| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Illinois |
Maryland |
| Fri. 1 p.m. CT |
RHP Tyler Schmitt (1-1, 5.73) |
LHP Kyle McCoy (3-1, 2.79) |
| Sat. 3 p.m. CT |
RHP Ben Plumley (2-2, 5.88) |
RHP Logan Hastings (2-2, 5.52) |
| Sun. 1 p.m. CT |
LHP Regan Hall (2-2, 9.00) |
RHP Jake Yeager (2-2, 5.88) |
PREVIEW
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. --Â Illinois baseball returns to Big Ten play with a three-game set vs. Maryland for the first conference series at Illinois Field this season. First pitch in Friday's opener is set for 1 p.m. CT.
The Orange and Blue earned a midweek win on Tuesday vs. Illinois State, 8-2, to improve to 6-1 at Illinois Field this season. Seven of the Illini's next eight games will be played in Champaign.
RHP Tyler Schmitt (1-1, 5.73) is slated to start on the mound on Friday, with RHP Ben Plumley (2-2, 5.88) and LHP Regan Hall (2-2, 9.00) set to follow in the rotation.
Admission to Illinois Field is free all season long. Northeast and southeast lots will be open at State Farm Center for Friday and Sunday's contests and closed on Saturday. Fans should refer to the gameday guide for more parking information and updated Illinois Field policies.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. Maryland
- Record: 11-14 (H: 5-7, A: 5-4, N: 1-3)
- Last: L, 7-11 (4/28/24 at College Park, Md.)
- Illini have dropped four of last six at Illinois Field
- First series in Champaign since April 22-23, 2022
NOTES
ILLINI SET FOR BIG TEN SERIES vs. MARYLAND
Illinois baseball welcomes Maryland to Illinois Field for the first Big Ten home series of the season. The Illini went a perfect 4-0 in conference series in Champaign last season.
Scott Beatty will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (WDWS 1400-AM/93.9FM).
All three games can be stream on B1G+.
Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com.
ABOUTÂ THE OPPONENT
Maryland comes into the contest with a 14-15 record, coming off of a midweek defeat to UMBC, 5-2, on Tuesday at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium in College Park, Md.
The Terrapins dropped their last conference series to Northwestern at home from March 28-30, taking losses in the first two games of that set, to fall to 3-6 in Big Ten play.
Maryland has gone 2-4 in conference road games overall this season.
UTL Chris Hacopian leads the Terrapins at the plate with a slash line of .381/.533/.643 to go along with 25 runs scored, seven doubles, five home runs and 32 RBI. Hacopian was recently ranked as the No. 6 shortstop in the country by D1Baseball.
Among its qualified arms, Maryland is led by LHP Kyle McCoy, who has gone 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA (13 ER/42.0 IP) in seven game/starts, striking out 39 batters and limiting opponents to a .248 average. RHP Cristofer Cespedes leads the relief arms, going 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16.0 IP) in 10 appearances.
The Terrapins went 34-22 last season, including a 10-14 record in Big Ten play.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFO
Illinois trails in the all-time series 11-14 and also in games played at Illinois Field, 5-7.
In the last meeting between these two teams from April 26-28, 2024, at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, Maryland took two of three games over the Illini, handing the Orange and Blue their only Big Ten series defeat of the season.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides at Illinois Field since April 22-23, 2022, where the Terrapins won two of three games.
Illinois is looking for its first series win over Maryland since April 6-8, 2018, in College Park, and its first in Champaign since May 5-7, 2017.
ILLINOIS STATE RECAP
Illinois improved to 6-1 at Illinois Field with an 8-2 win over Illinois State on Tuesday.
The Illini pitching staff turned in one of their strongest performances of the season, allowing just two runs on seven hits. Seven of the eight pitchers to make an appearance in the ballgame made scoreless outings.
Collin Jennings continued his offensive tear at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a run, home run and two RBI. Cameron Chee-Aloy (2 H) and Vytas Valincius (3 H) also turned in multi-hit efforts.
THE GEN JENNERATOR
Collin Jennings continued his offensive tear at the plate over the weekend in East Lansing, Mich., slashing .455/571/.909 with three runs, two doubles, a home run and a team-high six RBI.
