| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Opponent |
| Fri. 3Â p.m. CT |
RHP Andrew Hoffmann (0-0, 1.42) |
LHP Steve Hajjar (1-0, 2.13) |
| Sat. 11 a.m. CT |
RHP Riley Gowens (1-0, 4.91) |
RHP Cameron Weston (1-1, 3.48) |
| Sat. 3 p.m. CT |
RHP Ty Rybarczyk (1-1, 9.35) |
RHP Mason Erla (1-1, 4.50) |
| Sun. 11 a.m. CT |
LHP Cole Kirschsieper (1-1, 4.82) |
RHP Sam Benschoter (1-1, 10.64) |
SCHEDULE
Friday, 3 p.m. CT » Illinois at Michigan
Saturday, 11 a.m. CT » Illinois at Michigan
Saturday, 3 p.m. CT » Illinois vs. Michigan State
Sunday, 11 a.m. CT » Michigan State vs. Illinois
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois baseball team travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend. The Illini will play four games beginning on Friday and ending Sunday with two coming against Michigan (7-1) and the other pair against Michigan State (4-4).
This is the first of three scheduled pod weekends this season. The pod weekends will feature three schools at a single campus site. Each school will play a total of four games with two coming against each institution in attendance. All games will be nine-inning contests.
Illinois (4-4) is coming off a weekend in which they defeated Minnesota in three of four games at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Illini hit four home runs over the weekend, with two coming off the bat of sophomore catcher Jacob Campbell. Campbell hit .750/.800/1.500 (6-for-8) with two home runs, five RBIs and four runs scored in three games at Minnesota.
The Illini will throw the same rotation for the third consecutive week. Friday goes to sophomore RHP Andrew Hoffmann, Saturday will be righties Riley Gowens and Ty Rybarczyk and Sunday has LHP Cole Kirschsieper on the mound. Last week both Gowens (W, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO) and Rybarczyk (W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO) earned winning decisions.
All four games will be broadcast on BTN+, along with the Fighting Illini Sports Network.
No public admission will be allowed at the games this weekend. Â
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Michigan
• Record: 105-141-2 (Home: 55-67-2; Away: 46-69; Neutral: 4-5)
• Last: L, 5-4 (5/23/19 at Omaha)
• Michigan eliminated Illinois from the 2019 Big Ten Tournament
• Michigan won two of three in 2017
• Illinois won two of three in 2016 and 2018
vs. Michigan State
• Record: 80-70 (Home: 44-29, Away: 30-37, Neutral: 6-4)
• Last: W, 5-3 (5/18/19 at East Lansing, Mich.)
• Illinois won two of three at MSU in 2019
• Teams played two non-conference games in 2018
• MSU swept three-game series in 2017
NOTES
• Illinois will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to participate in their first "pod" of the season. Four games will be played this weekend with two against Michigan and the other pair against Michigan State.
• The Illini's offensive rankings in the Big Ten through eight games...
   » 1st hits (81)
   » 2nd batting average (.285)
   » 2nd OBP (.401)
   » 2nd walks (42)
   » T-3rd runs (49)
   » T-3rd stolen bases (10)
   » T-4th doubles (16)
• Illinois hit .300/.408/.443 (42-for-140) with 8 2B, 4 HR, 24 RBIs, 27 R and 21 BB at Minnesota last weekend.
• Illinois won both games of their doubleheader last Saturday, their first DH sweep since April 14, 2019 at Minnesota.
• Three of the four wins in 2021 have come when allowing two runs or fewer. Six of the Illini's eight wins in 2020 came when allowing two runs or fewer.Â
• Illinois is 10-for-11 (90.9%) on stolen bases through two weekends. The Illini went 15-for-21 (71.4%) in 2020.
• Illinois has 24 returning players and 11 newcomers. 86% of last season's hits and 83% of runs are back in the lineup.
   » Three of the four transfers on the team this season are coming from John A. Logan CC (RHP Andrew Hoffmann, C Ryan Hampe, INF Zak Hartleb). INF Jackson Raper transferred from Catawba College.
