One of the hottest hitters of late for Illinois’ women’s softball team has been Eileen Donahue.
In the Illini’s 5-1 nonconference victory over visiting Valparaiso on April 16, the sophomore went 2-for-3 including hitting the 55th grand slam in Illinois softball history.
Five days earlier, Donahue recorded her first career collegiate grand slam as Illinois defeated visiting Michigan State 12-4 in five innings.
The next day, the Illini first baseman belted a three-run homer in the seventh inning of a 7-5 loss to Michigan State.
On April 13, the Marist graduate played an integral role in Illinois’ 5-4 comeback win over the Spartans with a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Through last week, Donahue led Illinois in on-base percentage (.411), slugging percentage (.605), home runs (10) and RBI (34), while hitting .339 with a .411 on-base percentage.
She had 38 hits and tied 19 runs for the Illini, who were 21-25 overall and 5-13 in the Big Ten.
● Northern Kentucky’s Halle Idowu finished her collegiate career in impressive fashion. The 5-foot-11 guard/forward from Richards led the Norse in rebounding (6.1 rpg), points (385) and blocked shots (15).
Idowu was second in scoring (12.4 ppg) and third in assists (55) as the Norse were 11-21 overall and 8-12 in the Horizon League.
● Former Marist football standout John Nestor has entered the transfer portal, leaving Iowa for Minnesota. The sophomore defensive back appeared in 10 games for the Hawkeyes in 2023, making two tackles. Last season, Nestor also played in 10 games, making 14 tackles (10 solos) as well as recovering a fumble.
● Triton wrestler Ryan Boersma has committed to Illinois. Competing at 285 pounds, the Mount Carmel graduate placed fifth at the 2025 NJCAA Tournament.
Earlier in the season, Boersma won the NJCAA Great Lakes District Tournament at 285. He also placed first at the 33rd Art Kraft Memorial Tournament.
Boersma was a state champion in Class 3A for Mount Carmel in 2022 at 285.