This weekend, Illinois baseball (26-13, 6-6 Big Ten) will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-14, 11-4 Big Ten) in Lincoln. For the Friday-Sunday series, the Illini hope to continue their winning ways.
Fighting for a Big Ten Tournament berth, the Illini are getting hot a the right time. They are on a four-game winning streak including a sweep against the Minnesota Golden Gophers plus a 10th inning midweek win against Bradley.
No time to change what’s working now. Coach Hartleb is sticking with what is working. According to FightingIllini.com, here are the pitching probables…
- Friday: Andy Fisher 4-1, 3.19 ERA
- Saturday: Ty Weber 4-2, 2.81 ERA
- Sunday: Cyrillo Watson 4-2, 3.86 ERA
The bullpen currently has a .176 batting average against with a nifty 174 strikeouts in only 149 1/3 innings. Closer Garrett Acton leads the Big Ten with 13 saves. That mark is second for the entire nation.
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | |
| Hawks Field | |
| Friday, April 26 | 7:30pm CT Saturday, April 27 | 2:05pm CT Sunday, April 28 | 11:05am CT |  |
Peeling away the husks
At 22-14, Nebraska has had a good 2019 season. Their 11-4 conference record might be a little misleading though. Three of their four conference opponents have been Purdue, Michigan State and Penn State who sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
They also barely escaped a sweep against the Iowa Hawkeyes last weekend.
Look for Nebraska pitcher Matt Waldron on the mound. He places second in ERA in the Big Ten with a 1.84 mark.
Random Ramblings
A word about Dave Loane…
By now you have heard that the legendary broadcaster has put in his notice. This will be his last year as Illinois baseball’s man at the mike after 31 years.
This makes me a little sad but as someone who knows Dave and really appreciates his radio voice, I am happy and grateful for the time and talents he has put towards Illinois baseball and other Illini sports.
The News Gazette has a great slide show of photos of Dave throughout the year (sorry, Dave!)
Dave, you will certainly be missed! I hope you will consider hosting at least one more Hot Stove Banquet.
Stat time
Just throwing this out there…
Go Illini!