Yesterday, the Fighting Illini Baseball team has formally announced their official 2014 schedule. Touted as “challenging”, this one actually fits the bill. This spring, the Illini will play four teams who reached last year’s NCAA Tournament. Those teams are Coastal Carolina, Florida (twice), Wichita State and Indiana (three times).
Baseball season starts one month from now in Atlanta with a three-game series with Georgia State. It’s the next weekend when things start to really heat up. Illinois will face two top-ranked teams in Coastal Carolina and Wichita State at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The weekend after that is just as challenging with two games against Florida in Gainesville interspersed with two more versus Florida Gulf Coast.
Illinois Baseball comes back to this state on March 14 when the Illini take on their big rival Southern Illinois in Carbondale. A few days later on Tuesday, March 18, is the Fighting Illini home opener against Indiana State. The Big Ten opener is at home too. Our guys take on the Boilermakers of Purdue on March 28th to kick off the conference season.
With any luck, the Illini will get a sneak peek at the College World Series venue. The conference Tournament will be held at TD Ameritrade Park home of the CWS in Omaha. The Big Ten Tournament begins May 21.
Indeed, it is a “challenging” schedule. Not only do the Illini have four tough teams to contend with but they finish the regular season on the road for the last two weekends of the year.
I’m excited. Last year’s team won more games than any other under Coach Hartleb’s reign. Hartleb wants to build on that. I’ve seen some of the young players he and his staff have brought in and they’re ready to play.
Let’s play some ball!