| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Missouri |
| Tue., 6:30 p.m. CT |
RHP Cyrillo Watson (1-1, 4.67) |
RHP Andy Toelken (1-1, 4.44) |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois baseball team returns to the road Tuesday with a trip to Sauget, Illinois, to take on Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights game. It will be the first road game for the Illini since March 11, a run of 12 straight games at Illinois Field.
Illinois (9-16) and Missouri meet for the third straight year at GCS Ballpark in Sauget and the fourth time overall. The Illini have won two straight over Missouri in Sauget, 4-3 in 2015 and 6-4 in 2016.
Missouri (21-7) is looking for its first ever season sweep of Illinois. The teams have met two or more times in the same season six times previously and never have the Tigers swept the Illini. Missouri won this year's first meeting, 7-6 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Feb. 26.
The Tigers have been skidding, winning just one of their last seven, after going on a 20-game winning streak earlier this year.
Illinois started trending in the other direction with a three-game sweep of Indiana State last weekend after losing seven of its previous eight. Pat McInerney hit three homers in three days to lead the Illini and move up to fifth in the NCAA with 11 home runs on the season.
NOTES
• 197 2/3 of Illinois' 219 innings pitched have been by freshmen or sophomores (90.3%).
• 159 of Illinois' 221 hits have been by freshmen or sophomores (71.9%). Freshmen have 49 hits, all by Michael Massey and Ben Troike.
• Illinois has outhit opponents in 15 of 25 games.
• Illinois is 3-14 when scoring six or fewer runs. All three of those wins came last weekend vs. Indiana State.
• The Illini are 4-7 in games decided by two or fewer runs. Two of three wins vs. Indiana State were by two or fewer.
• Pat McInerney NCAA ranks: home runs per game (3rd, 0.44); home runs (5th, 11); slugging percentage (16th, .740); total bases (30th, 71); RBIs per game (85th, 1.04)
• McInerney's last six games: .450 (9-20), 6 HRs, 8 RBIs, 1.400 SLG%, .577 OBP, 1.977 OPS
• McInerney has already surpassed his home run total from last year (7) with 11 homers in 2017. He has 24 career home runs (freshman 1, sophomore 5, junior 7, senior 11).
• Illinois has already hit 27 home runs in 2017 after hitting 27 in all of 2016.
• The Illini ranked 27th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in home runs per game (1.08) entering the week.
• Illinois hit six home runs March 4 against Florida Atlantic in a 14-4 win. It was the Illini's most since May 8, 2005 (7 vs. Northwestern).
• Michael Massey is the 40th toughest player to strikeout in the nation (14.1 AB/SO) and ranks fifth in the nation among freshmen.
• Ben Troike ranks 59th in the nation in strikeout rate (12.7 AB/SO) and 10th among freshmen.
• Illinois is 32nd in the nation and third in the Big Ten with 1.00 in double plays per game entering the week.
UP NEXT
Illinois travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend for three games against No. 18 Michigan.
