University of Illinois
Penn State
[1] Illinois Set for 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai
May 20, 2024 | Baseball
| [1] Illinois at Big Ten Tournament | |
|---|---|
| When | May 21-26 |
| Where | Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field Omaha) |
| Live Video | Big Ten Network |
| Radio | WDWS AM-1400 // FightingIllini.com |
| Live Stats | FightingIllini.com |
| Notes | Illinois | Penn State | Michigan | Iowa |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniBaseball  | @IlliniBaseball  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Probable Starting Pitchers | |||||||||
| Day | Illinois | Opponent | |||||||
| Tue. 6 p.m. CT | RHP Jack Crowder (6-1, 5.24) | [8] Penn State - RHP Travis Luensmann (6-2, 4.96) | |||||||
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- [1] Illinois heads to Omaha, Neb., for the 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will determine the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Orange and Blue are coming off a weekend series sweep at Purdue from May 16-18 in West Lafayette, Ind. The Illini's sweep helped earn them their first Big Ten championship since 2015, winning it in outright fashion.
Illinois begins play on Tuesday, where they take on [8] Penn State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
NOTES
THE 2024 BIG TEN BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Illinois baseball begins postseason play when they head to Omaha, Neb., for the 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai.
The Illini secured the No. 1 seed in the tournament by sweeping Purdue to claim an outright Big Ten championship, the program's first since 2015.
All games will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network and will also be available on the FOX Sports app.
Connor Onion, Danan Hughes, Jeff Leise, Scott Pose, Larry Puteney, will be on the call for all tournament long on BTN.
Scott Beatty 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 OPPONENTS
Along with [8] Penn State, potential opponents for [1] Illinois on a path to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game include [4] Michigan and [5] Iowa.
The Nittany Lions finished the regular season 26-23 with a 12-12 record in Big Ten play. They are led offensively by C J.T. Marr, who posted a .419 average to go along with six home runs and 49 RBI. Among starters, RHP Travis Luensmann led with a 6-2 record and a 4.96 ERA (38 ER/69.0 IP) in 14 games, 13 starts, to go along with 61 strikeouts.
Michigan posted a 30-26 record in the regular season with a 14-10 Big Ten record. They are led offensively by INF Mack Timbrook, who batted .306 to go along with 16 doubles and 29 RBI. Among qualifying arms, RHP Kurt Barr led on the mound, going 5-3 with a 3.52 ERA (31 ER/79.1 IP) with 50 strikeouts.
Iowa enters the tournament with a 31-21 record, going 14-10 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are led at the plate by INF Raider Tello, who posted a .370 average with seven home runs and 60 RBI. RHP Brody Brecht leads on the mound, going 4-3 with a 3.55 ERA (28 ER/71.0 IP) with 118 strikeouts.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
The Illini are 47-30 all-time against the Nittany Lions, including 2-2 at neutral sites.
The two programs met during the regular season, with the Illini sweeping the series from March 29-30 to open conference play at Illinois Field. The Orange and Blue hit .378 as a team during the three-game set, reaching base at a .458 clip and slugging .775 for a team OPS of 1.233. The Illini blasted 12 home runs, with 11 of them coming during the doubleheader on March 30. Jacob Schroeder went 7-for-12 during the series with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI, posting an overall slash of .583/.643/1.500 to claim Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
This will be the first time since May 25, 2007, that the two sides are facing off in the tournament, with Penn State coming away victorious in that game, 6-2. The Illini are 4-2 all-time in postseason play against the Nittany Lions.
Illinois has won 22 of the last 24 matchups, including six straight.
Illinois is 109-148-2 all-time against Michigan, including 6-9 at neutral sites.
The Illini have faced off the Wolverines in the last three postseason tournaments, with Michigan coming away victorious in all three ballgames, the most recent, a 6-3 defeat on May 24, 2023, that ended the Illini's season. Illinois is 3-10 all-time against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Illini are 137-91-2 all-time against the Hawkeyes, including 4-0 in neutral site contests.
Illinois has won six of the last eight games.
The two teams met earlier this season, with the Illini taking two of three games at Illinois Field to earn a series victory. All three games were hotly contested, with Illinois win on May 12 putting them on its path to the regular season crown.
The programs last met in the Big Ten Tournament on May 23, 2007, with the Illini coming away with a 12-3 win. Illinois is 3-0 all-time in postseason play against Iowa.
B1G CHAMPS
For the 31st time in program history, Illinois was crowned Big Ten champions after its 9-4 victory over Purdue on May 17. The Illini were able to claim an outright title with Nebraska's loss to Michigan State on May 18. Their 18-10 triumph later that day over the Boilermakers would have also solidified an outright title had the Huskers won.
