Every week, I tell you that it couldn’t get any more exciting for the Illinois baseball team. And the week later, they prove me wrong.
Coming off of a disappointing weekend series loss against Maryland, Illinois may have felt they have had something to prove. Well, they did that and then some. Facing #24 Indiana State, there were some crazy numbers put up.
With the very first pitch to Illinois, Cal Hejza dealt that one over the left wall. He wasn’t done yet and neither were the Illini.
In just the second inning, Hejza contributed another homer and this was for two runs. Later in the inning, Ryan Moerman hit his first homerun of the game. And to think the Illini were just getting started.
Moerman hit a grandslam in the third inning and Coltin Quagliano had a three-run dinger in the fifth.
Moerman still had more work to do. In the sixth, he clobbered a 2-run homer. The clincher was Connor Milton’s solo shot in the seventh which gave Illinois the victory on the run rule.
Twenty-one runs. Seven homeruns.
Moerman’s stats on Tuesday’s game are insane: he went 4 for 5 with three homers and NINE rbis! And yes, he now the B1G leader in homers now.
The boxscore of the 21-11 win is something to behold.
Just a few photos from Tuesday night.
See all my photos from the 2024 season in the IBR photo gallery.
Buckeyes come to town
Illinois will continue their seven-game homestand at Illinois Field starting Friday.
While Tuesday’s game was a dose of needed confidence, the 1-2 series loss against conference Maryland Terps did hurt a bit. Fortunately, Illinois came into that weekend with a bit of a buffer and are virtually tied for first with Purdue.
Every win counts!
Here’s the Fighting Illini weekend preview.
Ohio State Buckeyes
W-22 L-20 (7-8 Big Ten)
Friday 6pm CT
Saturday 3pm CT
Sunday 1pm CT
‘Bout the Buckeyes: The Ohio State has had a reputation of being a baseball powerhouse but since the restructuring, they haven’t had the allure. They’ve had a losing conference record the past two years.
And this year so far, it seems. They are currently 7-8. With their non-conference wins against Cincinnati and Akron, they just eke out an overall winning record in 2024.
The Buckeyes are one of the speedier teams in the Big Ten so keep an eye on those baserunners!
On the mound
Once again, it looks like Jack Crowder and Cooper Omans are on and Sunday’s slot is still TBD.
| Friday | Jack Crowder | 4-1, 4.83 ERA |
| Saturday | Cooper Omans | 4-1, 4.44 ERA |
| Sunday | TBD |
Both Crowder and Omans have four wins for the season. Crowder’s three wins in conference play ranks among the leaders in the Big Ten.
Random Ramblings
How much is the Illini offense bashing the baseball?
This much…
Yes, they lead the second place Hoosiers by 21 dingers! That said, the Purdue Boilermakers still lead the conference in runs scored.
Friday night’s game will begin with Bleacher Bum BBQ, an annual festivity which is always well attended. Come early and with an empty stomach because there will be free food provided by Hickory River. Saturday is Honor & Serve Day and the commemorative jerseys will available for sale before the game.
A couple of stat tidbits…
Coltin Quagliano is quietly leading the Illini in rbis. With a .348 batting average, Q has 47 ribbies thanks to timely hitting and eight homeruns. And since entering the starting lineup, Connor Milton has gone 16 for 26 with five homeruns.
See you at the ballpark!