URBANA  There are six pitchers, one of whom is a left-hander.

   There are four catchers, none of whom are left-handed.

   There are 12 infielders and 14 outfielders, some of whom are left-handed.

   The University of Illinois'' softball recruiting class is growing. The fourth and latest high school senior to commit orally to the Illini is first baseman Bridget Pluta of South Bend (Ind.) St. Joseph, a school of 760 students.

   The Illinois softball program got its first prep recruiting commitment this morning, when Buffalo Grove senior shortstop Lindsey Hamma made an oral promise to play for coach Terri Sullivan''s first Illini class.

   CHAMPAIGN  Forget about trying to contact Terri Sullivan next week. Illinois'' first softball coach will be far too busy to handle many phone calls. Unless you happen to be a recently graduated high school softball player.

   "We''ll be in Colorado on Tuesday and the whole summer we''ll be running around from tournament to tournament, just spreading the word about Illinois," said Sullivan, announced Wednesday as the leader of the UI''s newest program. "You can''t win without good recruits. That''s the prime agenda."

When Ron Guenther set out several years to add two women''s sports programs to his University of Illinois athletic menu, the athletic director did some numbers crunching.

Working up a budget to accommodate two more teams was, of course, part of this process. But Guenther also poured over some other figures that would figure prominently in his selection of sports.