For the second year in a row the Illinois baseball team enters its Big Ten season on a roll.

After beating Indiana State 4-2 on Tuesday night, the Illini (11-6) extended its winning streak to seven games heading into the team’s home and the Big Ten opening series against Purdue.

The Illini and Boilermakers will square off in four games starting at 6 p.m. tonight at Illinois Field. The two teams will then play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. and will conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m.

“The home opener isn’t going to be any different than any other game we’ve played this year,” head coach Dan Hartleb said after the Illini’s win over Indiana State. “It’s going to be fun playing at home and I think we are ready to go into the Big Ten season. I believe we’re ready and capable to handle anything thrown at us.”

Thus far the Illini’s season has been a series streaks. After opening the season with straight losses the Illini rolled off four straight wins, only to follow those wins with another three game losing streak. Illinois has once again bounced back from its losing streak and has strung together seven straight wins behind solid performances on the mound and at the plate.

“The main thing right now is that we are finding ways to win,” junior third baseman Mike Rohde said. “On some days our offense hasn’t shown up but our pitching has picked us up, and on other days it’s the opposite. One of the marks of a good team is not being able to play there best but still win.”

Tonight’s game will be the start of Illinois’ defense of its 2005 Big Ten regular season championship. The Illini fished last year’s Big Ten season atop the standings with a 20-12 conference record and began its conference season by winning its first seven games. The team is hoping for a similar start to this year’s Big Ten season.

“It’s always nice to get off to a good start in conference from a mental standpoint,” Hartleb said. “We got off to a good start last year and that propelled us into the season, but I don’t think that any one weekend makes or breaks you in the long term.”

Illinois’ first Big Ten opponent of 2006 will be a difficult. Purdue enters this weekend’s series with an identical 11-6 record, and brings in last week’s Big Ten Player of the Week, senior first baseman Eric Wolfe, and Pitcher of the Week, junior Dan Sattler.

The Illini and Boilermakers met only once last season, with the Boilermakers defeating the Illini 4-3 in 11 innings in the Big Ten Tournament.

The loss would turn out to be the last game of the Illinois season.

“Purdue is supposedly picked to finish second in the Big Ten,” senior pitcher Brian Blomquist said. “We know they’re good and they’re going to come out after us because we’re the defending champs. We have to be ready to take on the challenge.”