Boy, the team has caught fire! I hate to see the team leave town. With a 7-1 record at Illinois Field, Illinois baseball is heading to Minnesota for a three-game conference series.
They have won nine of their last eleven games including their last five straight. The Illini have scored in double digits in those five games and to keep it interesting, they won their last three in comeback fashion.
And they’re having fun!
Friday: Illinois 14 Penn State 10
I didn’t make it to the game as I just got home from vacation. I could certainly hear the commotion from my house in Urbana though.
It was a back and forth game for a while. Down 8-6, Illinois charged ahead for good with eight runs in the seventh inning thanks in part to four rbi walks. Ryan Moerman who homered earlier in the game, sealed the deal with a 3-run double giving him five ribbies for the night.
Saturday Game 1: Illinois 17 Penn State 6
Sunday’s game was moved up to Saturday so there was a doubleheader. And Illinois had one of the best offensive displays ever.
In Game 1, Illinois was scoreless through four innings. The rest of the game was a different matter.
Brody Harding got things started with a dinger in the fifth. Then Camden Janik and Drake Westcott in the sixth got in on the action. Westcott added another in the seventh.
It seems the Illini were just getting started. Twelve Illini came to the plate in the eighth inning as they scored ten runs before the game was called after Brody Harding’s second homer of the day. Harding drove in four for the game.
Saturday Game 2: Illinois 12 Penn State 8
For the second time in the day, Illinois was down 4-0 but that didn’t stop them. Five homeruns including two by Jacob Schroeder, helped the Illini comeback.
Illinois scored at least two runs in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th innings. That all added up to a 12-8 win against state. Schroeder ended up with six rbis for the game and nine for the day!
Illinois hit eleven homers on Saturday:
- Brody Harding (2)
- Cal Hejza
- Camden Janik
- Coltin Quagliano
- Jacob Schroeder (3)
- Vytas Valincius
- Drake Westcott (2)
You can find all Illinois Baseball Report photos from this season in the IBR Photo Gallery.
Nice work, Illini!
On to Minnesota
Illinois (14-12, 5-1 B1G) is heading to Minnesota (11-12, 1-2 B1G) for an important conference series on the road. How well will the Illini do on the road after proving themselves at home?
Here’s the Fighting Illini weekend preview.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
W-11 L-12 (1-2 Big Ten)
Friday 4pm CT
Saturday 2pm CT
Sunday 1pm CT
Minnesota makeup: The Golden Gophers got off to a lackluster start in 2024 but I never count them out. They have some power and are able to score runs.
In a lot of ways, they remind me of Illinois.
On the mound
Who’s up for the Illini this weekend? It looks like Coach Hartleb is sticking with what won last weekend.
| Friday | Jack Crowder | 1-1, 5.65 ERA |
| Saturday | Cooper Omans | 2-1, 3.86 ERA |
| Sunday | Jake Swartz | 1-0, 4.45 ERA |
Random Ramblings
Not to bury the lede but congratulations to Jacob Schroeder for nailing Big Ten Player of the Week!
It’s hard to ignore nine rbis in one day! Schroeder’s performance last weekend puts him at a .321 batting average with six homers and 18 rbis for 2024.
Good luck, Illini!