Illinois (15-16) vs. Maryland (19-13)
When	May 7-9
Where	Illinois Field
Television	Big Ten Network 11:00 a.m. CT Sunday
Live Video ($)	Friday | Saturday
Radio	Fighting Illini Sports Network | WDWS AM-1400
Live Stats	Live Stats
Notes	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniBaseball | @IlliniBaseball | Facebook | YouTube

This weekend's schedule was adjusted due to expected inclement weather on Sunday. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday. Game two will begin approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

PREVIEW

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois baseball team will take on the Maryland Terrapins this weekend at Illinois Field in a three-game set. The Illini have two series remaining at home this season.

Illinois (15-16) had a four-game series against Michigan last weekend in Evanston following a pause in the Northwestern program. The Illini played back-to-back days of doubleheaders and came out of the series with a 2-2 split.

In game one on Sunday, Jackson Raper hit for the cycle (4-for-5, home run, single, triple, double, career-high 7 RBI, 2 R). Raper is only the 4th Illinois batter in the last 32 seasons (since 1990) to hit for the cycle and the first since Justin Parr vs. Purdue on April 14, 2013.

Kellen Sarver has also been a spark for the Illinois offense recently, driving in at least one run in each of his last eight games and 10 of his last 11 contests.

LHP Cole Kirschsieper finished the game in both Illinois wins last weekend. After beginning the season as a starter, Kirschsieper has transitioned to the bullpen and become the leading candidate to close out games for the Illini. Kirschsieper currently has a scoreless streak of 11.2 innings over five appearances.

The Illini will throw RHP Andrew Hoffmann on Friday, LHP Nathan Lavender on Saturday and RHP Riley Gowens in the series finale on Sunday.

A limited number of families and approved guests will be allowed at home games this season. Consistent with Champaign County public health guidelines on social distancing at outdoor events, no general public admission will be permitted at this time. The current policy will continue to be evaluated as the spring season goes along.

Sunday's game will air on Big Ten Network, while Friday and Saturday will be broadcasted on BTN+. Scott Beatty will have the radio call all weekend on the Fighting Illini Sports Network.

SERIES HISTORY

vs. Maryland

• Record: 8-8 (Home: 3-3; Away: 4-2; Neutral: 1-3)
• Last: L, 6-2 (5/22/19 at Omaha)
• Illini are 7-6 since Maryland joined Big Ten
• Maryland won two of three in 2019
• Illini won two of three in 2016, '17, '18

NOTES

• Illinois will return home to Illinois Field for a three-game series this weekend against Maryland.
• Illinois' offensive rankings in the Big Ten through 31 games...
     » 1st batting average (.284)
     » 2nd hits (300)
     » 3rd scoring (6.7 runs/game)
     » 4th runs (209)
     » 5th on-base percentage (.379)
• Illinois has won five of their last seven games following a stretch where they lost five of seven games.
• Illinois has hit 25 home runs in their last 19 games after only four home runs in their first 12 games.
• Illinois has scored at least six runs in 13 of their 15 wins. The Illini are 13-6 when scoring six runs or more in a game this season.
• Illinois has been leading or tied over the course of the game in 12 of their 16 losses this season (nine leading, three tied).
• 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.
• 3B Jackson Raper hit for the cycle on Sunday against Michigan. Raper went 4-for-5 with a career-high 7 RBI and two runs scored in the first game of the doubleheader.
     » He is only the 4th Illinois batter in the last 32 seasons (since 1990) to hit for the cycle and the first since Justin Parr vs. Purdue on April 14, 2013. Brandon Wikoff vs. Bradley on April 7, 2009 and Sean Mulligan vs. Michigan on February 25, 1990 were the others.
     » Big Ten rankings: 3rd – RBIs (36), 3rd – slugging percentage (.679), T-5th – doubles (10), T-6th – home runs (9), T-6th – BB (20)
• SS Branden Comia is hitting .439/.544/.634 (36-for-82), with 7 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBIs, 24 R and 12 BB over his last 23 games.
     » Big Ten rankings this season: 1st – on-base percentage (.500), 3rd – batting average (.361), T-6th – runs (30) 
     » Comia snapped his career-long 37-game on-base streak that dated back to May 18, 2019 at Michigan State on April 10 at Indiana. It was the third longest on-base streak by an Illini hitter since 2004 (Ben Troike-57 games in 2017-18, Kyle Hudson-38 games in 2008).
• SS Branden Comia was the only underclassmen shortstop in the nation who hit .400+ with an OPS of 1.200+ in 2020.
• LHP Nate Lavender started the season 5-0 to become the first since RHP John Kravetz finished the 2015 season with a 5-0 record (3.35 ERA) in 14 starts. 
     » Big Ten rankings: T-1st – wins (5), 2nd – SO/BB Ratio (5.00), 6th – SO/9 inn. (12.39)
• 1B/DH Justin Janas has a .364 batting average (2nd in the Big Ten) and a .476 on-base percentage (4th in the Big Ten).
• LHP Cole Kirschsieper has an 11.2-inning scoreless streak spanning over his last five appearances out of the bullpen.
• 1B/DH Kellen Sarver has produced at least 1 RBI in eight straight games and in 10 of his last 11 games.
• 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 (469) is six wins away from passing Illini legend Itch Jones (474) for second place on the all-time wins list.
• Illinois completed their only sweep of the season at Purdue (April 23-25) and first since May 10-12, 2019 vs. Purdue. It was their first Big Ten series sweep on the road since March 23-25, 2018 at Northwestern.
• Illinois recorded their second shutout of the season on April 25 at Purdue in the 1-0 combined no-hitter (March 7 vs. Ohio State). 
     » The last time the Illini had multiple shutouts in conference play in a single season was in 2016 when they did it on three occasions.
• RHP Riley Gowens was named Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week & Big Ten Pitcher of the Week following his seven hitless innings in his start at Purdue on April 25.
• Illinois had a season-high 11 walks on April 24. It was the most by the Illini in a game since April 14, 2019 at Minnesota (11 BB).
• Illinois scored 13 runs on April 16 and a season-high 15 runs on April 17 against Michigan State. The last time the Illini had at least 13 runs in back-to-back games was March 9-10, 2018 vs. Michigan State/at Furman.
     » It is the first time they have scored 13+ runs in a conference game on consecutive days since March 27-28, 1998 vs. Michigan.
• The combination of RHP Andrew Hoffmann, LHP Nate Lavender and RHP Jack Crowder struck out 17 Northwestern batters on March 26, the most in a game since the Illini set a program record on April 22, 2016 vs. Ohio State (15 inn., 23 SO).
     » It was the most in a 9-inning game since at least the 2004 season.
• Illinois won both games of their doubleheader on March 13, their first DH sweep since April 14, 2019 at Minnesota.
• On March 7, 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.
• 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.
• 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. 
     » 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 hit the road to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Hawkeyes in a three-game series at Duane Banks Field.