University of Illinois
Penn State
Illini Baseball Welcomes Penn State to Illinois Field for Big Ten Series
March 28, 2024 | Baseball
Preview
| Illinois vs. Penn State | |
|---|---|
| When | March 29-31 |
| Where | Champaign, Ill. (Illinois Field) |
| Live Video | B1G+ | Fri. | Sat. | Big Ten Network (Sun.) |
| Radio | WDWS AM-1400 // FightingIllini.com |
| Live Stats | FightingIllini.com |
| Notes | Illinois | Penn State |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniBaseball  | @IlliniBaseball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Probable Starting Pitchers | |||||||||
| Day | Illinois | Penn State | |||||||
| Fri. 6 p.m. CT | RHP Jack Crowder (1-1, 5.23) | RHP Travis Luensmann (2-1, 4.23) | |||||||
| Sat. 3 p.m. CT | LHP Cooper Omans (2-1, 2.28) | RHP Jaden Henline (2-0, 10.31) | |||||||
| Sun. 2 p.m. CT | RHP Jake Swartz (1-0, 3.46) | RHP Frankie Sanchez (1-0, 1.46) | |||||||
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball returns to Champaign for the first Big Ten series at Illinois Field this season, as the Illini host Penn State for a three-game set.
The Orange and Blue are coming off of a Braggin' Rights victory over Missouri, 11-3, on Tuesday at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The win snapped a brief two-game losing skid to the Tigers and the Illini are now winners in six of their last eight.
RHP Jack Crowder (1-1, 5.23) will get the ball in Friday's series opener with LHP Cooper Omans (2-1, 2.28) and RHP Jake Swartz (1-0. 3.46) set to follow in the rotation.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Penn State
- Record: 44-30 (H: 19-13, A: 23-15, N: 2-2)
- Last: W, 7-4 (5/21/22 at University Park, Pa.)
- Illini have won 19 of the last 21 matchups, dating back to 2013
- First series in Champaign since 2021
NOTES
WEEKEND ACTION VS. PENN STATE
Illinois baseball returns to Champaign to take on Penn State in the first Big Ten series at Illinois Field this season.
Friday and Saturday's games can be streamed on B1G+ while Sunday's series finale will be televised on Big Ten 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.
Connor Onion and Danan Hughes will be on the call for Sunday's Big Ten Network contest.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Penn State enters the weekend 13-9, coming off of a 10-1 midweek victory over Pitt on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions have gone 4-3 in road games this season.
C J.T. Marr leads Penn State at the plate with a .433 average to go along with one home run and 21 RBI. Among starters, RHP Travis Luensmann leads on the mound, going 2-1 with a 4.23 ERA (13 ER/27.2 IP) to go along with 22 strikeouts.
Penn State went 25-25 last season, including a 7-16 record in Big Ten play.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
Illinois leads in the all-time series 44-30 and have gone 19-13 in games played at Illinois Field. The Illini swept the Nittany Lions at University Park in 2022 in the last series between the two programs.
Illinois has won 19 of the last 21 matchups overall, dating back to 2013.
BRAGGIN' RIGHTS SECURED
Illinois snapped a brief two-game losing skid to Missouri with a dominant 11-3 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. It was the largest margin of victory by Illinois in the series since winning by 10 on May 4, 1983, in a contest played in Champaign.
The pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts, which matched a season high, paced by seven from starter Jake Rons, and issued just one free pass. The offense plated double-digit runs for the second-straight game and the 26 runs scored over the last two games is the most in a two-game stretch since 2023.
CASE OF THE RONS
Jake Rons was stellar in the first start of his Illinois career, allowing just one run on three hits in 4.0 innings of work while punching out seven batters.
Rons entered the game with seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work, doubling his season tally. The Carlsbad, Calif., native also lowered his average against from .308 to .268.
It was Rons' first start since May 2, 2023, where he worked 5.0 innings, and also fanned seven batters, against USC while pitching for Long Beach State.
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 2008.
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.
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 25 times on the season, which is tied-for-second-most among Big Ten hitters and his 1.082 OPS ranks ninth among conference batters. He also ranks among Big Ten leaders in home runs (7, T-3rd) and slugging (.622, 8th).
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 from March 22-24, 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) and hits (30), and shares the lead in 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 17.6 ranks 13th in the nation. His five strikeouts are also tied-for-third-fewest among batters that have taken at least 88 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 March 24 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 makes the short trip to Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State at Duffy Bass Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
