Illinois (6-4) at Elon (6-7)
When	March 6-8
Where	Elon, N.C. // Latham Park
Tickets	Tickets
Television	None
Live Video	FloBaseball.tv ($, Sunday only)
Radio	Fighting Illini Sports Network | WDWS AM-1400
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Notes	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions | Publications
Social Media	@IlliniBaseball | #Illini | @IlliniBaseball | Facebook | YouTube

PREVIEW

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Winners of five of its last six games, the Illinois baseball team is back on the road this weekend for three games at Elon. The series starts an eight-game road swing before Illinois returns back to Illinois Field. 

Illinois (6-4) is coming off a second place finish at the Frisco Classic, including ranked wins over No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 23 Oklahoma State, and a midweek victory in the home opener over Chicago State. Branden Comia had four hits and four RBIs Tuesday to increase his career-best hitting streak to seven games and team-best batting average to .429. 

The Illini's pitching staff, led by new pitching coach Mark Allen, has been the key to Illinois' early-season wins. The starting pitchers have a combined 3.56 ERA and six starts of allowing one or zero earned runs. Ty Weber, the Big Ten leader in ERA at 0.51, gets the start against on Friday at Elon, followed by Cole Kirschsieper and Aidan Maldonado. 

Elon (6-7) has lost six straight after a 6-1 start. They were swept by Indiana State over the weekend, then lost midweek games to Liberty and North Carolina A&T. 

All three games will be broadcast on the Fighting Illini Sports Network. FloBaseball will provide live video for Sunday's game. 

SERIES HISTORY

vs. Elon
• First ever meeting

NOTES

• Illinois has won five of its last six games with the only loss coming to #1 UCLA.

• Tuesday was the earliest home opener in Illinois' 141-year program history. Illinois beat Chicago State, 11-8.

• Illinois has won seven straight home openers (2014-20).

• Illinois finished in second place at the Frisco Classic with wins against #13 Texas A&M and #23 Oklahoma State.

• Five of the Illini's six wins in 2020 have come when allowing two or fewer runs.
• All six Illini wins have been saved (Acton 5, Maldonado 1).

• Acton has tied Tyler Jay's Illinois career record for saves (24).

          » Most Career Saves in Illinois History
             24 Garrett Acton (2019-current)
             24 Tyler Jay (2013-15)
             23 Jeff Richards (1987-90)
             22 Joey Gerber (2016-18)

• SS Branden Comia is on a seven-game hitting streak and a career-long 15-game reached base streak. 

• CF Taylor Jackson has reached base safely in all 10 games and has a hit in nine of 10 games. 

• SS Branden Comia and C Jacob Campbell were named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend. 

     » Comia had the game-winning hit Feb. 28 in a 1-0 win over #13 Texas A&M and a triple and homer against #23  
Oklahoma State on Feb. 29. He also doubled against #1 UCLA.

     » Campbell had two hits against #23 Oklahoma State and added a big caught stealing behind the plate.

• Four of Illinois' first nine games were against top 25 teams. The Illini went 2-2 in those four games vs. ranked opponents.

• Dan Hartleb won his 450th game as a head coach on Feb. 28 against #13 Texas A&M to become the third coach in Illinois history to reach the milestone. He trails Itch Jones by 22 wins for second place on Illinois' all-time wins list. 

• Illinois was picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten by Perfect Game, fifth by D1Baseball, and eighth by Baseball America.

• Illinois is opening the new decade following its best decade in program history. 

     » Two Big Ten titles (2011, 2015) in the decade.

     » Four NCAA Regionals (2011, 2013, 2015, 2019), tied for the second-most in the Big Ten in the 2010s (IND 6, NEB 4).

     » Program record 50 wins in 2015 and the team's first ever Super Regional.

     » Head coach Dan Hartleb was named D1Baseball's Big Ten Coach of the Decade.

• Head coach Dan Hartleb has made as many NCAA tournaments in his first 14 seasons as head coach (4) as the previous 42 Illini seasons combined. 

• Illinois' new $8-million, 26,000-square foot Susan and Clint Atkins Baseball Training Center is set to open in 2022.

• D1Baseball Big Ten top 2020 MLB Draft prospects: No. 20 LHP Jimmy Burnette, No. 24 C/1B Kellen Sarver, No. 37 RHP Garrett Acton

• D1Baseball Big Ten top 2021 MLB Draft prospects: No. 4 RHP Aidan Maldonado, No. 14 IF/OF Cam McDonald, No. 19 LHP Nathan Lavender, No. 20 SS Branden Comia, No. 26 Ty Rybarczyk

• D1Baseball Big Ten Impact Freshmen: No. 19 INF Brody Harding, No. 37 LHP Cole Kirschsieper, No. 42 RHP Grant Leader, No. 44 OF Danny Doligale, No. 46 INF Xavier Watson

• RHP Garrett Acton preseason awards: NCBWA Preseason All-America first team, Perfect Game Preseason All-America second team, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-America second team, Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten, No. 26 MLB Draft prospect in the Big Ten by Perfect Game, No. 37 MLB Draft prospect in the Big Ten by D1Baseball

• Illinois regularly started four freshmen last season, who now make up the sophomore class: SS Branden Comia, 1B/C Kellen Sarver, C Jacob Campbell, IF/OF Cam McDonald. The class was ranked No. 22 in the nation by D1Baseball.com and No. 24 by Baseball America as recruits, Illinois' first-ever top-25 recruiting class. Campbell (No. 25) and RHP Aidan Maldonado (No. 49) were both among the top 50 freshman in the nation according to Baseball America in 2019.

• Illinois has 18 newcomers in 2020.

UP NEXT

Illinois travels to Southern Illinois next weekend, then plays two midweek games in Ohio against Dayton and Miami (Ohio) during the Illini's spring break.