Brian Russell, Ph.D. Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Development | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Brian Russell, Ph.D. Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Development | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Illinois baseball is set to host Northwestern in a Big Ten series this weekend at Illinois Field in Champaign. The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, with games also scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
The Fighting Illini come into the series following a successful sweep of Northern Illinois, having won their last four games. During that stretch, they outscored Northern Illinois 52-21 and hit 15 home runs.
On the mound for Illinois, RHP Jack Crowder (2-1, 5.36 ERA) will start the opener on Friday. LHP Cooper Omans (3-1, 3.96 ERA) is slated to pitch on Saturday, while Sunday's starter has yet to be announced.
Illinois holds a significant lead in the all-time series against Northwestern with a record of 179-92 and has won 23 of the last 30 matchups dating back to 2011. They swept Northwestern in their last meeting at Champaign in April 2022.
Northwestern enters this weekend's contests with a record of 12-20 after winning two out of three games against Maryland last weekend. Bennett Markinson leads the Wildcats offensively with a .354 batting average, while RHP Kyle Potthoff leads their pitching staff with a record of 3-2 and an ERA of 4.64.
Scott Beatty will provide commentary for the Illini on WDWS AM-1400/93.9FM and streaming options are available through B1G+ and FightingIllini.com.
Following this series, Illinois will conclude its homestand with a game against Western Illinois next Tuesday at Illinois Field.
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