Illinois at the Carolinas Coastline Classic
When	February 25-27
Where	Conway, S.C. & Wilmington, N.C. // Springs Brooks Stadium & Brooks Field
Television	None
Live Video	ESPN+ | FloBaseball.tv ($)
Radio	WDWS AM-1400
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Notes	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions | Publications
Social Media	@IlliniBaseball | #Illini | @IlliniBaseball | Facebook | YouTube

PREVIEW

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois baseball team travels to Conway, S.C. for a game against Middle Tennesee State on Friday followed by a matchup with Coastal Carolina on Saturday. The Illini will close out the weekend in Wilmington, N.C., taking on UNC-Wilmington on Sunday afternoon. Illinois (1-2) rebounded from an 0-2 start to the season by beating Kansas in the final game of last weekend's three-game opening-weekend series with the Jayhawks. Sophomore LHP Payton Hutchings earned his first career start and win on the mound for the Illini last Sunday, throwing six innings of one-run baseball and allowing just one walk while striking out three. 

Saturday's game against Coastal Carolina will be streamed on ESPN+ ($), while Sunday's game will be available on FloBaseball ($). Friday's contest against MTSU will not be streamed.

SERIES HISTORY

vs. Middle Tennesee State
• Record: 9-7 (Home: 0-0;  Away: 9-6;  Neutral: 0-1)
• Last: L, 3-4 (5/27/00 in Clemson, S.C.)

vs. Coastal Carolina
• Record: 8-8 (Home: 2-0;  Away: 5-8;  Neutral: 1-0)
• Last: W, 5-2 (2/22/20 at Coastal Carolina)

vs. UNC-Wilmington
• Record: 0-0 (Home: 0-0;  Away: 0-0;  Neutral: 0-0)

NOTES

• Illinois is traveling to Coastal Carolina to play its first two games of the weekend at Springs Brooks Stadium. The Illini last played at Spring Brooks Stadium in 2020, defeating the Chanticleers 5-2.

• Illinois will play both Middle Tennessee State and Coastal Carolina for the 17th time in series history. The Illini have never played UNC-Wilmington.

• Sophomore LHP Payton Hutchings earned his first career start and first career win on February 20 against Kansas.

• Freshman OF Ryan Moerman started his first game against Kansas on February 20.

» He picked up his first collegiate hit in the fourth inning, a double to left-center field.

• D1Baseball Big Ten top 2022 MLB Draft prospects: No. 5 LHP Cole Kirschsieper, No. 17 RHP Riley Gowens, No. 20 SS Branden Comia, No. 27 1B Justin Janas.

• Baseball America Big Ten top 2022 MLB Draft prospects: No. 4 LHP Cole Kirschsieper.

• Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten team: 1B Justin Janas and C/OF Jacob Campbell.

• Perfect Game Big Ten top 2022 MLB Draft prospects: No. 4 LHP Cole Kirschsieper, No. 22 C Jacob Campbell, No. 24 INF Branden Comia.

• Illinois has 24 returners and 13 newcomers on the 2022 roster.

» Four newcomers are transfers: OF Tyler Thompson (Carson-Newman), RHP Johnny Czeslawski (North Iowa Area C.C.), RHP Tommy Green (Mercer), and RHP Jack Wenninger (Murray State)

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

2021 SEASON NOTES

• Illinois finished the season 22-22 and seventh in the Big Ten in 2021. Illinois has finished at or above .500 in 16-of-17 seasons under head coach Dan Hartleb.

• Illinois beat every Big Ten team at least once in 2021.

• Illinois threw a combined no-hitter on April 25, 2021 at Purdue.

• Illinois has had the Big Ten regular season batting champion the last three full seasons: 2021 – DH/1B Justin Janas, 2019 – INF Grant Van Scoy, 2018 – INF Bren Spillane.

• Illinois averaged 6.59 runs/game in 2021, their most in a season since 2009 when they averaged 7.46 runs/game (403 R/54 G).

• Illinois finished last season with a .974 fielding percentage (3rd-best in the conference). The Illini have had at least a .970 fielding percentage in nine of the last 11 seasons.

• Illinois recorded four shutouts in 2021. The last time the Illini had at least four shutouts in a single season was in 2014 when they had five shutouts. The last time the Illini had four shutouts in conference play in a single season was 1989.

• Illinois hit 43 home runs in their last 32 games after only four home runs in their first 12 games in 2021.

• Illinois scored at least six runs in 18 of their 22 wins. The Illini were 18-6 when scoring six runs or more in a game.

• Illinois was leading or tied over the course of the game in 16 of their 22 losses in 2021 (12 leading, four tied).

• Dan Hartleb won his 475th game as a head coach on May 22 against Penn State, passing Illini legend Itch Jones (474) to move into second on the program's all-time wins list. Hartleb (476) is 43 wins away from passing Lee Eilbracht (518) for first place on the all-time wins list.

• DH/1B Justin Janas won the Big Ten batting title with a .391 batting average. The next closest was Northwestern's Shawn Goosenberg (.358). Janas also led the conference in on-base percentage (.506) and the Illini in hits (54). He reached base safely in 40-of-42 appearances this season.

» On May 16 at Iowa, Janas (5-for-5, 2B, RBI, R) became first Illinois batter with five hits in a game since Jason Goldstein on May 10, 2015 vs. Rutgers (5-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R). He was the first to do it on the road since Ryan Hastings on April 7, 2008 at Indiana (5-for-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R).

• Branden 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).

» Final Big Ten rankings: 1st – SO/BB Ratio (5.27), T-1st – wins (1), 6th – SO/9 inn. (12.47)

• 1B Kellen Sarver was named Big Ten Player of the Week following his performance against Penn State May 21-23. He hit .500/.538/1.417 (6-for-12), with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored in three games.

• 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 18 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Big Ten in 2021.