Illinois baseball squad head to Gainesville for a four-game series

After six games, David Kerian leads the team in hitting with a .391 average

This weekend, the Illinois baseball go south once again down to Gainesville, Florida.  This time, they’re playing four games in a round robin tournament against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Florida Gators.

The four game format will give fans a chance to see how deep Illinois’ pitching strength really is.  In addition to the routine starters of Kevin Duchene, John Kravetz and Drasen Johnson, we’ll see Ryan Castellanos thrown into the mix.  Castellanos, who will be making his first appearance in 2014, is no stranger to the pitching rotation.  He made eight starts in 2013 and went 3-2 with a 5.04 ERA. 

The FGCU Eagles hail from the Atlantic Sun Conference and while they may not make the news like the Gators do, they have started out the 2014 season just fine.  Like Florida, they are 5-3 and it seems they have done that with their pitching.  Their ERA outshines their opponents’ by a 2.41 to 4.70 margin.  They win when they score early so get some runs on the board quick, guys!

Much has been made of Illinois’ matchup with formidable #23 Florida.  The Gators are now 5-3 but keep in mind that two of their losses are against #11 Miami.  The Gators got their revenge in their last game against the ‘Canes last weekend winning 6-4. 

If you’re looking for a good omen, check this stat out.  The Gators have been out-homered 8-1 so far this season. 

There’s a double-dipper on the schedule for Friday so fire up Game Tracker if your boss doesn’t mind.  The first game is over lunch hour but you’ll have to wait till dinnertime before the Illini take on the Gators.  Illini fans in the Florida area, the Illini-Gator matchup will be shown on FOX Sports Florida so tune in!!

Illinois starters Kevin Duchene and John Kravetz are both still looking for wins #1.  This weekend would be a great one to see them!

Go Illini!