Garrett Acton
Junior
Finance

The No. 23 Illinois baseball team won their last Big Ten series of the season at Michigan State. After a 1-5 start in conference play, Illinois (36-17, 15-9 Big Ten) ended the regular season with 14 wins in the final 18 games and a 14-4 record in Big Ten games since April 14, including six straight series wins. The Illini finished two games back of Big Ten champion Indiana, as Illinois was the only Big Ten team to win a series against the Hoosiers this season. 

Junior Garrett Acton finished off Sunday's 5-3 win over the Spartans his national-leading 19th save. Acton broke the Big Ten record for saves, previously held by Ohio State's Jake Hale in 2009.  He both set the Illinois single-season record and tied Joey Gerber (2018) for the most saves by an Illinois pitcher in a Big Ten season (8).