This weekend, the Illini baseball team heads north to play a three-game set in the Cambria College Classic. No fear, the play will take place within the confines of the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with its retractable roof.
I mean the boys look like they are having some fun, right?
Illinois baseball hopes to improve their early 2-4 record. They will start off on Friday against Notre Dame at 3pm. On Saturday, Illinois will take on a familiar non-conference opponent, West Virginia. Illinois has a 9-3 record against the Mountaineers. Finally, this weekend will include a return engagement with the Kansas Jayhawks. Illinois went 1-2 with the Jayhawks during the first weekend this year.
In the early season, catcher Jacob Campbell (above) is off to a hot start hitting .375. Danny Doligale isn’t far behind with a .333 mark.
On the mound
A few changes on the hill.
Coach Hartleb still has Cole Kirschsieper up on Friday. In two starts, Cole has allowed only eight hits and two runs so far this season.
Saturday sees the return of All-Big Ten Freshman Riley Gowens. Speaking of returns, Andrew Pogue is making his first appearance of 2022 on Sunday against Kansas.
| US Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, MN |
| Friday, March 4 | 3pm CT |  |
| Saturday, March 5 | 3pm CT |  |
| Sunday, March 6 | 2pm CT |  |
| Live Stats | BTN+ | WDWS AM-1400 |
Random Ramblings
The official television schedule has been announced for the Big Ten. Illinois Baseball will be featured in four games on major networks this season.
The games televised are:
- Friday, April 22 vs. Maryland (8:00 p.m. CT) – Big Ten Network
- Saturday, April 23 vs. Maryland (7:00 p.m. CT) – Big Ten Network
- Friday, May 13 vs. Nebraska (6:00 p.m. CT) – ESPNU
- Sunday, May 15 vs. Nebraska (2:00 p.m. CT) – ESPN2
Okay, it’s not really baseball related but U of I alum and Hall of Fame Chicago Bear linebacker Dick Butkus is lighting up Twitter lately. Either he has hired a social media manager or he is just late-night tweeting.
Finally, I am totally excited about Illinois playing at Illinois Field on March 8th! That’s next Tuesday! It’s one thing to listen to the radio broadcasts of the game and to read reports of the games afterwards but going to the ballpark is a very different thing. I’ll be there when Illinois takes on Eastern Illinois.
In the meantime, let’s get some wins!
Go Illini!