 runs. Junior utility Delaney Rummell paces the squad with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. In the circle, senior Sydney Sickels leads the way with a 2.22 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 110.1 innings of work. The staff as a whole has set the program record for punch outs with 346 and counting. Head coach Tyra Perry is in her seventh season at the helm of the program and is 209-133 during her time in Urbana-Champaign.
The Blue Demons lead the all-time series with the Illini, 14-9-1. The orange and blue have taken the last two meetings including a 7-0 shutout in April of 2019. DePaul's last win in the series came on April 16, 2014 with a 5-3 decision in Urbana.
DePaul will hit the road for its penultimate BIG EAST series of the season with a trip to Creighton for a three-game set, April 29-May 1, in Omaha. Friday's series opener is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. with all three games streaming on FloSoftball.
