Softball Opens 2021 Season With Six B1G Games in Florida

SEASON PREVIEW PODCAST

ABOUT THE WEEKEND

ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

It will have been 385 days since the Rutgers softball team took the field in a 5-4 victory over in-state rival Seton Hall back on Feb. 7, 2020.
Rutgers returns 14 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's season which was cut short due to the CoVID-19 pandemic 24 games into the season.
The Scarlet Knights add eight newcomers with seven freshman and one graduate student.
RU returns all but one field position from last year and two core members of the pitching staff.
Graduate student Gabrielle Callaway led Rutgers at the plate last season hitting .359 with 23 hits, nine runs, five doubles and eight RBIs.
Sophomore Payton Lincavage had a big start as a rookie last season batting .306 with 19 hits, six doubles, and 13 RBIs.
Also returning are two of Rutgers' all-time home run leaders in fifth-year senior Anyssa Iliopoulos (24) and junior Katie Wingert (22).
On the mound, RU welcomes back sophomore lefthander Jaden Vickers, who tossed 13 strikeouts in her Scarlet Knight debut. It was the most strikeouts for a Rutgers' hurler since 2015.
Also dual threat Ashley Hitchcock is back after tossing 59 strikeouts inside the circle and batting .268 with 11 hits at the plate.
In its last full season in 2019, Rutgers returned to the Big Ten Tournament and qualified for the National Invitational Softball Championship Tournament with a near-30 win season and hit a program-record 54 home runs.

ABOUT ILLINOIS

Junior infielder Avery Steiner returns after starting all 22 games at second base for Illini and leading the team with a .338 batting average. Steiner also led the Illini in hits, runs, doubles and stolen bases.
Junior pitcher Sydney Sickles is back after leading the Illini pitching staff with a 2.38 ERA through 16 appearances. Sickles Struck out 13 batters against NC State (2/15) to tie the program record for strikeouts in a single game
Junior outfielder Danielle Davis led the team in RBIs a year ago with 15 and notched two grand slams.
In 2019, the Fighting Illini reached the NCAA Tournament falling to Virginia Tech in the elimination game.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN

Among the Wildcat returnees is graduate student Emma Bartz, who notched a .333 batting average in 19 games last year.
Sophomore pitcher Sydney Supple ending her rookie season with a 3.13 ERA through eight appearances.
In 2019, Northwestern reached the NCAA Super Regional with Oklahoma stopping their postseason run.

ABOUT PURDUE

The Boilermakers and Scarlet Knights last met in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.
Purdue, like the Scarlet Knights, qualified for the NISC in 2019where their run was halted by Iowa in the Regional Championship
Junior pitcher Alex Echazarreta returns after leading the pitching staff with a 2.25 ERA in the 2020 season.
Additionally, the Boilermakers welcome back junior infielder Rachel Becker notching 18 runs scored on 23 hits last season.

Follow Rutgers softball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

- RU -

Schedule