| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Ohio State |
| Fri. 6 p.m. CT |
LHP Andy Fisher (4-1, 3.86) |
LHP Connor Curlis (5-3, 3.67) |
| Sat. 3 p.m. CT |
RHP Quinn Snarskis (4-1, 3.13) |
RHP Ryan Feltner (4-2, 3.90) |
| Sun. 1 p.m. CT |
RHP Ty Weber (4-2, 3.52) |
RHP Adam Niemeyer (3-2, 5.92) |
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois baseball team is set to host Ohio State for a three-game series in its biggest weekend at Illinois Field since the 2015 Illini hosted the NCAA Super Regional. Illinois and Ohio State are both projected NCAA tournament teams and are separated by only one game in the Big Ten standings.
Illinois (26-14, 10-5 Big Ten) has a lot planned off the field, as well, with Friday marked as the annual Bleacher Bum BBQ, free t-shirts on Saturday and free mini bats on Sunday. Friday will feature beer sales for the first time at Illinois Field and a postgame firework show.
The Illini are led by Midseason National Player of the Year Bren Spillane, who is on pace to break the Big Ten slugging percentage record held by Illinois great Darrin Fletcher. Spillane currently leads the Big Ten in batting average (.423), home runs (16, tied), RBIs (49, tied), slugging (.954), on-base percentage (.525) and doubles (17, tied).
Ohio State (28-14, 9-6 Big Ten) stands at No. 47 in the RPI, three spots behind Illinois, thanks to some quality wins, including a series victory over nationally-ranked Indiana. Noah McGowan leads the Buckeyes with a .390 batting average and eight homers and is tied with Spillane for the Big Ten lead in RBIs (49).
The Buckeyes also pitch it well with a team ERA of 3.91 and only 18 home runs allowed, with five homers allowed coming in a 12-11 loss Wednesday at Ball State. That loss dropped the Buckeyes nine spots in the RPI.
All three games will be broadcast on BTN2Go. Dave Loane will have the radio call for all three on the Fighting Illini Sports Network and WDWS 1400-AM.
PROMOTIONS
• Friday 6 p.m. CT » Hickory River Bleacher Bum BBQ, free BBQ for the first 500 fans, beer sales, Star Wars Night, postgame fireworks
• Saturday 3 p.m. CT » Hail to the Orange Day, Little League Day, free t-shirts for the first 200 fans
• Sunday 1 p.m. CT » Kids Club Day, free mini bats for the first 500 fans
NOTES
• Illinois is 101-102-2 all-time against Ohio State, including 54-46 in Champaign.
• Illinois won two of three against Ohio State in 2016, the last time the teams met.
• Cody Sedlock threw 10 2/3 scoreless innings in a 15-inning 1-0 win in 2016.
• Illinois has won three straight series against Ohio State in Champaign dating back to 2011.
• Illinois is at No. 44 in the RPI. The Illini have been as high as No. 27 on April 16.
• Illinois is fifth in the nation in fielding percentage (.982). Michigan set the Big Ten fielding percentage record of .983 last season.
• Illinois has 11 fewer errors than any other Big Ten team (Illinois 29, Minnesota 40). Ohio State has the most errors in the Big Ten (68).
• Illinois is 27th in the nation home runs per game (1.08) and 37th in doubles per game (2.05).
• Illinois is second in the Big Ten in home runs (43) and slugging (.435) behind Indiana (44, .451).
• Illinois is at No. 44 in the RPI. The Illini have been as high as No. 27 on April 16.
• Illinois is 19-1 when leading after four innings and 16-1 when leading after three.
• Illinois is 18-4 when scoring first.
• Illinois is 9-3 in one-run games.
• Illinois is 19-3 when scoring five or more runs and 25-7 when scoring three or more runs.
• Illinois is 18-3 when outhitting opponents and 8-11 when being outhit.
• Illinois is 3-4 against the RPI top 50 and 7-7 against the top 100. Ohio State is ranked No. 47 in the RPI.
• Ben Troike has reached base in all 40 games this season. His current reached base streak is 45 dating back to the final five games of last season, tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.
• Bren Spillane ranks among the NCAA leaders in nearly every major category: 1st slugging (.954), 1st OPS (1.479), 3rd batting average (.423), 3rd HRs (16), 5th OBP (.525), 8th total bases (124), 25th doubles (17), 22nd RBIs (48)
• Bren Spillane entered the weekend as the Big Ten leader in batting average, slugging, OBP, OPS, doubles (tied), homers (tied) and RBIs (tied). He ranks third in runs, eighth in steals and 10th in hits.
• Bren Spillane is on pace to break the Big Ten record for slugging percentage in a season (.913, Darrin Fletcher, Illinois, 1987). Only 10 players in NCAA history have slugged 1.000 or better for a season and none since 1998 (Kevin Mench, Delaware). Pete Incaviglia (Oklahoma St.) owns the NCAA record of 1.140 in 1985.
• Ryan Thompson is t-20th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in wins (7-3).
• Joey Gerber, who has been up to 97 MPH, is t-4th in the nation with 13 saves. His 13 saves ranks second-most in an Illinois single season, one away from Tyler Jay's record of 14.
• Joey Gerber's 21 career saves are tied for third-best in Illini history (Tyler Jay 24, Jeff Richards 23, Jeff Innis 21).
| Big Ten Standings |
| Team |
B1G |
RPI |
May 4-6 |
May 11-13 |
May 17-19 |
| 1. Michigan |
12-2 |
56 |
at RUT |
ILL |
at PUR |
| 2. Minnesota |
11-3 |
29 |
at IND |
MSU |
at RUT |
| 3. Purdue |
10-4 |
54 |
NU |
at OSU |
MICH |
| 4. Illinois |
10-5 |
44 |
OSU |
at MICH |
NEB |
| 5. Indiana |
9-5 |
21 |
MINN |
at NEB |
MD |
| 6. Ohio State |
9-6 |
47 |
at ILL |
PUR |
at MSU |
| 7. Iowa |
9-7 |
51 |
Ok. St. |
at NU |
PSU |
| 8. Michigan State |
7-7 |
196 |
at PSU |
at MINN |
OSU |
| 9. Rutgers |
6-9 |
151 |
MICH |
at MD |
MINN |
| 10. Maryland |
5-9 |
106 |
at NEB |
RUT |
at IND |
| 11. Nebraska |
4-9 |
113 |
MD |
IND |
at ILL |
| 12. Northwestern |
4-14 |
224 |
at PUR |
IOWA |
Belmont |
| 13. Penn State |
1-17 |
234 |
MSU |
Xavier |
at IOWA |
UP NEXT
Illinois travels to Big Ten leader Michigan next weekend before returning home May 17-19 to finish the regular season against Nebraska.
