Nittany Lions Set for Final B1G Road Series at Illinois
Penn State gears up for three-game conference series with Fighting Illini riding four-game win streak in all-time series
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Penn State softball gets set for its penultimate weekend of Big Ten Conference regular season competition this Friday through Sunday, April 24 through 26, as the Nittany Lions travel to Eichelberger Field for a three-game series against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The first and third games of the weekend will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app at 6 and 1 p.m. (ET), respectively, while Saturday’s matchup will begin at 2 p.m. (ET) and air to a national television audience via the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App.
Follow the Action
Penn State’s Big Ten Conference road series finale against the Illinois Fighting Illini will feature live streaming for games one and three to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices via the link here. Game two of the weekend series will air to a national television audience via the Big Ten Network with streaming available on the FOX Sports App. Admission for all three games of the weekend series from Buckeye Field is free, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. Live stats provided by the University of Illinois and StatBroadcast are available via Penn State’s StatBroadcast hub at the link here.
QUICK HITS
The Nittany Lions are fresh off a dominant 12-0 win in five innings of play on Tuesday, April 21, with the Blue & White defeating the Saint Francis Red Flash in the final all-time matchup between the two teams as NCAA Division I opponents. Penn State registered 10 runs in the second inning alone and bashed four home runs in the contest, highlighted by the first homers of the year for a pair of seniors in catcher Madison Seidel and outfielder Cara Bohner. PSU’s pitching staff combined for a one-hit shutout and racked up 10 strikeouts across three pitching appearances in the circle. Freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre was named a Top 25 finalist for the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award on Thursday, April 23, making her the second Nittany Lion in program history to garner that distinction. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native Oneacre joins current junior teammate and right-handed pitcher Bridget Nemeth as the only two Penn Staters to secure that accolade. The Nittany Lions picked up an additional feather in their decorated offensive caps this week, with the Blue & White assuming the No. 1 spot in all of college softball in walks drawn with 248. Penn State had narrowly trailed UCLA over the past few weeks in that category but finally surpassed the Bruins following a seven-walk performance in midweek competition against SFU this week. Penn State boasts a top-25 on-base percentage nationally and sits inside the top four in the Big Ten Conference, both in that statistic as well as overall scoring with 7.15 runs per game.
FRESHMAN TO WATCH
Penn State softball freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre added to her long list of individual national accolades on Thursday, with the first-year sensation picking up a spot on the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list following an announcement from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, Oneacre has already established herself as one of the most dominant freshmen in Penn State program history. The first-year Penn Stater already owns the Nittany Lion single-season RBI record, driving in 56 scores through this point in the campaign. Oneacre also boasts the Penn State freshman home run record with 16, ranking second in a single-season all-time in Happy Valley in that statistic behind the program’s only First Team NFCA All-American in Cassidy Bell, who mashed 30 homers during her senior year in 2013. Oneacre is Penn State’s statistical leader in batting average (.385), OPS (1.361), doubles (12), home runs (16), RBI (56), slugging (.846), on-base percentage (.514) and assists (68).
Penn State at Illinois
Record | 29-17 | 8-10 B1G
Record | 14-33 | 3-14 B1G
Introducing Illinois
ABOUT THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Under the direction of head coach Tyra Perry, the Illinois Fighting Illini enter this weekend’s B1G series navigating a challenging 2026 campaign, carrying a 14-33 overall record and a 3-14 mark in Big Ten play. Despite the record, Illinois has shown flashes offensively, producing 184 runs and 36 home runs on the season. Offensively, Skylar Brennan has been a steady presence, leading qualified hitters with a .343 average and a .420 on-base percentage. Adisyn Caryl has complemented that production with a .326 average, four home runs, and 29 RBI, while Eileen Donahue has provided the most power, launching a team-high 11 home runs and driving in 34 runs with a .622 slugging percentage. Ellie Haggard (nine home runs, 26 RBI) and Keirys Click (six home runs, 19 RBI) have added depth to the order, while contributions from players like Ady Kiddy (.276) and Brooke Stang (.412 in limited at-bats) have helped round out the lineup. In the circle, Illinois has worked through an up-and-down season, posting a collective 5.72 ERA across nearly 300 innings. Karley Yergler has shouldered much of the workload with 100 innings pitched, compiling a 2-15 record and 4.76 ERA, while Abby Sabalaskey has been a key contributor with a 7-7 record and 4.81 ERA over 84.1 innings. Additional innings from Danika Frazier and Megan Nuechterlein have provided support, though the staff has collectively allowed 77 home runs and a .317 opponent batting average.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Illinois gear up for the 49th, 50th and 51st all-time meetings in a series that dates back to the 2001 campaign this weekend in Champaign. Illinois owns a solid 30-18 advantage in the set through the first 48 opportunities, but the Blue & White have found recent success by taking both of the last two B1G series. The Nittany Lions are riding a four-game winning streak against the Fighting Illini heading into this weekend’s three-game affair in Illinois. Penn State’s active four-game win streak against their opponents from the West marks the longest winning streak for PSU against Illinois all-time. Illinois boasts the longest streak in the series, winning five in a row in a stretch spanning from April 9, 2006, to April 4, 2008. Penn State and Illinois will battle from Eichelberger Field for the first time since 2022, and just the second time since 2012 this weekend. The Blue & White came away with the series victory during the last true road matchup, dropping a 4-3 decision in the first game of the series on May 7 just before rattling off back-to-back 2-0 results in the final two games of the weekend. The Nittany Lions and Fighting Illini most recently met during the 2023 season, with Penn State taking both games in a weather-adjusted series. PSU swept a doubleheader on April 29, registering a 9-1, run-rule win in the lid-lifter and taking the second matchup by a 6-2 margin. The third and final game of the weekend series was canceled due to inclement weather in Happy Valley.
Penn State at Illinois
Record | 29-17 | 8-10 B1G
Record | 14-33 | 3-14 B1G
Penn State at Illinois
Record | 29-17 | 8-10 B1G
Record | 14-33 | 3-14 B1G
Follow the Nittany Lions
Visit GoPSUsports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Instagram and X @PennStateSB.
The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.