CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois baseball (4-4) returns to the Palmetto State for the First Pitch Invitational at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. The Illini will take on Michigan State on Friday, College of Charleston on Saturday, and UAlbany on Sunday.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State holds a record of 2-4 on the year, which includes a series win against #8 Louisville. The Spartans also had a three-game series with #3 Texas, against whom they went 0-3.
At the plate, INF Randy Seymour is the leading hitter for this Spartan squad. Seymour has a batting average of .320 to go along with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI over six starts. Seymour also has a slugging percentage of .640.
Another key piece to the team is INF Ryan McKay, who is batting .273 with a .318 slugging percentage while also adding four RBIs.
On the mound, RHP Carter Monke, who has 10.1 innings pitched to go along with six strikeouts and an ERA of 2.61. Fellow reliever Tommy Szczepanski has made three appearances with 5.0 innings pitched to go along with a team-high nine strikeouts.
ABOUT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Charleston sits at 3-6 on the year with wins against #6 Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, and South Alabama. The Cougars will open up conference play on March 6 against Hofstra.
At the plate, INF Ethan Plyler has a batting average of .323 to go along with one double, one triple, and four RBI over nine starts. Plyler also has a slugging percentage of .419. Another key piece to the team is INF/OF Brent Gibbs, who is batting .381 with a .476 slugging percentage while also adding two doubles and two RBI.
ABOUT UALBANY
Albany holds a record of 0-4 on the year after getting swept in a four-game series against Texas Tech. The Great Danes will open up conference play on March 20 against NJIT.
At the plate, OF Luke Filippi is the leading hitter for this Albany squad. Filippi has a batting average of .385 to go along with one home run and three RBI over four starts. Filippi also has a slugging percentage of .615.
Another key piece to the team is OF Michael Maggio, who is batting .333 with a .333 slugging percentage while also adding four hits and three RBIs.
On the mound, RHP Christian Mello has 4.0 innings pitched to go along with five strikeouts and an ERA of 2.25.
SERIES INFO
The Illini and the Spartans are facing each other for the 165th time in program history on Friday. Illinois owns a 91-73 edge in series history entering the weekend. Illinois and Michigan State will be playing against each other at a neutral site for the first time since 2024, when they played in the same location (Greenville, S.C.). Last season, these two teams squared off in East Lansing, where the Fighting Illini took the series, 2-1.
The Illini will play both the Cougars and the Great Danes for the first time in program history this weekend.
ILLINOIS EARNS ROAD UPSET OF #6 COASTAL CAROLINA
The final game of Baseball at the Beach saw Illinois secure its first ranked victory of the season with a 14-5 upset road win over No. 6 Coastal Carolina on Feb. 22.
The Fighting Illini offense exploded for a season-high 14 runs and 17 hits, with six Illini hitters registering multiple hits. The triumph marked head coach Dan Hartleb's 600th of his collegiate managerial career.
Freshman AJ Putty highlighted the offensive dominance with five hits, including four for extra bases, and seven RBI. His grand slam in the first inning was the second home run of his career, while he finished the day with 11 total bases.
Kyle Schupmann secured a 3-for-5 day at the plate while scoring three runs, while Will Johannes went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Nick Groves, Michael Farina, and Daniel Contreras all tallied two hits on the day.
Regan Hall recorded the win on the mound during his 5.1 innings of work, while Kyle Remington tossed 3.2 innings of one-hit, shutout ball in relief en route to the save.
The win marked the Illini's first ranked victory since April 30, 2024, when Illinois defeated No. 24 Indiana State.
The Illini earned their first ranked road win since Feb. 26, 2023, when Illinois defeated No. Southern Miss away from home. It was the Illini's first top-10 road win since March 8, 2015, when Illinois defeated No. 10 Oklahoma State, and it was the Illini's highest ranked road win since March 8, 2009, when Illinois defeated No. 1 LSU.
DAN HARTLEB REACHES 600 CAREER WINS
With Illinois' win at No. 6 Coastal Carolina, Dan Hartleb secured the 600th victory of his collegiate managerial career.
Currently in his 21st season at the helm of the program in 2026, Hartleb is the winningest coach in Illini baseball history. During his tenure, he has led the Orange and Blue to three Big Ten championships, one Big Ten Tournament title, five NCAA Regional appearances, and one NCAA Super Regional appearance with the Orange and Blue.
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 36th season overall at Illinois, Hartleb has seen 155 players earn Big Ten All-Conference honors under his watch, with 47 of those players earning first-team selections. He has also coached a total of 27 All-Americans and 110 players who have gone on to play professionally.
Among active Big Ten coaches, Hartleb is one of two coaches who have spent at least 20 seasons as head coach at their current school (John Savage, UCLA, 22nd season in 2026).
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
Illinois has 16 returners and 18 newcomers on its 2026 roster.
