University of Illinois
Purdue
Illinois, Purdue Meet For Spot in Title Game
May 26, 2018 | Baseball
| Illinois (33-19) vs. Purdue (36-18) | |
|---|---|
| When | Saturday, May 26 at 1 p.m. CT |
| Where | Omaha, Neb. | TD Ameritrade Park |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster |
| Live Video | Big Ten Network (All Tournament Games) |
| Radio | Fighting Illini Sports Network | WDWS AM-1400 |
| Live Stats | Big Ten Tournament Central |
| Notes | Illinois (updated) |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions | Publications |
| Social Media | @IlliniBaseball  | #Illini | @IlliniBaseball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Probable Starting Pitchers | |||||||||
| Day | Illinois | Purdue | |||||||
| Sat. 1 p.m. CT | RHP Cyrillo Watson (1-1, 4.56) | LHP Ryan Beard (5-3, 3.81) | |||||||
| if necessary | TBA | TBA | |||||||
PREVIEW
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Illinois baseball team takes on Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Saturday at 1 p.m. CT needing two wins in order to reach Sunday's championship game. The Illini got to Saturday in dramatic fashion on a 5-4 walk-off win over Indiana late Friday night thanks to Ben Troike's ninth-inning double to score Jack Yalowitz.
Illinois (33-19) and Purdue (36-18) will play again at either 5 p.m. CT or 9 p.m. CT if Illinois wins the first game. The time depends on if Minnesota wins or Ohio State wins the 9 a.m. CT game. If Minnesota wins, the Illini and Purdue will play at 5 p.m. CT and if Ohio State wins the game will have to wait until 9 p.m. CT.
Sunday's 1 p.m. CT championship game is a one game winner-take-all final.
All Big Ten Tournament games will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Dave Loane and Jeff Huth will have the radio call on the Fighting Illini Sports Network and WDWS 1400-AM.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
9 a.m. CT » Minnesota vs. Ohio State
1 p.m. CT » Purdue vs. Illinois
5 p.m. CT » Minnesota vs. Ohio State (if necessary if Ohio State wins at 9 a.m. CT)
5 or 9 p.m. CT » Purdue vs. Illinois (if necessary if Illinois wins at 1 p.m. CT)
NOTES
• Illinois is 3-2 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue.
• Illinois and Purdue meet in the Big Ten Tournament since 2006.
• Illinois has won three of the last four series against Purdue.
• The Illini are 31-36 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament with four titles (1989, 1990, 2000, 2011).
• Illinois entered the week 12th in the nation in fielding percentage (.980). Michigan set the Big Ten fielding percentage record of .983 last season.
• Illinois has seven fewer errors than any other Big Ten team (Illinois 42, Minnesota 49).
• Illinois is second in the Big Ten in homers (61) and slugging percentage (.442) behind Indiana (63 and .448).
• Illinois is 24-0 when leading after seven innings, 23-1 when leading after four innings and 18-2 when leading after three innings.
• Illinois is 21-5 when scoring first.
• Illinois is 10-5 in one-run games.
• Illinois is 32-11 when scoring three or more runs.
• Ben Troike has reached base in all 52 games this season. His current reached base streak is 57 dating back to the final five games of last season, the longest active streak in the nation.
• Bren Spillane is the Big Ten leader in batting average, slugging, OBP, OPS, homers, RBIs and total bases. He ranks third in runs, fourth in doubles, 13th in steals and 13th in hits.
• Bren Spillane current ranks in Illinois single-season history: 2nd slugging (.908), 2nd home runs (23), 2nd Big Ten home runs (10), 5th on-base percentage (.493), 4th total bases (158), t-3rd Big Ten total bases (67)
• Bren Spillane's 23 home runs are the second most in Illinois history behind Josh Klimek's 26 in 1996.
• Bren Spillane's 158 total bases are tied with Brian McClure's 1996 season for third most. Josh Klimek owns the record of 188 in 1996 and Tim Richardson is second with 163 in 1982.
• Bren Spillane is currently slugging .908. The last NCAA player to finish a year with a slugging percentage over .900 was in 2009 when Bryce Brentz of Middle Tennesee State sluggin .930.
• Bren Spillane could break the Big Ten single-season record for slugging (.913, Darrin Fletcher, Illinois, 1987).
• Bren Spillane is one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award.
• Michael Massey ended a 60-game errorless streak May 13 at Michigan.
• Joey Gerber is one save away from breaking Tyler Jay's Illinois single-season record of 14 set in 2015.
• Joey Gerber's 21 career saves are tied for third-best in Illini history (Tyler Jay 24, Jeff Richards 23, Jeff Innis 21).
FRIDAY, MAY 25 - Illinois 5, Indiana 4
Recap | Box
• Ben Troike hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to give Illinois its first walk-off victory of the season.
• Illinois clinched the season series against Indiana 3-2.
• Indiana went 1-2 at the tournament with both losses coming to Illinois.
• Ryan Thompson allowed only one run on three hits in a career-long 4 2/3 innings, two days after allowing one run in 2 2/3 innings against the Hoosiers. The right hander threw 55 pitches, 36 for strikes, in one of the best relief performances the Illini have had all season.
• Bren Spillane hit one of the longest home runs in TD Ameritrade Park history, a three-run shot to row 24 of Section 129.
THURSDAY, MAY 24 - Minnesota 3, Illinois 0
Recap | Box
• Minnesota's Reggie Meyer threw a three-hit shutout in 106 pitches. He only faced 31 batters and stuck out eight.
• Andy Fisher tied for Illinois' season-high with nine strikeouts (Ty Weber at Indiana, April 29, 2018).
• Illinois was shutout for the first time since Feb. 18, 2018 against Austin Peay (L, 2-0).
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 - Illinois 7, Indiana 1
Recap | Box
• Illinois held Indiana to tying season lows in runs (1) and hits (2).
• Michael Massey hit a three-run homer off of LHP B.J. Sabol, who entered the game with a .059 (2-34) batting average against when facing lefties.
• Illinois only struck out twice against Indiana ace Jonathan Stiever, the Big Ten leader in punch outs, after he struck out six of the first eight batters in the teams' first meeting.
• Illinois retired eight of nine Indiana leadoff hitters and held the Hoosiers hitless with runners on (0-8).
• Ryan Thompson won for the eighth time, one away from tying Minnesota's Brett Schulze for the Big Ten lead.
