| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Opponent |
| Fri. 6 p.m. CT |
RHP Jack Crowder (6-2, 5.25) |
Indiana State - LHP Zach Davidson (5-1, 2.41) |
| Sat. ~3 p.m. CT |
TBA |
No. 2 Kentucky - TBA |
Tournament Cenrtal | Media Box
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois baseball will make its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend at the Lexington Regional. The 2024 Big Ten champions are making their first tournament appearance since 2019.
The No. 3 seed Illini will begin their road to Omaha with a contest vs. No. 2 seed Indiana State on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Also featured in the Lexington Regional are hosts and No. 2 national seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Western Michigan.
Illinois will send RHP Jack Crowder (6-2, 5.25 ERA) to the mound in Friday's contest vs. Indiana State. He will be opposed by LHP Zach Davidson (5-1, 2.41 ERA).
NOTES
NCAA LEXINGTON REGIONAL
Illinois begins its road to Omaha in the Lexington Regional, where they will face No. 2 Indiana State, host and No. 2 national seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Western Michigan.
The Illini earned an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the program's first appearance since 2019.
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all games of the Lexington Regional with Eric Frede and Danan Hughes on the call.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday TV designations have yet to be announced. Friday's Illinois vs. Indiana State game will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. CT.
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 [2] Indiana State, potential opponents for [3] Illinois on a path to the NCAA Super Regional include [1] Kentucky and [4] Western Michigan.
The Sycamores finished the regular season 42-13 with a 22-5 record in conference play to claim a second-straight Missouri Valley title. Indiana State would reach the final of the MVC Tournament before falling to Evansville. They are led offensively by C/UTIL Luis Hernandez, who posted a .369 average to go along with 22 home runs and 75 RBI, posting a 1.135 OPS. Among starters, RHP Luke Hayden led with a 7-2 record and a 3.67 ERA (30 ER/73.2 IP) in 15 games, 15 starts, to go along with 84 strikeouts.
Indiana State earned the No. 14 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, winning the Terre Haute Regional before being eliminated in the Fort Worth Super Regional.
Kentucky posted a 40-14 record in the regular season with a 22-8 SEC record to claim its second conference championship in program history. They are led offensively by INF Nick Lopez, who batted .369 to go along with 20 doubles and 49 RBI. Among starting arms, RHP Trey Pooser led on the mound, going 5-1 with a 4.02 ERA (31 ER/69.1 IP) with 64 strikeouts.
The Wildcats are hosting an NCAA Regional for the second-straight season after earning the No. 12 national seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They were eliminated from the tournament from eventual national champions LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional.
Western Michigan enters the tournament with a 32-21 record, going 19-11 in MAC play. The Broncos earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAC Tournament, outscoring their opponents 29-3 along the way. They are led at the plate by INF Cade Sullivan, who posted a .397 average with 10 home runs and 52 RBI. RHP Nolan Vlcek leads on the mound, going 5-3 with a 4.15 ERA (38 ER/82.1 IP) with 90 strikeouts.
Western Michigan is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
The Illini are 39-41-2 all-time against Indiana State, including 1-0 at neutral sites.
The two programs met twice during the regular season, splitting the two contests. The home team came away victorious in each contest, with the Orange and Blue falling, 7-6, on March 12 in Terre Haute before a 21-11 run-rule triumph on April 30 in Champaign against a Sycamores squad that was ranked No. 24.
The Illini hit .361 as a team over the two games, reaching base at a .446 clip and slugging .806 for a team OPS of 1.252. The Illini blasted nine home runs, with seven of them coming during the ballgame on April 30. Coltin Quagliano led the way in average, going 6-for-8 (.750) and Ryan Moerman provided the power, mashing three home runs and driving in nine.
This will be the first-ever matchup between the two programs in the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois is 3-3 all-time against Kentucky, including a 3-2 record in Lexington.
This will be the first matchup between the two programs since Feb. 25, 2001, and the first contest between the sides in the Bluegrass State since March 6, 1999. It will also be the first postseason game between the two teams.
The series between the Illini and Wildcats dates back to April 14, 1914, where Kentucky came away with a 14-2 victory.
The Illini are 22-12 all-time against the Broncos, including 2-1 in neutral site contests.
The two sides met in Greenville, S.C., in the First Pitch Invitational, where Illinois claimed an 8-6 victory in 10 innings at Fluor Field.
The Illini have won five-straight against the Broncos, a streak that dates back to April 5, 2006.
The two programs have a chance to meet in the postseason for the first time since 1963 and for the eighth time overall. Illinois is 2-5 overall against Western Michigan in the postseason. The Illini played the Broncos three times during the 1963 NCAA University Division baseball tournament, with Western Michigan advancing to the College World Series after eliminating Illinois in the final of the District 4 regional.
ILLINI IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Illini are set to make 13th appearance in program history at the NCAA Tournament and their first since 2019.
In the 2019 Oxford Regional, Illinois earned the No. 2 seed but would go 0-2, falling to No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Jacksonville State.
