The weekend is almost here. THE weekend is almost here! The weekend when Big Ten teams face off against each other and it really counts.
For the #25 (yes, we’re still ranked) Illini, they face the Spartans of Michigan State. If we can avoid the weather bug that we have avoided so well this year, it will be a great weekend for baseball. At this point, it’s looking cloudy with a chance for rain for both Friday and Saturday. But I ain’t going to jinx it.
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Games #19, 20, 21 |
Record: 13-5 |
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vs Michigan State University Spartans |
at Illinois Field |
| March 27 | 6:05 pm CT | Big Ten Network |
| March 28 | 3:05 pm CT | Big Ten Network |
| March 29 | 1:05 am CT |
MSU fan Tom Tompkins wrote to remind me about the Spartans’ new baseball coach they have in East Lansing:
“State has a new coach, Jake Boss Jr. His season so far has kind of paralleled last year when he was coach of Eastern Michigan. His team went 0-17, and then put it together, won the MAC, and did some damage in the post season. This years State team started 2-14, but you make be catching them at the wrong time, as they have won 5 straight including a nice win over Western Michigan.”
It seems to me that I remember Eastern Michigan’s amazing turnaround in the Mid American Conference. It may be that Michigan State’s new boss, Boss, is a slow starter but once the season gets going, can put it together.
Last year, Illinois’ series against Michigan State was in the last weekend in March as well and they battled the weather then. Luckily for us, we managed to take three of four from them.
A lot of factors come into play here when looking at both teams. Yes, Illinois has the superior record and beat the #1 team but you won’t hear any of the players gloating or thinking they got it easy. Like Tom Tompkins mentioned, MSU is currently on a 5-game winning streak.
Besides, now that we’re playing conference baseball, we’ve basically entered into a brand new season. You can throw what happened before now out the window.
Final note: Friday and Saturday’s game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. These will be the only scheduled broadcasted games from Illinois Field this season though one game at Ann Arbor on April 10 will also be televised.
Finally, some info on Michigan State…
Opponent:
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Michigan State University Spartans |
| Conference: | Big Ten |
| Head Coach: | Jake Boss (1st year) |
| Current Record: | 7-14 |
| Baseball Program website | Team Media Guide |
| Michigan State Team Facts: | Tough luck pitcher AJ Achter is leading starters with a 3.26 ERA but has a 0-2 record so far this season. |
| Michigan State Players to Watch: | Eli Boike is leading the team in hitting (.368), HR (5), and runs scored (18) so he’s an offensive force. Former Illini Shawn Roof’s little brothers, Eric (#2) and Jonathon (#3) are both starters for MSU and doing a fine job. Keep an eye out for them. |