The University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team is set to resume Big Ten play with a three-game road series at Penn State, beginning Friday, March 27. The games will be held at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in University Park, Pennsylvania, and are scheduled for Friday at 4:30 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 10 a.m. Central Time.
This matchup is important as both teams look to improve their standings in the conference. Illinois enters the weekend with a record of 12-11 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play, while Penn State holds a 7-16 overall record and is currently 2-4 in conference games.
In their last outing, Illinois lost to Missouri by a score of 5-1 but received strong relief pitching performances from Sam Mommer, Liam McKillop, and Richie LaCien. The Illini bullpen limited Missouri to just one run over the final seven innings after giving up four runs in the first inning. For Penn State, infielder Michael Anderson leads his team offensively with a .316 batting average along with ten home runs and twenty-seven runs batted in. The Nittany Lions’ pitching staff has struggled this season with an earned run average of 8.04.
The two programs have faced each other since Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1992. Illinois leads the all-time series between these teams with forty-seven wins to thirty-one losses according to recent program records.
Dan Hartleb continues as head coach for Illinois during his twenty-first season and recently reached his six hundredth career win as manager of the program. Hartleb has guided Illinois to multiple championships and NCAA appearances during his tenure.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball program operates under NCAA Division I rules within the Big Ten Conference according to its official website. The team offers student-athletes opportunities for competition and development through intercollegiate athletics as reported by its official website. Participation in both conference and non-conference games helps build competitive experience according to its official website.