The Orange and Blue are looking to snap a four-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament, which dates back to 2015.
Illinois' last win came in the 2015 Champaign Regional, where they defeated Wright State 8-4, which led them to host Vanderbilt in the Champaign Super Regional, the first time in program history that they had hosted a super regional.
B1G TOURNAMENT ROUND-UP
Illinois went 1-2 at the 2024 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai, in the program's 26th all-time appearance in the conference's postseason tournament.
The top-seeded Illini dropped their opener to [8] Penn State on May 22, 8-4, before winning a 4-2 extra-innings contest vs. [5] Iowa on May 23. Illinois was knocked out of the tournament on May 24 after a 4-2 defeat to [4] Michigan.
Illinois' win over the Hawkeyes snapped an eight-game losing skid at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Brody Harding led the Orange and Blue at the plate during the tournament, going 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles and two runs scored. Coltin Quagliano also went 4-for-11 (.364) picking up a team-high four RBI.
On the mound, Illini starters combined to post a 3.07 ERA (5 ER/14.1 IP), amassing 12 strikeouts. Cooper Omans turned in an excellent start on May 23 vs. Iowa, working 5.1 innings, allowing one run, unearned, on four hits to go along with five strikeouts. Joe Glassey was also dominant that day, working 2.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to clinch the win. Glassey struck out the side in order in the ninth on just 11 pitches to send the game to extras. Regan Hall was solid again in his relief outing on May 24 vs. Michigan, working 4.0 frames of one-run ball, yielding four hits and punching out three, issuing no walks.
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 REGULAR SEASON FINALE
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 series. 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 return 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.
MEAN JOE GLASSEY
Joe Glassey continued to dominate for the Illini out of the bullpen during the Big Ten Tournament, working 2.0 innings on May 23 vs. Iowa, allowing no runs and striking out four.
Glassey took the mound with the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth and needed just 11 pitches to strikeout the side in order.
He also 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 8.1 innings of work, a season-long streak. Glassey has allowed just five earned runs over his last 14.2 innings (3.07 ERA), racking up 17 strikeouts and issuing just one walk.
HOME RUN HARDING
Brody Harding continued his steady play at the plate by going 4-for-11 (.364) with two runs scored, two doubles and walk over three games during the Big Ten Tournament.
Harding also went 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 22 of his last 29 games, raising his season average from .222 to .312 during that span.
In the series finale in West Lafayette, Ind., 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 (.312), runs (45), hits (62), home runs (10), RBI (37), slugging (.518) and OPS (.906).
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).
GOOD OMANS
Cooper Omans turned in another solid start on the mound on May 23 vs. Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, working 5.1 innings, allowing one run, unearned, on four hits to go along with five strikeouts.
Since returning to the rotation on May 17 at Purdue, Omans has gone 0-0 with a 0.96 ERA (1 ER/9.1 IP) with six strikeouts, holding opponents to a .229 average (8-for-35).
The Oviedo, Fla., native, has gone 4-1 with a 3.73 ERA (25 ER/60.1 IP) with 56 punchouts, allowing a .215 average against. The lefty has posted the eighth-lowest ERA among Big Ten qualifiers and also ranks among conference leaders in hits allowed (47, 4th), earned runs (25, T-4th) and opponent's average (.215, 6th).
JANIK JAMS
Camden Janik continued his steady play at the plate at the Big Ten Tournament, going 4-for-12 (.333) with two runs scored, a triple, two RBI and a walk over three games. Janik has hit safely in 31 of his last 35 games, raising his season average from .313 to a team-high .368.
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, is the toughest out in the country, striking out just 10 times in 212 at-bats. His K AVG. of 21.2 is the best in the nation. His 10 strikeouts are the fewest among batters that have taken at least 212 at-bats this season. Janik is the highest ranked catcher in that category and the only one in the top 10.
Janik also enters the NCAA Tournament with a team-high 32-game on-base streak.
HALL MONITOR
Regan Hall turned in another big relief outing on May 24 vs. Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, allowing just one run over 4.0 innings of work on four hits to go along with three strikeouts.
He played a big part on May 18 at Purdue, helping Illinois claim an outright Big Ten championship by allowing just two runs over 3.1 innings of work on three hits.
Hall was also dominant out of the bullpen on May 5 vs. Ohio State, firing 3.0 scoreless frames, allowing no hits and striking out four. His performance allowed the Illini to build off what was then a three-run advantage and eventually run-rule the Buckeyes.
It was the freshman's first scoreless outing since March 22 at Indiana and the third time this season that Hall has amassed at least four strikeouts in a game.
In those last three appearances, Hall has posted a 2.61 ERA (3 ER/10.1 IP) and has amassed eight strikeouts.
The Albuquerque, N.M., native, has amassed 34 punchouts in 39.0 innings in his debut campaign, posting a 3-1 record. Hall's 34 strikeouts are also 10th-most all-time in a single season by a freshman in program history. He needs just one more strikeout to match Cole Bellair (35, 2016) for ninth.
