The red-hot Illini softball team is set to face their toughest test of the season this weekend in the Children’s Hospital Invitational in Columbia, Mo. Not only will Illinois (14-1) square off against No. 3 Missouri on its home field, but for the first time this season it will be without the cover it once was afforded as an unranked team.

The cloak that occupied the Illini in their 14-1 start may now be replaced with a target square on their collective back, but that target might just give the Illini an advantage, said catcher Audrey Gallien.

“I think it raises our swagger,” she said. “I think we’ve been confident all year overall, but getting that ranking ... I think we all knew we deserved it, so that felt good and it might just give us a little extra confidence when we’re coming into all theses games.”

However, as pitcher Monica Perry said, earning such a validation won’t change the Illini’s approach to their game.

“I think we just have to stick to our game plan. Don’t try to do more than we know, just do what we’ve been doing this whole time,” Perry said. “Don’t get fancy and just play how we know how to play like we’ve been doing all year.”

Head coach Terri Sullivan will look to Gallien for her continued steady presence behind the plate. The junior currently leads the team in doubles, total bases, slugging percentage, walks and is tied for the lead in home runs.

Sullivan praised Gallien’s offensive emergence and said she is pleased with the offensive-minded catcher’s progress as a defender.

“Audrey is again doing good things on both sides of the game, meaning offensively and defensively,” Sullivan said. “She’s willing to learn behind the plate as well and that’s key, she has a good rapport with the pitchers, she’s been blocking well, receiving well.”

Gallien attributed much of her success to the team’s high energy level and hard work ethic, which has helped her fine tune her skills as a two-way threat.

“I’m a role player, I’ve always been a role player for this team,” said Gallien, who’s been hitting in the fourth slot. “This year my role has changed, and if I’m where I’m hitting in the lineup, I’ll do my job there and go for the best, but I think it’s been the work ethic of the entire team and ... I think that’s contagious.”

Offense figures to be hard to come by against Missouri, meaning Illinois will have to make every pitch count, said Perry.

“We have been working a lot on throwing a lot of strikes,” said Perry, who leads the Illini with seven wins. “Last weekend I think all of us threw a lot of balls, we had some walks in spots where we really didn’t want to have them, so were going to focus on (that).”

Perry and Co. will start the tournament with a pair of Friday games against New Mexico and San Diego State. Saturday’s slate includes intrastate foe Bradley and the daunting matchup against Missouri. Illinois will then wrap up their weekend with a rematch against San Diego State on Sunday.

Missouri comes into the Saturday meeting having lost two games, but the Tigers have stayed near the top of the polls thanks to a stellar record against ranked opponents. The defensive-minded Tigers, who have committed a Big 12-low, eight errors in the season, have racked up two wins over then-No. 2 Alabama and one win each over No. 2 Arizona, No. 5 Michigan, No. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 25 Massachusetts.