In the first game of the doubleheader on March 28, Jennings went 3-for-3 with a run, double, home run, four RBI and two walks, reaching safely in all five plate appearances. The sophomore's three-run home run in the eighth capped the six-run frame and completed the Illini's comeback from down 6-1, putting them ahead 8-6.
The Orland Park, Ill., native, then followed that game up with a 2-for-5, one double, two-RBI performance in the doubleheader nightcap, which extended his career-long hitting streak to 10 games.
Jennings went 0-for-3 in the finale but pushed his on-base streak to 11 games, also a career-long streak.Â
On Tuesday vs. Illinois State, Jennings went 1-for-4 with a run, home run and two RBI, bringing his totals in the last six games to four home runs and 15 RBI while slashing .364/.462/1.000.
HOME COOKING
After going 20-3 in 2024 at Illinois Field, the Illini have continued their stellar play at home, beginning the 2025 campaign 6-1 in Champaign.
Illinois is outscoring its opponents 83-46 in its seven home contests, averaging 11.9 runs per game.
The Fighting Illini have scored at least 10 runs in five of those ball games after having 14 such games during the 2024 season.
(SCH)UP, (SCH)UP AND AWAY
Kyle Schupmann continued his recent power surge over the weekend at Northwestern from March 21-22, going 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate with three runs scored, three home runs and five RBI.
In the second game of the doubleheader on March 21, Schupmann homered twice in the contest, his second multi-HR performance of the season. He is currently the only Illini this campaign to hit at least two homers in a game this season.
In his last 13 games, the Geneva, Ill., native, has slashed .327/.382/.714 with 15 runs scored, a double, six home runs and 14 RBI.
The redshirt sophomore also now leads the Illini with seven home runs on the season and he became the third player to reach the 20-RBI mark.
POWER SURGE
After slugging a program record 104 home runs a season ago, the Fighting Illini have started to mash once again, crushing 26 home runs over their 12 games, an average of 2.2 per game. Illinois has hit two or more home runs in nine of those contests after having just three such performances in the first 14 games of the season.
The Illini's 41 total home runs rank fifth among Big Ten teams, 10 back of conference leaders Oregon (51).
MICHIGAN STATE WEEKEND RECAP
Illinois earned its first Big Ten series win of the season by taking two of three games at Michigan State from March 28-29.
The Illini swept the doubleheader on March 28, their first twinbill sweep in four tries, before dropping the finale on March 29.
The Orange and Blue were led at the plate by Coltin Quagliano, who went 6-for-12 (.500) with five runs, two doubles and an RBI. Collin Jennings also had a big series, going 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and a team-high six RBI.
Ben Plumley turned in one of the best starts by an Illini this season in the second game the doubleheader on March 28, limiting the Spartans to just one run on three hits to go along with a career-high matching seven strikeouts to earn the first quality start of his career. Zach Bates tossed 2.0 scoreless frames in the first game of the doubleheader on March 28 to earn the first save of his Illinois career.
As a team, the Illini slashed .298/.413/.452 at the plate to go along with four doubles, four home runs and 19 RBI. The arms went 2-1 with a 7.82 ERA (22 ER/25.1 IP) striking out 16 batters.
D1BASEBALL WEEK 6 RANKINGS
Two Fighting Illini found themselves on D1Baseball player ranking lists in the outlet's week six update.
Jack Zebig is ranked as the No. 44 shortstop in the country and Kyle Schupmann is ranked to the No. 45 third basemen.
Zebig, who has started all 22 games at short, has slashed .361/.476/.651 with six home runs and a team-high 29 RBI, which ranks 10th among Big Ten players.
Kyle Schupmann has appeared and started in 20 games during the campaign, all at third base. The Geneva, Ill., native, is slashing .325/.419/.675 with a team-high seven home runs and has also driven in 20 runs.
Neither player was featured in D1Baseball's preseason rankings.
BRAGGIN' RIGHTS RECAP
Illinois dropped its first midweek contest of the season on Tuesday vs. Missouri, falling 11-9 to the Tigers at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget, Ill.
Missouri jumped out to an 8-0 lead after two innings and later extended the lead to 9-0 in the sixth. Collin Jennings' grand slam in the sixth got the Illini into the contest, with Vytas Valincius and Jacob Schroeder each launching homers that got the Orange and Blue within two runs in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
Jack Zebig started the ninth inning with a walk and Illinois brought the tying run to the plate three times but could not find a decisive hit.
