Justin Parr is hitting .346 and an even tastier .486 against Big Ten teams
This coming weekend, the Illini will be making their last road trip of the year… not including the Big Ten Tournament, of course. They will be traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana to play the offense-laden Purdue Boilermakers.
It’s certainly a key series as the two teams are tied for third in a very tight Big Ten race. Illinois has won their last three series all by a 2-1 margin. Another win would go a long way to secure a tournament berth… and would send the Boilermakers down a notch.
Take note… Friday’s game is an afternoon’s delight at 3:05pm.
Purdue Boilermakers |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2011 | 3:05 pm ct | |||
| May 14, 2011 | 1:05 pm ct | |||
| May 15, 2011 | 2:05 pm ct | |||
| Lambert Field | West Lafayette, IN | |||
| Program website link | Record | 30-16 (10-8 in the Big Ten) | ||
| Head Coach: | Doug Schreiber | Key Player: | Cameron Perkins (.364, 8 hr, 49 rbi) | |
Along with Michigan State, Purdue (30-16) is one of only two teams in the Big Ten with 30 wins for the 2011 season. They’re 10-8 in conference play which puts them in a tie with Illinois and Ohio State for third place.
No doubt, the biggest reason for the Boilermakers’ success in 2011 is their offense. With the help from hitters like catcher Kevin Plawecki and corner infielder Cameron Perkins, they’ve managed to score over 100 runs more than their opponents. As a team they rank second in the conference in batting with a pretty nifty .316 batting average.
Purdue is coming off a rough series against first place Michigan State, though. They dropped all three last weekend at East Lansing.
Random Ramblings
In case you’re wondering, Illinois’ offense is hitting right at the Big Ten average at .281. And perhaps atypically, we are above average in homers hit. We’ve hit 20 so far while the average is 17.5 for each team. Here are some other Illinois stats (as of May 11) compared to the Big Ten average:
| Stat | Illinois | Big Ten average |
| Runs | 253 | 239.7 |
| Doubles | 74 | 80.4 |
| Triples | 12 | 11.5 |
| SB/Att | 76/104 | 51.3/72.0 |
| ERA | 5.01 | 4.40 |
| Strikeouts (pitchers) | 249 | 280.0 |
| Walks (pitchers) | 151 | 160.3 |
In other news, former Illini pitcher Scott Shaw (right, pitching in the 2008 Big Ten Tournament) has been tabbed as the opening day starter for the independent Gary Southshore Railcats this coming season. He’ll be making his start this Thursday.
Good luck, Scott!
Go Illini!