| #8 Illinois (33-6-1, 10-1 Big Ten) at Penn State (13-23, 2-9 Big Ten) |
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| Game 41 | Friday, April 24, 2015 | 5:30 p.m. CT |
| Game 42 | Saturday, April 25, 2015 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Game 43 | Sunday, April 26, 2015 | 9 a.m. CT (BTN) |
| Location | University Park, Pa. | Medlar Field at Lubrano Park |
| Mobile Live Stats | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Gametracker | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Television | Big Ten Network on Sunday (Andy Masur & Danan Hughes) |
| Live Video | Friday on BTN Plus | Saturday on BTN Plus | Sunday on BTN |
| Radio | WDWS AM 1400 (Dave Loane and Matt Wille) |
| Live Audio | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Game Notes | Illinois | Penn State |
| Friday Starters | ILL: Jr. LHP Kevin Duchene (6-1, 0.82 ERA)
PSU: Jr. LHP Nick Hedge (1-5, 5.16 ERA) |
| Saturday Starters | ILL: r-Sr. RHP Drasen Johnson (6-2, 2.31 ERA)
PSU: Fr. LHP Taylor Lehman (1-4, 7.41 ERA) |
| Sunday Starters | ILL: Sr. RHP John Kravetz (3-0, 2.91 ERA)
PSU: Fr. RHP Nick Distasio (1-5, 5.29 ERA) |
| Series History | Illinois leads 31-28 |
| Last Meeting | Illinois won 7-6 (4/20/2014) |
| Streak | Won 6 |
| Interviews | Coach Dickinson | David Kerian |
| Social Media | @IlliniBaseball  Â |Â #Illini | @IlliniBaseball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Series Finale Update
No. 8 Illinois will hit the road with its next seven games away from home, beginning with a three-game series at Penn State this weekend (April 24-26). Due to travel arrangements, the series finale between the Illini and Nittany Lions on Sunday was moved up to a 9 a.m. CT start.
Quick Hits
Illinois is ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, marking the highest ranking in program history. It is the first time an Illini team has cracked the Top 10.
UI also is ranked No. 9 by D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game and Baseball America, No. 10 by NCBWA and No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball, meaning Illinois is ranked in all six polls for the fifth straight week.
Illinois is off to its best start in school history with a 33-6-1 record. The previous best UI mark after 40 games was 31-9 in 1989 under Augie Garrido.
The Illini own the longest active winning streak in the country with 14 wins in a row, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the NCAA this year. Texas A&M boasts the longest mark in 2015 with 24 straight followed by UC Irvine with 15.
UI has 14 consecutive victories for the first time since 1989. It is the sixth time in 136 years of Illinois baseball that an Illini team has won at least 14 straight games in a season.
The longest single-season winning streak in program history is 16 games in both 1989 and 1959.
Illinois has outscored its opponents 114-46 during its 14-game winning streak. The Illini boast a .301 average and 2.70 ERA during that span. UI has overcome a deficit in 10 of the games, including each of the last six, and now has 16 comeback victories this season.
After playing 11 of their last 13 games at home, the Illini will have their next seven games on the road: PSU series, Southern Illinois midweek, OSU series.
Illinois boasts the third-most wins (33) and No. 3 winning percentage (0.838) in NCAA Division I Baseball behind Texas A&M (36-5) and LSU (35-6).
The Illini sit in first place atop the Big Ten standings at 10-1. That marks UI's best Big Ten start through 11 conference contests since 1982 (11-0).
UI sits in the top 10 in the nation in four pitching categories: No. 3 in walks allowed per nine innings (1.93), No. 4 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.05), No. 5 in WHIP (1.10), and No. 7 in ERA (2.42).
The Illini also rank second with 3.0 runs allowed per game, fourth in the country with a 10-2 road record and seventh with a +3.4 scoring margin.
Illinois is tied with Maryland for the Big Ten lead in home runs with 34, while senior David Kerian is tied for first in the conference with nine homers.
Seven Illini starters are hitting .300 or better and the Illini rank first in the Big Ten in RBI (232), OBP (.375) and slugging (.428) and second in hits (406), average (.291), runs (255) and walks (162).
Junior catcher Jason Goldstein is currently on a career-best 14-game hitting streak. He is one of four Illini to turn in a double-digit streak this season along with David Kerian (18), Ryan Nagle (15) and Casey Fletcher (12).
Goldstein is hitting a team-high .469 with 19 runs, 17 RBI & 8 doubles during the 14-game winning streak.
Series History with Penn State
Illinois owns a 31-28 edge in the all-time series with Penn State and has swept the Nittany Lions each of the past two seasons. UI's current six-game winning streak is the longest in the series by either team. PSU holds a slim 15-14 edge in games played in University Park. Head coach Dan Hartleb is 14-9 in his career against Penn State.