NORTHWESTERN SERIES RECAP
Illinois dropped its second-straight Big Ten series to open the season, falling in two of three games at Northwestern at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park in Evanston, Ill.
The Illini were walked off in the opener of Friday's doubleheader, 5-4, before rebounding in the second game 11-6. The Wildcats then claimed a 14-4 run-rule victory in seven innings on Saturday.
Kyle Schupmann led the way offensively for the Illini, going 5-for-11 (.455) at the dish with three runs, three home runs and five RBI. In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Schupmann homered twice in the contest, his second such game of the season. Greg LaChance went 3-for-8 (.375) with three runs, a double, a home run and two RBI. Nick Groves led the team with four walks during series.
Tyler Schmitt turned in the best start of the weekend, taking no decision in the doubleheader opener on Friday, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings of work to go along with four strikeouts. Ben Plumley stuckout a team-high six batters in his start in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and Payton Hutchings picked up his first save of the campaign after working the final 3.1 frames of that ballgame, allowing two runs on four hits with three punchouts.Â
INDIANA STATEÂ RECAP
Illinois won capped off its season-long five-game homestand with an 8-6 victory over Indiana State on March 18.
The Illini overturned an early 2-0 deficit with a six-run second inning, highlighted by Jack Zebig's three-run home run with two outs.
Jacob Schroeder launched a solo shot in the third and Vytas Valincius also tallied an RBI in the fifth.
The Orange and Blue got scoreless relief frames from Zach Bates, Evan Clark, Luke Weber and Reed Gannon to stave off a Sycamore rally. Gannon got the ball in the ninth and earned his first-career save.
VALPARAISO WEEKEND RECAP
Illinois won two of three games over Valparaiso over the weekend to conclude its non-conference series slate with a perfect 3-0 record.
Nick Groves led the way offensively, batting .500 (5-for-10) with five runs scored, a double, RBI and four walks. Vytas Valincius also continued his solid start of the season by going 6-for-13 (.462) with a double, home run and six RBI. Collin Jennings (.455) and Grant Ross (.400) were the other Illini to bat over .400 during the series.
Regan Hall fired his first quality start of the season in the second game of the doubleheader on March 15, holding the Beacons to just two runs on three hits over 6.0 innings. Among relievers, Payton Hutchings led the way with 3.2 scoreless frames in the doubleheader opener on March 15, allowing just one hit and punching out two. Luke Weber earned his first-career save by twirling 2.1 shutout innings on March 14, yielding one hit to go along with two strikeouts.
As a team, the Orange and Blue slashed .347/.488/.653 slugging a total of eight home runs, including a season-high four long balls in the doubleheader opener on March 15.
WALK IT OFF
Illinois earned its first walk-off victory of the season in the second game of the doubleheader on March 15 vs. Valparaiso thanks to Jack Zebig's seventh-inning grand slam to lift the Illini to a 14-4 run-rule win over the Beacons.
The Orange and Blue recorded four walk-off wins last season, three of which came via a run rule.
HALL MONITOR
Regan Hall tossed his first quality of the 2025 season in the second game of the doubleheader on March 15 vs. Valparaiso, working 6.0 innings of two-run ball, allowing three hits and striking out two.
Hall faced the minimum through the first three innings, before allowing two in the fourth. He then faced the minimum in the fifth and the sixth to improve to 2-0 on the season.
It was the sophomore's first quality start since his collegiate and Illini debut on Feb. 18, 2024, vs. Fordham in Winston-Salem, N.C.
WESTERN ILLINOIS RECAP
Illinois began its season-long five-game homestand with an 11-4 victory over Western Illinois on March 11.
Kyle Schupmann led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, three RBI and a walk. Nick Groves also tallied a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI.
Ryan Daly got the start for the Illini and worked 3.0 innings, allowing one run, unearned, on one hit to go along with three strikeouts. Brayden Mazzacano starred in relief, tossing 3.0 scoreless frames, striking out one.
CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN
Through 26 games this season, the Illini have stolen 37 bases in 45 attempts already surpassing their 2024 total of 25 stolen bases.
