| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Missouri |
| Tue. 6 p.m. CT |
RHP Jake Rons (1-0, 10.29) |
RHP Josh McDevitt (0-0, 5.14) |
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball heads to Sauget, Ill., for a Braggin' Rights showdown vs. Missouri at Grizzlies Ballpark tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
The Orange and Blue are coming off of a Big Ten series victory over Indiana in Bloomington to begin conference play. The Illini were victorious in the series opener and finale, out-scoring the Hoosiers 25-17 over the three games.
RHP Jake Rons (1-0, 10.29) will take the mound for the Illini and will be making his first start with the Orange and Blue.Â
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Missouri
- Record: 14-16-1 (H: 4-2, A: 6-4-1, N: 4-10)
- Last: L, 6-5 (3/28/23 at Sauget, Ill.)
- Illini are 3-3 in the last six matchups.
- Playing in Sauget, Ill., for the fourth-straight year.
NOTES
MIDWEEK ACTION VS. MISSOURI
Illinois baseball heads to Sauget, Ill., to take on Missouri in Braggin' Rights at Grizzlies Ballpark.
The game will be streamed on SEC Network.
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
Missouri enters the weekend 10-14, coming off of a series defeat to No. 25 Kentucky. The Tigers have gone 1-1 in neutral site contests this season.
INF Jackson Lovich leads Missouri, among qualifiers, at the plate with a .322 average to go along with six home runs and 20 RBI. Among starters, LHP Javyn Pimental leads on the mound, going 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA (5 ER/23.2 IP) to go along with 26 strikeouts.
The Tigers are led by first-year head coach Kerrick Jackson, the first Black head coach in SEC baseball history and just one of four Black collegiate coaches ever to lead a Power Five baseball program.
Missouri went 30-24 last season, including a 10-20 record in SEC play.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
Illinois trails in the all-time series 14-16-1 and have gone 4-10 in neutral site contests against Missouri. The teams have gone 3-3 in the last six matchups, all played at neutral sites.
This will be the fourth-straight contest in this series that will be played in Sauget, Ill., and the seventh such game overall at this facility. Illinois has gone 3-3 in those ballgames.
B1G WEEKEND IN BLOOMINGTON
Illinois began Big Ten play in winning fashion, taking two of three over Indiana in Blooming for its first series win over the Hoosiers on the road since 2005.
The Illini batted .303 as a team, tallying seven doubles and three home runs over the series. Drake Westcott led the way at the plate, slashing .400/.600/.800 with a double, home run and six RBI.
Illinois starting pitching went 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA (4 ER/15.0 IP) to go along with 13 strikeouts. All three starters (Jack Crowder, Cooper Omans, Jake Swartz) worked 5.0 innings in their outings and all yielded three earned runs or fewer.
In Sunday's series finale, the Illini put together their best day at the plate this season, setting season-high marks in runs (15), hits (20) and extra-base hits (7). The 15 runs scored are the most in a Big Ten game by Illinois since scoring 18 at Penn State on May 19, 2022. It also was the first time since May 10, 2015, vs. Rutgers that the Illini had at least 20 hits in a game.
B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt junior infielder Drake Westcott has been named Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Westcott went 6-for-15 (.400) with five runs scored, a double, a home run, six RBI and five walks over four games, posting a .550 on-base percentage while slugging .667.
The Edwardsville, Ill., started the week by going 2-for-5 with two runs vs. Bradley on March 19 before going 4-for-10 (.400) with three runs, a double, a home run, six RBI and five walks over the three-game set at Indiana.Â
In Sunday's series finale, Westcott reached safely in all six of his plate appearances (2 H, 4 BB), homered and drove in four runs.
Westcott has walked 23 times on the season, which is second-most among Big Ten hitters and his 1.045 OPS ranks 12th among conference batters. He also ranks among Big Ten leaders in home runs (6, T-3rd) and slugging (.592, 11th).
This marks the second time this season, and the third time in his Illini career, that Westcott has earned conference weekly honors. He is the first Illinois player since Bren Spillane in 2018 to earn multiple Big Ten Weekly Awards in a single season.
JANIK JAMS
After being held hitless during the Southern Indiana series, Camden Janik responded in a big way last week, going 8-for-18 (.444) with six runs, a double, triple, home run and five RBI, reaching base at a .500 clip and slugging .778.
Janik went 3-for-5 vs. Bradley on March 19, falling just a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Over the weekend at Indiana, the junior slashed .385/.467/.462, posting a season-high four-hits in Sunday's series finale.
The Wauconda, Ill., native, leads the Illini with nine multi-hit performances this season and also leads the squad in average (.341), hits (29) and doubles (6).
Janik is also one of the toughest outs in the country, striking out just five times in 85 at-bats. His K AVG. of 17.0 ranks 12th in the nation. His five strikeouts are also the third-fewest among batters that have taken at least 85 at-bats this season.
CROWDER SHINES
Jack Crowder was one against sharp on the mound, earning the win in Friday's series opener vs. Indiana by allowing just one run on two hits over 5.0 innings of work, striking out six.
In his last two starts, Crowder has gone 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA (2 ER/12.0 IP) to go along with 11 strikeouts and four walks. The senior has also allowed just six hits during that span.
Crowder leads the Orange and Blue pitching staff with 33 strikeouts this season, which also ranks T-11th among Big Ten arms.
MO TO THE MOON
Ryan Moerman showcased his power on Sunday at Indiana, homering twice and driving in five runs. It was his first multi-home run game of the season and the second such performance in his career.
Moerman is now up to six home runs on the season, which ties him with Drake Westcott for the team lead and also ranks tied-for-third among Big Ten batters.
UP NEXT
Illinois welcomes Penn State to Illinois Field for a three-game set. Friday's series opener has a scheduled first pitch of 6 p.m. CT.