The conference title was the program's third in the Dan Hartleb era (2006-pres.) and the first since 2015. Hartleb's three Big Ten championships are fifth-most in program history.
Illinois 31 conference titles are second-most all-time in the Big Ten.
B1G WEEKEND ROUND-UP
Illinois finished the 2024 regular season with an emphatic sweep of Purdue from May 16-18 to win the Big Ten Championship. It was the first road sweep by the Illini this season and their first road-series sweep of a conference foe since May 19-21, 2022, at Penn State.
Ryan Moerman led the team in average over the weekend, going 6-for-14 (.429) with five runs scored, three home runs and seven RBI. He posted an overall slash of .429/.467/1.071 and homering in each game of the seires. All three of his round-trippers would put the Illini ahead for good in each contest. Vytas Valincius went 4-for-10 (.400) with five runs scored, two doubles, a home run, three RBI and five walks. Drake Westcott picked up his fourth multi-homer game of the season by going yard twice in the sixth inning on May 18.
The Illini posted an overall team slash of .300/.422/.573 against the Boilermakers, scoring 32 runs and homering seven times. The Orange and Blue also drew 19 walks and were hit by a pitch five times.
Jack Crowder turned in a solid start in the opener on May 16, working 5.2 innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits while striking out seven. Cooper Omans made his reuturn to the rotation and yielded one run over 4.0 innings. The Illini bullpen had a huge series, combining to go 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA (7 ER/14.2 IP) with 11 strikeouts. Korey Bunselmeyer worked 3.0 scoreless innings on May 18 to earn his first save of the season. Joe Glassey made two appearances, allowing no runs and one hit, picking up a save in the opener on May 16. Ben Plumley also worked 2.1 shutout frames in the opener, striking out three.
ILLINI B1G TOURNAMENT
Illinois earning their place at the 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai is the program's 26th all-time appearance in the conference's postseason tournament.
The Illini have won the tournament five times, most recently in 2011 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Orange and Blue are looking to snap a seven-game losing skid at the Big Ten Tournament, with the program's last win at this event coming on May 25, 2018.
MOONSHOT MO
Ryan Moerman had a massive series at Purdue from May 16-18, going 6-for-14 with five runs, three home runs and seven RBI.
Moerman provided an early spark in the series opener on May 16, crushing a three-run shot in the first inning to get the Illini on the board. On May 17, his two-run blast in the seventh gave Illinois a 3-2 lead. His two-run dinger in the series finale on May 18 gave the Illini a 9-8 lead in the sixth, overturning what an 8-6 deficit.
It is the second time this season that Moerman has homered in three-consecutive games.
The junior also had a huge game at the plate on April 30 vs. No. 24 Indiana State, going 4-for-5 with three runs, three home runs and nine RBI.
Moerman hit a two-run homer, three-run homer and a grand slam, falling just a solo blast shy of completing the home run cycle.
The junior set career-best marks in hits, runs, home runs, RBI and total bases (13). He is the third Illini this season to have a three-homer game and he is just the third player in program history to have at least nine RBI in a game, just one shy of matching the program leader.
Moerman enters the Big Ten Tournament with 18 home runs on the season, which leads all conference batters.
V FOR VALINCIUS
Vytas Valincius continued his run producing surge during Illinois' series at Purdue from May 16-18, going 4-for-10 (.400) with five runs, two doubles, a home run, three RBI and five walks during the three-game set.
Valincius' solo blast on May 17 sparked an Illini rally, which helped lead the team to clinch, what was at the time, at least a share of the Big Ten championship.
The Lockport, Ill., native, had his season-high nine-game hitting streak snapped in the opener of the series, but he has still hit safely in 10 of his 12 games overall, going 16-for-42 (.381) with four doubles, a triple, six home runs and 20 RBI. He has raised his season average from .269 to .297 during that span.
One of six Illini with more than 40 RBI, Valincius has cashed in 26 of his 49 RBI this season in his last 14 games.
JANIK JAMS
Camden Janik continued his steady play at the plate from May 16-18 at Purdue, going 4-for-12 (.333) with three runs scored, a double, a home run, seven RBI and three walks. Janik has hit safely in 28 of his last 32 games, raising his season average from .313 to a team-high .370.