Nick Groves leads the Illini with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts, which also ranks tied for second among Big Ten players.
On Feb. 25 vs. Aurora, Cameron Chee-Aloy set the single-game program record with five stolen bases in the contest.
Greg LaChance (4-for-4), Collin Jennings (3-for-3), Kyle Schupmann (3-for-3) and Vytas Valincius (3-for-3) are also all perfect in multiple stolen base attempts.
CLUTCH HITTING
Through 26 games this season, the Illini have delivered in big spots at the plate, posting a team average of .309 with runners in scoring position as well as a team average of .307 with two outs in an inning. This has led to a total of 103 two-out RBI, which accounts for 46.0 percent (103/224) of runs scored by the offense this season.
Jack Zebig lead the team with 13 hits with runners in scoring position and he leads the squad with 19 two-out RBI. Zebig also leads the squad with 15 hits with two outs.
Illinois has also been successful at moving runners over in their plate appearances, doing so at a .514 clip (284/552).
2024 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, 2024. The Illini were able to claim an outright title with Nebraska's loss to Michigan State on May 18, 2024. 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.
ILLINI PLAY LONG BALL
During the 2024 campaign, the Fighting Illini launched 104 home runs, setting a new program record and shattering the previous of 91 (1998) in the process.
Illinois' 104 home runs were the most among Big Ten teams, slugging 21 more than second-placed Indiana (83). It also ranked 28th nationally and ninth among teams that played fewer than 60 games.
The Orange and Blue averaged 1.86 home runs per game, which was the 19th-highest mark in the country and the best in the Big Ten.
Five players tallied double-digit home runs last season (Brody Harding, Ryan Moerman, Jacob Schroeder, Vytas Valincius, Drake Westcott) and were the only team in the conference with more than four players in double figures.
The Illini return 54.8 percent (57/104) of their home run production in 2025.
FOUR IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Illinois slugged at least four home runs in a single game seven times last season, winning each one of those contests.
The Illini did so for the first time in the 2025 campaign in the first game of the doubleheader vs. Valparaiso on March 15, but suffered a rare defeat when hitting that mark.
The Illini crushed a season-high five home runs in the second game of Friday's doubleheader vs. Northwestern to defeat the Wildcats 11-6.
Illinois had eight such games in 2023, going 7-1 in those ballgames. Since 2018, Illinois is 19-3 when they hit at least four homers in a single game.
DAN HARTLEB'S 20TH SEASON
Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb begins his 20th season at the helm of the program in 2025.
The winningest coach in Illini baseball history has currently amassed 582Â wins, three Big Ten championships, one Big Ten Tournament title, five NCAA Regional appearances and one NCAA Super Regional Appearance.
Along with being named Big Ten Coach of the Year two times, Hartleb was named Big Coach of the Decade (2010s), by D1Baseball.
As he enters his 35th season overall at Illinois, Hartleb has seen 148 players have earned Big Ten All-Conference honors under his watch, with 47 of those players earning first-team selections. He's also coached a total of 27 All-Americans and 96 players who have gone on to play professionally.
Among active Big Ten coaches, Hartleb is one of two coaches that have spent at least 20 seasons as head coach at their current school (John Savage, UCLA, 21st season in 2025).Â
HOME SWEET HOME
Illinois finished the 2024 season 20-3 at Illinois Field after taking two of three games from Iowa from May 10-12, 2024.
The Illini also went 8-0 during its season-long homestand from April 9-23, 2024.
It was the first time since 2015 that Illinois won at least 20 home games, with the Illini's .869 winning percentage is the highest mark in program history since 1940 (8-1, .889).
The Orange and Blue were victorious in all six home series last season, earning sweeps over Penn State, Northern Illinois and Northwestern. Overall, Illinois has won nine-straight home series, dating back to 2023.
Following the sweep of Northwestern from April 19-21, 2024, the Illini had won 12-straight Big Ten home games dating back to last season, four series sweeps, which was the longest such streak since the Orange and Blue won 18-straight such games from May 2, 2014, to March 26, 2016.
The Fighting Illini also won their home opener 12-2 over Eastern Illinois at Illinois Field on Feb. 27, 2024. Illinois is 8-3 in its last 11 home openers and the 12 runs scored are the most since also scoring 12 in the 2021 home opener vs. Northwestern.
