It’s time for Big Ten baseball!
This weekend, Illinois travels to Iowa City for a three-game set against the Iowa Hawkeyes. For Illinois, it will be the Big Ten opener. Iowa is still looking for its first conference win after Indiana swept them last weekend.
Speaking of sweeps, Illinois is no stranger to the concept. In six weekends, they have five three-game sweep wins. Last weekend, the Illini obliterated the Illinois State Redbirds in three games, outscoring them 30 to 6.
On the mound
The starting rotation is a little up in the air.
- Friday: Andy Fisher – 3-1, 3.25 ERA
- Saturday: Ty Weber – 1-0, 1.52 ERA
- Sunday: TBA
Ty Weber has win #1 under his belt and the pressure is off.
Cyrillo Watson took last weekend off and my guess is that the jury is still out whether Watson is green-lighted for Sunday.
| Iowa Hawkeyes | |
| Banks Field | |
| Friday, March 29 | 4:05pm CT Saturday, March 30 | 2:05pm CT Sunday, March 31 | 1:05pm CT |  |
A look at the Hawkeyes
Technically speaking, the Hawkeyes are in last place coming off a Hoosier-induced sweep. Overall, they’re not that bad. They are not that super either. With a 12-10 overall record, they are quietly having an okay year.
Iowa did just experience a comeback win against Bradley on Tuesday so they may be looking for more.
Big guys in the lineup include Austin Martin (.333, 14 runs) and Ben Norman (4 HR, 14 rbis). Hurler Grant Judkins has a 1.77 ERA in six starts.
Random Ramblings
Take the time to read FightingIllini.com’s article on Illini pitcher Josh Harris.
“Nothing’s gonna scare Josh,” Dickinson said. “He’s been through the military and the life-and-death expectancy that brings. Being in a college game? That’s not pressure. He’s always under control. Nothing fazes this kid.”
His is an unusual journey and Illini players and fans alike can benefit from his presence.
A quick summary Illinois baseball stats compared to the rest of the Big Ten…
- Illinois is hitting .302 as a team, a full 22 points better than next highest Michigan.
- Illinois is third in ERA with a 3.20 ERA. Michigan (2.56) and Indiana (3.18) rank higher.
- Illinois has the highest fielding percentage with a .979 mark. Northwestern comes in second with a .973 fielding percentage.
- Fueled by a seven-game hitting streak, Michael Massey (above) ranks sixth in hitting (.350).
- Ty Weber has the 3rd lowest ERA in the Big Ten (1.52).
- Despite missing the last nine games due to injury, Zac Taylor still leads the Big Ten in steals with 12.
Go Illini!