CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois' record-setting season added another highlight on Monday, winning the program's first NCAA Regional title with an 8-4 victory over Wright State at Illinois Field. The Fighting Illini reached 50 wins for the first time in school history when closer
Tyler Jay shut the door with four scoreless frames, sealing a pair of school records and sending Illinois to its first Super Regional.
Jay broke the tie with Jeff Richards and became the school's all-time leader for single-season saves (14) and career saves (24). The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-American was lights out, surrendering only two base runners while recording the final 12 outs, including five strikeouts.
Jay took over with a 5-4 lead and one on in the sixth. He retired the first seven batters he faced before giving up a walk in the eighth. He sat down the next four Raiders and allowed a two-out single in the ninth followed by a game-ending groundout to third base.
Senior
Will Krug went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two stolen bases, two runs and two RBI to pace the Illini offense, including the go-ahead RBI. Senior
David Kerian finished 2-for-3 with a two-run homer as part of three insurance runs tacked on in the ninth. Sophomore
Ryne Roper was 1-for-4 with two RBI, meaning the 7-8-9 spots in Illinois' lineup combined for six hits, six RBI and four runs.
Wright State capitalized on a two-out error in the third, pushing across two unearned runs for an early 2-0 lead. An RBI double and RBI single followed the error to do the damage.
Illinois grabbed a 4-2 advantage with a four-run fifth inning. With two on and one out, Krug kicked off the rally with an RBI double down the left field line, scoring senior
Casey Fletcher.
Ryne Roper followed with a two-run single on a hard hit ball off the third baseman's glove, plating sophomore
Pat McInerney and Krug.
Following a walk and WSU pitching change, junior
Ryan Nagle drilled a liner up the middle that brought home
Ryne Roper. The Orange and Blue tallied seven runs in the fifth inning over the final two games of the Champaign Regional.
The Raiders evened up the contest 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double and two-out RBI single. Junior
J.D. Nielsen replaced Kravetz with two on and walked the bases loaded but ended the frame unscathed.
In the top of the sixth, Krug came through in the clutch with a two-out, go-ahead RBI double that scored junior
Jason Goldstein for a 5-4 edge. Kerian was thrown out at home on the same play trying to score from first.
Jay dominated the next four innings and the offense added three runs in the ninth. Kerian blasted his 16th home run and
Adam Walton knocked in Krug, who stole second and third in the stanza.
Up Next: Illinois will host Vanderbilt in the Super Regional at Illinois Field next weekend. Dates and times will be announced by the NCAA following the completion of all NCAA Regional games.
Illinois NCAA Tournament Game Notes• Illinois won its first-ever NCAA Regional, going 3-0 while hosting the first NCAA Champaign Regional at Illinois Field. The Illini advanced to the Super Regional for the first time in school history.
• Illinois (50-8-1) set the school record with 50 victories, breaking the school record of 49 wins from 1982.
• UI boasts the No. 1 winning percentage (0.856) in NCAA Division I Baseball and has the fewest losses (8), marking the only team in single digits.
• Illinois is 25-2 at home in 2015, and its current 19-game home winning streak is the longest active home streak in the nation.
• UI is 5-0 when playing as the visiting team at Illinois Field in 2015 (3-0 vs. Northwestern, 2-0 in NCAA Champaign Regional).
• The Illini earned their 25th comeback win of the season, coming from behind in half their victories this year.
• Senior
David Kerian was named Most Outstanding Player of the Champaign Regional, hitting .625 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI to go along with four walks. He posted a 1.625 slugging percentage and .750 on-base percentage.
• Seniors
Will Krug (.600, 5 R, 2 RBI) and
Drasen Johnson (CG, 0 R, 6 K) also were named to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA Champaign Regional.
