Chambana Sun

Illinois baseball is preparing for a nine-game homestand, starting with a match against Illinois State. The game will take place at Illinois Field in Champaign on April 9, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

The Illini recently won their fourth consecutive series by defeating Minnesota in two out of three games at Siebert Field, Minneapolis. Their winning streak extended to seven before losing the final game on Saturday. Sam Reed (1-1, 11.49 ERA) is expected to start for Illinois.

Historically, Illinois leads the series against Illinois State with a record of 58-35, having won 11 of the last 14 encounters since 2015 and ten of the last eleven at home.

Illinois State enters this contest with a record of 17-11 after sweeping Valparaiso over the weekend. Luke Cheng leads their batting lineup with a .373 average, while Tanner Perry has been effective on the mound with a 4-3 record and a 4.26 ERA.

In their recent Big Ten matchup in Minneapolis, Illinois improved to a conference record of 7-2. They batted .348 as a team and achieved notable performances from players like Cal Hejza and Cooper Omans.

Cal Hejza had an impressive weekend performance and extended his hitting streak to twelve games. Camden Janik also showed consistency at bat and currently holds an eight-game hitting streak. Jacob Schroeder's offensive contributions continued despite ending his career-high hitting streak over the weekend.

Joe Glassey contributed defensively by securing his third save of the season during Saturday's doubleheader.

Following this game against Illinois State, Illinois will continue its homestand with a three-game series against Northern Illinois starting Friday.