Thirteen newcomers are transfers: C Daniel Contreras (Illinois State), OF Cole Crafton (Louisville), INF Michael Farina (Southeastern CC), LHP Tore Indomenico (Notre Dame), RHP Ryan Johnson (Georgia Tech), RHP Richie LaCien (Lawrence University), RHP Olivier Martel (Mineral Area College), RHP Liam McKillop (SIUE), RHP Sam Mommer (Wisconsin-Parkside), INF J.R. Nelson (Ohio), RHP Ryan Ohm (Iowa Central CC), RHP Kyle Remington (Minnesota), and OF/1B Cole Warehime (SEMO).
The Illini roster includes five freshmen, all of whom hail from the state of Illinois: LHP Aidan Flinn (Mokena), INF Lucas Krebs (Edwardsville), INF AJ Putty (McHenry), OF/RHP Foti Rigopoulos (Galena), and RHP Ike Young (Cisco).
PUTTY NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (FEB. 23)
Fighting Illini freshman infielder AJ Putty was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the first time in his career following a standout second week of the 2026 season, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Across Illinois' four games from Feb. 17-22, Putty went 9-for-17 with five doubles, a grand slam, and 11 RBI while starting each contest at first base.
A native of McHenry, Illinois, Putty marked his home debut with a 3-for-5 day at the plate against Butler, driving in two runs while scoring twice and hitting two doubles. He registered multiple RBI three days later in the Illini's victory over VCU, reaching base twice via a walk and a single.
His biggest performance of the week came in the Illini's upset road win over No. 6 Coastal Carolina on Sunday. The freshman first baseman went 5-for-6 with four extra-base hits, seven RBI, and 11 total bases. His grand slam in the first inning marked the second home run of his collegiate career, while his five hits and three doubles are tied for the most by a Big Ten player in a game this season.
Putty now holds a team-high batting average of .414 through the first seven college games while slugging a team-best .828. His 12 hits, six doubles, 24 total bases, and 13 RBI also lead the team thus far this season.
He is the first Illini to win Big Ten Freshman of the Week in nearly nine years, when former Illini and current Kansas City Royal Michael Massey received the honor on May 1, 2017.
NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Two Illini baseball players were selected to the watch list for the 21st Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award.
Left-hander Zach Bates and right-hander Mitch Dye were both named to the list.
Bates is coming off of a breakout 2025 season, during which he amassed 34 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work last season over 23 relief appearances. He ended the year with an ERA of 2.83 to go along with a team-high eight saves.
During the 2025 season, Dye put together 23.0 innings of work to go along with 29 strikeouts. He amassed 21 relief appearances and ended the season with an ERA of 7.43. Dye also added one save on the year.
ILLINI TRIO NAMED TO B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
The Fighting Illini saw three student-athletes honored on the Big Ten Players to Watch list, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
Junior outfielder Collin Jennings, junior left-handed pitcher Regan Hall, and senior outfielder Nick Groves were all recognized with preseason honors for the first time in their respective careers.
Jennings put together a breakout sophomore season in 2025, hitting 16 home runs and driving in 61 runs, the latter of which were the most by an Illini since 2008. Tabbed with preseason All-Big Ten honors from Perfect Game, the Orland Park, Ill., native was also named one of the nation's top 100 collegiate juniors by the organization.
Hall heads into the 2026 season after securing a team-high seven wins on the mound for the Illini as a sophomore. Going 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA in the month of April in 2025, the New Mexico native finished his sophomore season with 67.2 innings pitched across 12 starts and 14 total appearances. He recorded his first complete game against Indiana on April 13.
Groves appeared in 43 games, making 41 starts, for the Illini in his first season with the program in 2025. Tallying a slash line of .324/.493/.385, his .493 on-base percentage ranked fifth in Big Ten last season, while his 15 stolen bases were tied for the seventh-most in the conference. He entered 2026 with an active on-base streak of 13 games.
ONES TO WATCH
Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten
OF Collin Jennings
Perfect Game Top 100 Collegiate Juniors
No. 77 - OF Collin Jennings
Perfect Game Top 2026 B1G Draft Prospects
No. 9 - OF Collin Jennings
Perfect Game Top 2027 B1G Draft Prospects
No. 16 - LHP/OF Brayden Mazzacano
No. 19 - C/OF Luke Landrus
Perfect Game Top 2028 B1G Draft Prospects
No. 13 - RHP Ike Young
D1Baseball Preseason Second Baseman Rankings
No. 46 - Jack Zebig
D1Baseball Preseason Third Baseman Rankings
No. 25 - Kyle Schupmann
D1Baseball Preseason Outfielder Rankings
No. 99 - Collin Jennings
D1Baseball Preseason Relief Pitcher Rankings
No. 65 - Zach Bates
D1Baseball Top 2026 B1G Draft Prospects
No. 16 - OF Collin Jennings
No. 53 - 2B Jack Zebig
No. 54 - LHP Zach Bates
D1Baseball Top 2027 B1G Draft Prospects
No. 17 - RHP Ryan Johnson
No. 23 - OF Cole Crafton
No. 26 - LHP/OF Brayden Mazzacano
D1Baseball Top Impact B1G Freshmen
No. 15 - RHP Ike Young
No. 26 - LHP Aidan Flinn
