It’s becoming crunch time in the Big Ten conference schedule and who better to play than Ohio State?
Ok, that’s a very positive spin on a dire situation for the Illini (21-21 6-9 Big Ten). But the team has done well under pressure before so I’m hoping they respond well this weekend when they travel to Columbus to play the Buckeyes.
The Bucks currently reside in second place (they’re actually in a three way tie for second in the Big Ten’s very tight standings). They have a 26-17 overall record (third best in the conference).
Ohio State Buckeyes |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2010 | 5:35 pm ct | |||
| May 8, 2010 | 12:05 pm ct | |||
| May 9, 2010 | 12:05 pm ct | |||
| Bill Davis Stadium | Columbus, OH | |||
| Program website link | Record | 26-17 (Big Ten 8-7) | ||
| Head Coach: | Bob Todd | Key player: | Michael Stephens | |
Cleanup hitter Michael Stephens is having a nice season for the Bucks. He’s leading the Buckeyes’ potent offense in rbis and homers while hitting .374.
That said, catcher Dan Burkhart is on a roll. In the Buckeyes’ last game (in their loss against Louisville), he went 5 for 5 with a homerun.
Yes, they lost against Louisville. The Illini can take heart that the Buckeyes CAN be beat (again, looking on the positive side, here). Not only that, they’ve had some 2010 losses against some mediocre teams so any mystique of the Buckeye formula can stop now.
We won’t be seeing Ohio State’s superstar pitcher Alex Wimmers. Unfortunately for Wimmers, he suffered a hamstring injury before the Michigan series. That will really impact their pitching strength as he is leading the conference in ERA and strikeouts.
And I don’t know what impact this will have on this weekend’s series, if any, but it’s worth mentioning. Ohio State’s head coach, Bob Todd, recently announced that he will retire at the end of this year. 
Speaking of The Buckeye Nine’s Chris Webb, he conducted an interview of our own Coach Hartleb. You can listen to it here.
So how many games does Illinois have to win to stay alive in the Big Ten Tournament race? A sweep would nice obviously but even a 2-1 win would begin help our comeback. I haven’t done the standings math this early in the season yet but a 1-2 or god forbid a OSU sweep starts putting us in the “stay at home” category”. Do or die? Maybe that’s a stretch. But a good showing is a must in order to keep the Big Ten Tournament in sight.
Oh and let me leave you with this photo… for those who were there last year, you remember this?
