University of Illinois
Michigan
Big Ten Tournament Semifinal: #1 Illinois vs. #3 Michigan
May 23, 2015 | Baseball
Illini Need to Defeat Wolverines Twice to Reach Championship
| No. 1 Illinois (47-7-1, 21-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 3 Michigan (35-23, 14-10 Big Ten) - Big Ten Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Semifinal | Saturday, May 23, 2015 | 1 p.m. (BTN) |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minn. | Target Field |
| Television | Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler and Scott Pose) |
| Live Stream | Watch on BTN2Go |
| Mobile Live Stats | Follow on Mobile |
| Gametracker | Follow on Desktop |
| Live Audio ($) | Listen Online |
| Radio | WDWS AM 1400 (Dave Loane and Jeff Huth) |
| Game Notes | Illinois | Michigan |
| Probable Starters | ILL: r-Sr. LHP Rob McDonnell (7-1, 2.35 ERA) MICH: Jr. LHP Evan Hill (1-2, 5.67 ERA) |
| Series History | Michigan leads 135-100-2 |
| Season Series | Did not meet |
| Last Meeting | Michigan won 4-2 (4/13/14) |
| Series Streak | Lost 2 |
| Links | 2015 Big Ten Tournament Central | Bracket |
| Social Media | @IlliniBaseball  | #Illini | @IlliniBaseball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Illinois-Michigan Match Up
No. 1 seed Illinois will face No. 3 seed Michigan on Saturday at 1 p.m. live on Big Ten Network. The Illini will need to beat the Wolverines twice to reach Sunday's championship game against Maryland. With a win, the second UI-UM game would be played after the first at 5 p.m.
Quick Hits
Junior Tyler Jay was named a semifinalist for the 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award. The Illini closer is one of 21 players up for the award given to the top amateur baseball player in the nation.
Illinois is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament for the fourth time in program history (1998, 2005, 2011, 2015).
Playing in the Big Ten postseason for the 21st time, Illinois is now 29-34 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament.
Illinois (47-7-1) earned the second-most wins in school history and is two shy of the school record for victories (49 in 1982).
Illinois boasts the No. 1 winning percentage (0.864) in NCAA Division I Baseball and has the fewest losses (7).
Illinois posted a Big Ten record 27-game winning streak from March 30-May 20, which is the longest winning streak in the country in 2015.
The Illini finished seven shy of the NCAA record winning streak of 34: Texas (1977) and Florida Atlantic (1999).
Illinois outscored its opponents 219-98 during its 27-game winning streak. The Illini boasted a .312 average and 2.88 ERA during that span. UI overcome a deficit in 17 of the games.
The 2015 Illini pitching staff (416 K) is just three strikeouts shy of the school record from 1998 (419 K). Their 2.50 ERA is on pace to shatter the school's ERA record (3.25) from last season.
The Illini rank third in the country with 3.2 runs allowed per game and fourth with a +3.5 scoring margin.