Last Time Out
Illinois turned it on in the middle of the game for its 14th consecutive win, downing Eastern Illinois 10-1 on Tuesday night. Senior David Kerian homered in the fifth and the Illini added four runs in both the sixth and eighth. They continued the best start in school history (33-6-1), longest active winning streak (14) and 8-0 record in midweek games.
UI's Longest Single-Season Winning Streaks
The University of Illinois baseball team has won 14 or more consecutive games in a single season six times in school history. The longest winning streak across seasons in Illinois baseball history is 19 games spanning 1909-11.
Home Sweet Home
The Orange and Blue have won 11 consecutive games at Illinois Field and are 17-2 at home this season. The Illini have six more home games scheduled, which would equal the most games played (25) at Illinois Field in a season from 1998.
Illini Pitchers in Big Ten Stats
Four Illinois pitchers rank in the Big Ten's Top 15 ERA leaders. Tyler Jay leads the conference with a 0.68 ERA followed by Kevin Duchene (0.82) in second, Rob McDonnell (1.79) in fifth and Drasen Johnson (2.31) in 10th.
Five Illinois pitchers rank in the Big Ten's Top 10 opposing batting average leaders. Tyler Jay (.146) leads the league followed by Rob McDonnell (.206) in fourth, John Kravetz (.232) in eighth, Kevin Duchene (.238) in 12th, and Drasen Johnson (.2438) in 13th.
Jay's Midseason Accolades
Junior closer Tyler Jay was picked to the NCBWA midseason Stopper of the Year watch list, midseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list and named a midseason All-American on D1Baseball.com. He ranks second in the nation with a 0.68 ERA and boasts a 5-1 record as the closer. He also has eight saves (2nd in Big Ten), giving him 18 for his career, which is third-most in school history.
The Lemont, Illinois, native has 19 scoreless appearances out of 20 total to go along with 46 strikeouts and three walks (15.33-to-1 ratio), which ranks sixth in the nation. He is limiting opponents to a .146 average, only allowing 19 hits (16 singles, 3 doubles) in 40 innings pitched. His 1.68 career ERA is the best in Illinois history and seventh among active NCAA players, while he boasts the second-fewest hits allowed per nine innings (5.12) for his career. His 18 career saves is 27th among active players in the NCAA.
Duchene's Dominant on Friday
Junior Kevin Duchene sits third in the nation with a 0.82 ERA, 10th with 0.82 walks allowed per nine innings and 15th with a 12.40 strikeout-to-walk-ratio. He has fanned eight or more five times, including a season-high 10 punch outs against Northwestern. His 6-1 record is tied for tops on the team and third in the Big Ten, while his 62 strikeouts sit second in the conference. Duchene's 1.94 career ERA ranks second in school history, while his 19-3 (.864) career record is the third-best winning percentage all-time by an Illini pitcher.
Johnson Eats Up Innings
Redshirt-senior Drasen Johnson has been a workhorse for the Illini starting staff after moving into the rotation last season. Johnson is 6-2 with a 2.31 ERA and leads the Big Ten with 74 innings pitched over 10 starts. The Chillicothe, Illinois, native made every start last season and led the Illini with 96 innings pitched. He spent his first two seasons in the bullpen, throwing 39 innings in 2012 and 29.1 innings in 2013.
Career Numbers for Kravetz
Senior John Kravetz is 22-7 with 312 innings pitched in his career. He ranks eighth on the Illinois all-time wins list and fourth in career innings pitched. Mark Dressen (1989-92) and current pitching coach Drew Dickinson (1999-02) hold the school record with 30 career wins, while Kevin Johnson owns the top spot with 334 IP. Among active players in NCAA Division I Baseball, Kravetz ranks 10th in games started (51), 12th in innings pitched (312) and 13th in wins (22).
Kerian, Illini Dig the Long Ball
Illinois has blown by its home run total from last season (21 HR in 53 games) and is tied for first in the Big Ten with 34 home runs, led by senior David Kerian with a career-high nine bombs (36th in NCAA). Kerian also leads the team with a .346 average (10th in Big Ten) along with a .586 slugging percentage and .453 on-base percentage (both 3rd in Big Ten).
Reid Roper and Jason Goldstein are next with five homers followed by Pat McInerney with four dingers, Adam Walton, Casey Fletcher and Matthew James each with three and Ryne Roper and Ryan Nagle with one.
Walton on Wallace Watch List
Redshirt-sophomore Adam Walton was named to the initial watch list for the 2015 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award. Walton is hitting .302 with 35 runs, three home runs and 19 RBI to go along with 116 assists in the field.
Dual Threat Reid Roper
Redshirt-senior Reid Roper is hitting .313 as the starting second baseman while also tallying a save in four appearances out of the bullpen. He leads the team with 33 RBI (T-3rd in Big Ten), four triples (T-4th in Big Ten) this year and is tied for eighth in school history with 11 career saves.
