| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois (12-13, 2-4) |
Northwestern (3-20, 1-2) |
| Fri. 3:00 p.m. CT |
RHP Riley Gowens (1-2, 6.69) |
RHP Matt McClure (1-4, 7.15) |
| Sat. 2:00 p.m. CT |
RHP Jake Swartz (0-1, 5.17) |
RHP Michael Farinelli (1-4, 7.01) |
| Sun. 1:00 p.m. CT |
RHP Jack Wenninger (4-1, 3.74) |
RHP Luke Benneche (0-3, 10.57) |
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Fighting Illini baseball (12-13, 2-4) returns to Big Ten play with a three-game weekend series at Northwestern (3-20, 1-2) at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park. Friday's series opener is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. CT first pitch, with 2:00 p.m. CT and 1:00 p.m. CT first pitches to follow on Saturday and Sunday. Every game can be streamed on BTN+.
Illinois looks to rebound following a midweek defeat to Illinois State at Illinois Field. In the 12-9 defeat, Branden Comia hit the first Illini grand slam since 2018 and Jacob Schroeder added a three-run homer, his seventh in 15 games.
The Orange and Blue will send right-hander Riley Gowens to the mound in Friday's series opener. Freshman right-hander Jake Swartz gets the ball Saturday and will make his first weekend start of the season. Swartz worked a scoreless first inning in Tuesday's game against Illinois State.
Right-hander Jack Wenninger gets the call for Sunday's series finale. Wenninger tossed his second-straight quality start in Sunday's series finale against Michigan. He worked a career-high eight innings and allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five and issued no walks. That outing earned him Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week, the first weekly conference award of his Illini career.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Northwestern
• Record: 178-90 (H: 96-34; A: 81-55; N: 1-1)
• Last: W, 3-0 (4/17/22 at Illinois Field)
• Illinois has won 17 of 20 since 2013
• Illinois has won 22 of 26 since 2011
• Illinois has won 11-straight games in Evanston
NOTES
• Illinois travels north to Evanston, Ill., for a three-game weekend set against Northwestern at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.
» Illinois has won 17 of 20 matchups since 2013.
» Illinois has won 11-straight games in Evanston
• Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb earned win No. 519 on April 2 against Michigan, passing Lee Eilbracht for the most in program history.
» Hartleb reached 500 career wins on May 7, 2022, with a win over Miami (0H).
• Illinois dropped its midweek contest to Illinois State on Tuesday, 12-9.
» The Illini are now 2-4 at Illinois Field this season, compared to 6-7 in true road games.
• INF Branden Comia went 2-for-3 with a run, double, home run, four RBI, a walk and was hit by a pitch against Illinois State.
» Hit first-career grand slam in the fifth.
» Was first Illinois grand slam since April 15, 2018 (Michael Massey).
» Has two hits in back-to-back games.
» Has extra-base hits in back-to-back games.
• C Jacob Schroeder went 2-for-3 with two runs, a home run, three RBI, a walk and was hit by a pitch during midweek action.
» Tied for the team lead with seven home runs (Westcott).
» Has homered seven times in 14 starts.
» Has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season.
» Has collected seven RBI over his last two games.
• INF Drake Westcott went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a walk on Tuesday.
» Has back-to-back games with multiple hits.
• OF Danny Doligale went 1-for-4 with a run and a pair of walks against Illinois State.
» Leads the team with 21 walks.
» Has drawn a walk in three-straight games.
• LHP Alex Vera struck out a career-high nine batters in 3.2 innings of work.
» Previous career-high was three.
» Longest outing of the season.
• Illinois has 22 returners and 14 newcomers on the 2023 roster.
» Eight newcomers are transfers: RHP Korey Bunselmeyer (Rend Lake), RHP TJ Constertina (St. Thomas), LHP John Lundgren (North Alabama), INF Coltin Quagliano (Illinois Central), C Jacob Schroeder (John A. Logan), OF Christian Smith (Vanderbilt), RHP Logan Tabeling (Wright State) and INF Drake Westcott (Louisville).
• The Illini return three all-Big Ten selections: Branden Comia (2nd), Cam McDonald (2nd) and Danny Doligale (3rd).
• Big Ten Preseason Honors: RHP Jack Crowder, RHP Riley Gowens, OF Cam McDonald.
• D1Baseball Big Ten top 2023 MLB Draft prospects: No. 23 RHP Jack Crowder
• D1Baseball top players:
» RHP Riley Gowens - SP No. 167
» INF Branden Comia - 3B No. 29
» OF Danny Doligale - OF No. 102
» OF Cam McDonald - OF No. 145
• Perfect Game Preseason Big Ten All-Conference: OF Cam McDonald.
• Perfect Game Big Ten top 2023 MLB Draft prospects: No. 24 Cam McDonald, No. 34 Branden Comia.
• Illinois' new $8-million, 26,000-square foot Susan and Clint Atkins Baseball Training Center opened in September 2022.
UP NEXT
Illinois heads no Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State in a midweek contest at Duffy Bass Field. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m. CT.
