Illinois sweeps NU; Grabs first place for themselves

Illinois and starting pitcher Bryan Roberts took care of business today as they shut out Northwestern Wildcats 9-0 at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston.  With help from Michigan who defeated Ohio State, they are now in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten conference.
Roberts was lights out as he struck out seven [...]

Illinois clip Hawkeyes 8-3 in season opener

Woo-hoo!  This is one I would have really liked to seen in person.  The Illinois defeated Iowa in the first game of the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in Clearwater, Florida.
Down 2-1 in the sixth, the Illini came back to score five runs thanks in part to three Iowa fielding miscues.  Iowa never really recovered after [...]

Game on! Long time no see, Iowa!

It’s opening day for the Illini which means they’re someplace warm, in this case, Clearwater, Florida.  What’s different this year is that tonight, they are opening up against a Big Ten team, Iowa.  My guess?  They’re making up for lost time.  They didn’t play the Hawkeyes all last year.

Lars Davis and Tanner Roark after [...]

BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge this weekend

It may be freezing here in central Illinois but for Friday at Illinois-Iowa’s game time, it’s forecasted to be a balmy 51 degrees. 
Here again is the rundown of the (updated) weekend schedule for the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge:
 

Games #1,2,3

Record: 0-0

Feb 20 – 6:30 CST

vs Iowa

at Jack Russell Stadium, Clearwater, Fla

Feb 21 – 6:30 CST
vs [...]

The Big Ten Tournament with no Illini: It’s just not as fun

Well, with the Illini gone, I decided to stick around and watch some ball ANYWAY.
Penn State who lost their very first game against the Buckeyes, have played with heart and have hung on, winning against Iowa, Michigan and yes, Illinois. Minnesota, on the other hand, have just come off a tough loss against the Buckeyes [...]

The Big Ten Tournament says goodbye to Iowa

Thursday, Penn State defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 5-3 kicking them out of the tournament.
Iowa had a 3-0 in the 4th inning. As I walked by Ray, an Iowa fan Brian DeCaussin introduced me to, I said something like, “Iowa’s doin’ all right.”. Without a beat, he said, “Just wait, I’ve seen too many Iowa games [...]

Iowa gets ‘Roarked’ by the Orange and Blue

Here we go, Illini, Here we go!
Here we go, Illini, here we go!

It sure is nice to be in the winners’ bracket.
No incredible comeback today at the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Nope, the Illinois had things pretty much under control from the very start against the Iowa Hawkeyes as they took them [...]

Looking ahead to the Big Ten Tournament

I’m finally coming down a bit from Sunday’s incredible comeback by the Illini over Michigan State. It’s not often you see a team come back from a 7-0 deficit to win 8-7 in a must-win game.
But I’m sure the Illini baseball team isn’t looking back… they’re looking forward. Forward to Wednesday [...]

Illini Drop 3 of 4 Against the Hawkeyes

Illinois had a tough weekend.
Despite winning the series opener on Friday, the Illini lost the remaining three games of the series against the Hawkeyes. That’s not to say that the Illini didn’t score runs. Sunday’s game score was 17-12 and the Illini actually had the lead up until the fifth inning. [...]

Michigan to host Big Ten tournament

It seems nothing can stop Michigan this weekend.  So far, they have gone 3-0 against Iowa (including two 1-0 shutouts today!) and have clinched their 33rd Big Ten title.  In doing this, they have home-field advantage and a first-round bye.
Northwestern, with one game left tomorrow, have at least clinched second place and the second first-round bye [...]