In the series opener at Purdue, Janik went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. In the second game of the series, Janik crushed a grand slam in the seventh to make it an 8-2 game and lead the Illini to winning the Big Ten championship. In the finale, Janik scored twice, walked twice and picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
The Wauconda, Ill., native remains one of the toughest out in the country, striking out just 10 times in 200 at-bats. His K AVG. of 20.0 is the second-best in the nation. His 10 strikeouts are the fewest among batters that have taken at least 200 at-bats this season. Janik is the highest ranked catcher in that category and the only one in the top five.
HOME RUN HARDING
Brody Harding continued his offensive surge by going 5-for-14 with three runs, three doubles and three RBI at Purdue from May 16-18, posting an overall slash of .357/.357/.571.
The Moline, Ill., native, has hit safely in 20 of his last 26 games, raising his season average from .222 to .309 during that span.
In the series finale in West Lafayette on May 18, Harding matched a career high with four hits and also set a new career-high mark with three doubles.
The redshirt senior is enjoying his best year at the dish, posting career-best marks in average (.309), runs (43), hits (58), home runs (10), RBI (37), slugging (.516) and OPS (.903).
With his second home run of the series vs. Iowa on May 12, Harding became the fifth Illini to reach double figures in home runs. He had entered the season with just five home runs in 412 at-bats (138 games).
CALIFORNIA HEJZA
Cal Hejza continues to put together his best season at the plate in his career, after going 3-for-12 with four runs, a triple and three walks during Illinois' weekend series sweep at Purdue.
Hejza has hit safely in 27 of his last 34 games overall, which features 11 multi-hit performances. He has also reached base safely in 35-consecutive games, which is the longest active streak on the team and longest by an Illini this season.
He also had the first multi-home run game of the season on April 30 vs. No. 24 Indiana State, which was the second such game of his career. The senior has five home runs on the campaign, which matches his single-season high, set in 2022.
Hejza also went 4-for-12 (.333) with four runs scored, a double and three walks from April 26-28 at Maryland. Leading off in all three games of the series for what was then the second-straight weekend, Hejza reached base safely at a .467 clip.
Hejza has improved his batting average by 76 points from last year, his on-base percentage by 113 points and slugging by 92. The senior has 58 hits this season, which is his best single-season mark.
The Oswego, Ill., native, is ranks second on the team with six three-hit games and ranks tied-for-third on the team with 16 multi-hit performances overall.
MEAN JOE GLASSEY
Joe Glassey continued to dominate for the Illini out of the bullpen at Purdue, working a total of 2.0 innings over two games, allowing one hit and striking out three.
Glassey picked up his Big Ten-leading eighth save of the season on May 16 by working a perfect ninth. He also turned in a scoreless ninth on May 17 to clinch the Illini's Big Ten championship.
The graduate student worked one of his best outings of the season in the series finale vs. Iowa on May 12, spinning 2.1 innings of scoreless ball, yielding just one hit and striking out two batters.
Glassey entered the game in the seventh with runners on first and second and came up with a punchout to end the inning, ending the Hawkeye scoring threat.
Glassey then induced a double-play in the eighth to erase a lead-off single before turning in a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Lindenhurst, Ill., native, has not allowed a run in hist last 6.1 innings of work, a season-long streak. Glassey has allowed just five earned runs over his last 12.2 innings (3.55 ERA), racking up 13 strikeouts and issuing no walks.
DRAKE RAKES
Drake Westcott broke out in a big way on May 18 at Purdue, homering twice and collecting six RBI.
Westcott wrote his way into the record books by homering twice in the sixth inning, becoming the first Illini since Dusty Benko on April 6, 2005, to perform the feat.
His first home run was a solo blast on the first pitch of the inning and he cap Illinois' eight-run frame with a towering grand slam, also on the first pitch of his at-bat.
It was Westcott's fourth multi-homer game of the season and it was the seventh such game of his Illini career.
The Edwardsville, Ill., native, ranks tied for third in the Big Ten with 16 home runs. He also ranks fourth in the conference with 44 walks.
ILLINI PLAY LONG BALL
Illinois homered seven times during its three-game set at Purdue, bringing its season total to 103. The Illini lead the Big Ten in home runs and are the only team in the conference to hit more than 80 home runs this season. The Orange and Blue rank tied-for-17th nationally in dingers. The Illini also have the most home runs among teams that have played exactly 50 games or fewer.
Illinois also averages 2.06 home runs per games, which is tied for the 10th-highest mark in the country and the best in the Big Ten.
The Illini also have five players with double-digit home runs (Harding, Moerman, Schroeder, Valincius, Westcott) and are the only team in the conference with more than three players in double figures.
Illinois has homered in 21-straight games, dating back to April 9.
