March 30, 2015
Quick Hits
No. 15 Illinois improved to 20-6-1 through 27 games, marking the fastest Illinois team to reach 20 wins since 1989 (25 games).
The Illini moved up two spots to No. 15 in the D1Baseball.com Top 25, marking the program's highest ranking since finishing No. 11 in the 1962 Collegiate Baseball final poll.
UI also is ranked No. 20 by Perfect Game, No. 21 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, No. 24 by NCBWA and No. 25 by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, meaning Illinois is ranked in all six polls for the second straight week.
Illinois sits in the top 10 in the nation in five pitching categories: No. 2 in WHIP (1.00), No. 3 in walks allowed per nine innings (1.81) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.30), No. 5 in ERA (2.52) and No. 8 in hits allowed per nine innings (7.15).
In conference pitching categories, the Illini staff leads the Big Ten in opposing batting average (.221) and triples allowed (0).
The Illini are also second in strikeouts (208), innings pitched (243), walks allowed (50) and wins (20).
Offensively, Illinois is second in the Big Ten in hits (266), runs (154), home runs (20), RBI (139), total bases (377), stolen bases (35) and slugging percentage (.409). UI is third in average (.289), walks (106) and on-base percentage (.370).
Senior first baseman David Kerian leads the Big Ten with a career-high six home runs. He is currently on a career-best 13-game hitting streak, the longest by an Illini this season.
Midweek vs. Missouri
No. 15 Illinois will square off with Missouri on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in Sauget, Illinois, at GCS Ballpark, home of the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. The Illini are playing for the fourth day in a row after the weekend series at Michigan State was pushed back to Saturday through Monday. The Orange and Blue are 5-2 in neutral site games this season.
Series History with Mizzou
This will be the 26th all-time meeting in the border battle between Illinois and Missouri. The Tigers hold a 13-11-1 edge in the series, with wins in seven of the last eight games. The last four games have been played in Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to playing in the big league ballpark, the teams held their lone meeting at GCS Ballpark, which Mizzou won 12-5 in 2007.
Last Time Out
Illinois won its fourth straight series and first in Big Ten play after taking two out of three at Michigan State. UI won 8-4 in the opener, dropped game two 5-2 and held on for a 13-9 win in the finale.
McDonnell on the Mound
Tuesday's starter Rob McDonnell (2-1) ranks second in the Big Ten in opposing batting average, third in hits allowed (19) and fifth with a 1.10 ERA. He will make his career-high seventh start of the season against the Tigers.