• The combination of RHP Andrew Hoffmann, LHP Nathan Lavender and RHP Ryan Kutt struck out 13 Minnesota batters last Friday, the most by the Illini in a game since April 23, 2019 at Bradley (16 SO).Â
   » It was the most in a conference game since April 19, 2019 (15 SO) vs. Penn State and the highest total in a conference game away from Illinois Field since May 13, 2016 at Indiana (14 SO).
• C Jacob Campbell launched two home runs last weekend at Minnesota. The 2 HR match his total from the previous two seasons combined. He is hitting .615/.706/1.077 (8-for-13) with two HR, six RBIs and four runs this season.
• C Ryan Hampe leads the team in hits (11). He is batting .367/.387/.533 (11-for-30) with two doubles, HR, five RBIs and four runs through his first eight games.
• OF Danny Doligale, INF Jackson Raper and SS Branden Comia have reached base safely in all eight games this season.
• SS Branden Comia currently has a career-long 26-game on-base streak dating back to May 18, 2019 at Michigan State.
• SS Branden Comia was the only underclassmen shortstop in the nation who hit .400+ with an OPS of 1.200+ in 2020.
• SS Branden Comia Big Ten ranks in 2020...
   » 3rd OBP (.526)
   » 5th slugging (.702)
   » 5th batting average (.426)
• Dan Hartleb won his 450th game as a head coach on Feb. 28, 2020 against #13 Texas A&M to become the third coach in Illinois history to reach the milestone. Hartleb could pass Illini legend Itch Jones for second place on the all-time wins list this year.
• Head coach Dan Hartleb has made as many NCAA tournaments in his first 15 seasons as head coach (4) as the previous 42 Illini seasons combined.
• Illinois is picked to finish fifth in the conference by Baseball America, sixth by D1Baseball and sixth in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll.
• On March 7, 2021 the Illini pitched a three-hit shutout. It was their first shutout in a conference game since May 3, 2019 vs. Indiana (4-0) and the first in a conference game away from Illinois Field since May 22, 2015 vs. Michigan State (2-0) in the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis.
   » The three hits allowed were the least in a conference game since May 4, 2019 vs. Indiana (3) and the least in a conference game away from Illinois Field since May 7, 2016 at Maryland (3).
• Illinois returned to play on March 5 against Ohio State for the first time in 362 days (8-7 win on March 8, 2020 at Elon).
   » The Big Ten suspended all sports beginning March 12, 2020 due to COVID-19. The fast-spreading virus was deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization, prompting most collegiate and professional leagues in the United States to suspend all activities. The suspension of Big Ten sports ended Illinois' baseball season after only 13 games.
• 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 2021 MLB Draft prospects: No. 11 SS Branden Comia, No. 17 RHP Aidan Maldonado, No. 27 C Ryan Hampe
• D1Baseball Big Ten Impact Freshmen: No. 17 LHP Payton Hutchings and No. 21 RHP Jack Crowder
• Baseball America Big Ten top 2021 MLB Draft prospects: No. 10 RHP Aidan Maldonado, No. 13 C Jacob Campbell, No. 17 SS Branden Comia, No. 20 RHP Andrew Hoffmann
• Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten team: SS Branden Comia and C Ryan Hampe
• Perfect Game Big Ten top 2021 MLB Draft prospects: No. 19 C Jacob Campbell, No. 22 RHP Andrew Hoffmann, No. 24 RHP Aidan Maldonado, No. 25 C Ryan Hampe, No. 29 SS Branden Comia, No. 32 INF Jackson Raper
• SS Branden Comia preseason awards: Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten team, No. 4 shortstop in the nation by D1Baseball, No. 11 MLB Draft prospect in the Big Ten by D1Baseball, No. 17 MLB Draft prospect in the Big Ten by Baseball America, "Best Defensive Infielder" in the Big Ten by Baseball America, Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award watch list
• Illinois opened the new decade last season following its best decade in program history.Â
   » 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.
UP NEXT
Illinois will host their first series of the season next weekend against Northwestern in a three-game set at Illinois Field.
