Willie Argo is batting .487 with 12 rbis against Penn State
Illinois is on the road for the last time for the regular season this weekend as they travel to Penn State to face the Nittany Lions. It’s another crucial series as the Lions (10-8) are only one game ahead of the Illini (9-9) in the crowded Tournament race. PSU is currently sharing 3rd place with Michigan State (no thanks to last weekend’s series) and Minnesota. To add to the fun, Illinois shares 7th place with Nebraska AND follows up with Minnesota at home next weekend.
I would say it’s a abnormally tight Big Ten Baseball race but really, it seems that it’s this way every year. That’s why I love this sport.
Coach Hartleb had made his pitching announcements according to fightingillini.com. Kevin Johnson and John Kravetz will both be going for win #8 for the second weekend in the row. For Sunday, redshirt freshman Drasen Johnson (1-0) gets the call. I have to think Matt Milroy will get the call from the pen sometime during the weekend. He’s had a pretty amazing season even though his 2-5 record doesn’t reflect it.
Stat of the day: Illinois needs to score early this weekend. They are a pretty amazing 26-2 when tied or ahead after the 6th inning.
A quick rundown on the Penn State series:
Penn State Nittany Lions |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2012 | 5:05 pm CT | |||
| May 12, 2012 | 1:05 pm CT | |||
| May 13, 2012 | 11:05 pm CT | |||
| Medlar Field at Lubrano Park | University Park, PA | |||
| Program website link | 2012 Record 24-23 (10-8 Big Ten) | |||
| Head Coach: Robbie Wine | Key player: Jordan Steranka (.354, 8 HR, 33 rbis) | |||
Robbie Wine’s crew has reached a state of consistency that PSU fans have to like. For each of the last three conference weekends, they’ve gone 2-1. What Illinois has to like though, is that two of those series were against relatively weak teams and overall, the Illini have a better record than the Lions.
No doubt, firstbaseman Jordan Steranka is the key player to watch here. He leads Penn State in pretty much every offensive category including average (.354), rbis (33), homeruns (8), doubles (15), slugging (.578)… well, I could go on.
Random Ramblings
My latest column is up on Smile Politely. Aiming for the right side of .500, I like that headline. :)
Game 3 this weekend will be streamed live on Big Ten Network for those who want to see it. Otherwise, audio will be available for all three games via Illini All-Access or WDWS-1400AM. Of course, don’t forget Gametracker, too.
Finally, I want to acknowledge a couple people. I want to publically thank my friend and fellow Illini baseball fan Robin for something he did for me. Earlier this season, he printed up the Illini baseball roster, laminated it, and gave me a copy. For what I do, it’s been invaluable. Thanks, Robin!
Also, there’s been one other person (who I know wants to remain anonymous) who without their constant tips, this blog would be that much less. This person, who is a dedicated Illini Baseball fan, scours the web for boxscores and news of former Illini baseball players and forwards these bits to me. I appreciate this and this person (you know who are) deserves some recognition. Thanks!!