OPENING DAY HISTORY
Illinois is 6-3 in their last nine season openers, following 2025's curtain-raising defeat to Abilene Christian on Feb. 14...the Illini snapped a brief two-game losing streak in season openers in their 9-6 victory over Youngstown State in 2023.
DAN HARTLEB, THE WINNINGEST COACH ATÂ ILLINOIS
Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb earned win No. 519 on April 2, 2023, against Michigan, passing Lee Eilbracht for the most in program history...currently has 582Â career wins.
CLEAN FIELDING
The Illini led the Big Ten in fielding percentage during conference play (.986) last season for the third-straight year and for the fifth time in the last six seasons overall.
The Illini posted a .979 fielding percentage overall and have posted a .970 overall fielding percentage or better in 12 of the last 14 seasons.
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
Illinois has 17 returners and 18 newcomers on the 2024 roster.
  » Thirteen newcomers are transfers: LHP Zach Bates (Iowa Central CC), RHP Ryan Daly (St. Francis), RHP Mitch Dye (Lincoln Land CC), OF Nick Groves (Niagara), C/1B Will Johannes (Madison College), INF Greg LaChance (Jefferson College), LHP Reece Marley (Case Western Reserve), RHP Christian Morel (Tampa Unviersity), INF/RHP Grant Ross (Madison College), RHP Tyler Schmitt (UW-La Crosse), INF Kyle Schupmann (Cincinnati), OF Alexander Wright (George Washington), INF Jack Zebig (Marryville University)
ILLINI TRIO EARN BIG TEN PRESEASON HONORS
A trio of Illini baseball players were selected Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch, the conference announced on Feb. 12.
Right-hander Ben Plumley along with catcher Jacob Schroeder and first baseman Drake Westcott, were all named to the list.
Plumley is coming off of a breakout 2024 season, where he amassed 33 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work last season over 23 relief appearances. He had a season-long six-game span (8.1 IP) without allowing an earned run from May 10 to June 1, striking out eight batters compared to three walks.
Schroeder, who earned 2024 College Baseball Foundation All-American Second Team and All-Big Ten First Team honors slashed .306/.434/.613 to go along with seven doubles, 14 home runs and 41 RBI. Schroeder ranked tied for ninth in the Big Ten in home runs and also ranked among conference leaders in slugging (8th) and OPS (1.047, 10th).Â
Westcott slashed .290/.421/.571 to go along with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 52 RBI. He ranked among conference leaders in walks (T-3rd, 47) and home runs (T-4th). Westcott enters the 2025 campaign with 34 career dingers in the Orange and Blue, 14 away from matching Scott Spiezio's (1991-93) program record of 48.
ONES TO WATCH
D1Baseball Big Ten Top 2025 MLB Draft
Prospects: No. 19 RHP Tyler Schmitt, No. 22 OF Nick Groves, No. 37 RHP Julius Sanchez
D1Baseball Big Ten Top 2026 MLB Draft Prospects: No. 10 OF Cameron Chee-Aloy
Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Team: 1B Drake Westcott
Perfect Game Big Ten Top 2025 MLB Draft
Prospects: No. 30 RHP Julius Sanchez, No. 38 Ben Plumley
Perfect Game Big Ten Top 2027 MLB Draft Prospects: No. 16 OF/LHP Brayden Mazzacano
ILLINI BASEBALL INKS SEVEN TO 2025 CLASS
"I am extremely excited about the group of great athletes that we have signed to join our Illini family," head coach Dan Hartleb said.Â
"We feel as if this group has the ability to help us to pursue future championships. In the changing times of college athletics, I feel as though our staff did a tremendous job of identifying great athletes and helping to secure their talents which will ensure our success moving forward."
Michael Farina / INF / Mundelein, Ill.
Aidan Flinn / LHP / Mokena, Ill.
Lucas Krebs / SS / Edwardsville, Ill.
Ryan Ohm / RHP / Rochester, Minn.
AJ Putty / 1B / McHenry, Ill.
Jack Wheeler / 3B/RHP / Morris, Ill.
Ike Young / RHP / Cisco, Ill.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini head to Normal, Ill., for a midweek showdown at Illinois State on Tuesday, April 8. First pitch from Duffy Bass Field is set for 5 p.m. CT.
