After last weekend’s wild Big Ten series against Northwestern, the Illini baseball team welcomes the Iowa Hawkeyes for a four-game weekend series starting tonight at 6 at Illinois Field.

“We had a little bit of everything last week,” head coach Dan Hartleb said. “We had an extra inning game, some long games, some exciting games and then the rain game. So hopefully it’s just four games this weekend and we go out and take care of business and come out on the winning end.”

The Illini come into the series tied for last in the Big Ten with a 4-8 record, and haven’t had a handful of things to smile about when it comes to playing teams in the Big Ten thus far.

But for junior Chase Kliment, playing against teams in the Big Ten has brought out the best in the Illini’s designated hitter and outfielder.

In his 10 games played in the Big Ten, Kliment is hitting a team best .429 in Big Ten play, good enough for fourth in the Big Ten in batting average.

In the Illini’s latest Big Ten series against Northwestern, Kliment was 8-14 with four runs scored and three RBI’s.

“Chase has matured a lot as a person and as a player,” Hartleb said. “He got a good number of at bats early in the year and is starting to feel comfortable at the plate and is seeing the ball very well. He has learned to use all fields instead of being a one-dimensional hitter.”

After seeing limited action last season as a transfer sophomore from Pepperdine University, Kliment leads the Illini this season with a .377 batting average and .475 slugging percentage.

“Last year, I just had to be a good teammate and watch what other people were doing and I learned a lot,” Kliment said. “This year the only different thing is I’m in the lineup everyday and have gotten into a rhythm. It has been fun being able to go out their and contribute.”

Kliment hasn’t been the only Illini excelling in a new role for the team this season. Senior right-handed pitcher Matt Whitmore has stepped into his new role as the Illini’s closer after being a starter on last years team.

In 10 appearances this season Whitmore is 1-0 with six saves and a team-leading 1.33 earned-run average. His six saves are tied for first in the Big Ten and has earned him the honor of being named to the midseason watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Unfortunately for Whitmore his performance on the mound has also earned him a spot back in the Illini’s starting rotation, a move that could hurt his chances of winning the award at the end of the season.

“It’s a great honor,” Whitmore said. “Unfortunately, I’m moving back into a starting role this weekend, but it is still good to be recognized. We really need something to jump start our team this weekend and I just want to go out their and get us started off on the right foot and put us in a position to win.”

Whitmore will start game one of the series tonight against Iowa, who enters this weekend’s four-game series at 15-18 and 5-7 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes were 3-1 against the Illini in last year’s regular season series finale at Illinois Field.

“This is a big weekend for us,” Kliment said. “We’re at home again and are able to play in front of our fans. We can’t look to be too uptight, we just have to relax and do what we are capable of doing. If we do that the rest of the team and I are confident that we can come out with a few wins and have a good weekend.”