| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Indiana |
| Fri. 5 p.m. CT |
RHP Jack Crowder (0-1, 5.88) |
RHP Ethan Phillips (3-0, 5.29) |
| Sat. 1 p.m. CT |
LHP Cooper Omans (2-0, 1.45) |
RHP Connor Foley (1-1, 4.63) |
| Sun. 12 p.m. CT |
TBA |
TBA |
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball heads to Bloomington, Ind., to open up Big Ten play with a three-game set at Indiana. The two teams met in Champaign last season, with the Hoosiers taking two of three from the Illini.
The Orange and Blue are coming off of a midweek victory over in-state rival Bradley on Tuesday, slugging three home runs en route to a 12-10 victory. Peyton Hutchings earned the victory out of the bullpen by striking out a career-high six batters.
RHP Jack Crowder (0-1, 5.88) will get the ball in the Friday's series opener and LHP Cooper Omans (2-0, 1.45) will follow on Saturday. Sunday's starter is to be determined.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Indiana
- Record: 123-88-1 (H: 66-33, A: 51-49-1, N: 4-6)
- Last: L, 4-3 (5/35/23 at Omaha, Neb.)
- Illini are 3-9 in the last 12 meetings.
- Illinois going for first series win on the road since 2008.
NOTES
WEEKEND ACTION AT INDIANA
Illinois baseball hits the road as they make the short trip to Bloomington, Ind., as they open up Big Ten play with a three-game series against Indiana.
All three contests can be streamed on B1G+.
Mike Reis will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM/93.9FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Indiana enters the weekend 11-10, coming off of a midweek defeat to Indiana State, 15-7. The Hoosiers have gone 5-5 at Bart Kaufman Stadium this season.
OF Devin Taylor leads Indiana at the plate with a .398 average and a 1.054 OPS, to go along with four home runs and 19 RBI. Among starters, RHP Connor Foley leads on the mound, going 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA (12 ER/23.2 IP) to go along with 35 strikeouts.
The Hoosiers went 43-20 last season, making an appearance in the NCAA Lexington Regional.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
Illinois leads the all-time series 123-88-1, including 51-49-1 at this facility. However, the Illini have lost three of the last four and five of the last six overall in the series.
The two teams have also met in the Big Ten Tournament the last two seasons, with the Hoosiers winning each of those showdowns.
B1G OPENER HISTORY
This marks the fifth-straight full season that the Illini have opened Big Ten play on the road (not including 2021 B1G-only schedule). Illinois has a 2-2 series record over the last four Big Ten opening series (ex. 2021).
UN-HUTCH-ABLE
Peyton Hutchings was nearly untouchable in his relief outing on Tuesday, striking out six of the seven batters he faced, allowing just one hit. The junior struck out the first four batters he faced before allowing the hit.
The 2.1 innings is a season-high mark for Hutchings, while the six strikeouts set a career high.
CLOSE CALLS
The Illini won by two runs on Tuesday, improving to 3-0 in two-run games this season. Illinois also won a pair of one-run games over Southern Indiana from March 15-17 and are now 2-2 in one-run contests. The Orange and Blue are 5-2 in games decided by two runs or fewer this season.
CROWDER SHINES
Jack Crowder turned in the second quality start of his season on Friday, allowing one run over 7.0 innings of work, striking out five.
It marked a career-high in innings for the senior, who becomes the first Illini pitcher this season to have multiple quality starts.
Crowder leads the Orange and Blue pitching staff with 27 strikeouts this season, which also ranks 10th among Big Ten arms.
WALK IT OFF
The Fighting Illini earned their first walk-off win of the season on Friday, scoring twice with two outs in the ninth to take the series opener vs. Southern Indiana. Ryan Moerman tied the game on a passed ball and Cameron Chee-Aloy plated Christian Smith with a single to win it.
Illinois had two walk-off victories last season, the most recent being May 5, 2023, vs. Michigan State.
QUICK START
Camden Janik homered in the first inning against Bradley on Tuesday, marking the fifth time in the last nine games that the Illini have put runs on the board their first time up to bat.
The first inning is Illinois second-highest scoring frame, where the offense has scored 20 of its 106 runs this season.
KOREY IN THE HOUSE
Korey Bunselmeyer made two appearances over the weekend and did not allow an earned run. He yielded three hits while striking out five over 3.1 innings of work.
Bunselmeyer began the weekend with a career-high 2.0 shutout frames on Friday, punching out a career-high four batters to keep Illinois within a run during the game.
The senior then tossed 1.1 frames on Sunday, allowing a run, unearned, whiffing one batter. Bunselmeyer's 3.1 scoreless streak is a season long.
UP NEXT
Illinois and Missouri are set for a Braggin' Rights showdown at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., on March 26. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
