Freshmen pitchers aren’t supposed to be this good. No, freshmen pitchers are supposed to struggle through starts, they’re supposed to miss their spots with their fastball and they’re supposed to hang curveballs out over the plate. They’re supposed to get rocked.

Illinois’ freshman starters, however, haven’t gotten the memo, because Saturday during Illinois’ doubleheader against Iowa at Illinois Field, they pitched like a couple of aces.

Rookie right-hander Ben Reeser worked into the seventh inning in the opener, allowing only three runs on five hits with three strikeouts as Illinois held on for a 4-3 win.

In the nightcap, fellow freshman Tanner Roark pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three more strikeouts as the Illini crushed Iowa, 10-2.

“Both pitchers came into the game red-hot out of the bullpen,” said catcher Lars Davis. “They had a game plan and they stuck with it.”

The two wins, coupled with a victory by senior starter-turned-closer-turned-starter Matt Whitmore in the series opener, gave the Illini their first conference series win of the season.

Most importantly, though, the wins moved the Illini out of the Big Ten basement and into a tie with Penn State at seventh place in the conference standings at 7-9. The Illini are 20-17 overall.

The top six teams in the final regular-season standings will advance to the Big Ten Tournament, to be held May 24-27 at the home of the regular season champions. Michigan and Northwestern are currently both tied atop the Big Ten standings at 11-5.

Thus, if the Big Ten Tournament started today, the Illini would not be involved. Luckily, it does not start today, and with half of the Big Ten season remaining, the Illini still have 16 games to move at least one step up in the conference standings and advance into postseason play.

Which makes the performances by Reeser and Roark on Saturday that much more important.

If the Illini expect to move into the top six in the conference standings, they’re going to need consistent starting pitching. Bullpen by committee can work every once in a while, but not everyday.

Whitmore has been Illinois’ best pitcher all season and even though he has spent most of this season in the bullpen as the closer, he has started in the past and seems comfortable in taking the ball as the No. 1.

Reeser and Roark look poised to become starters Nos. 2 and 3; and I think if they continue to approach each start the way they did Saturday, the spots are theirs for the taking.

Entering the top of the seventh on Saturday, Reeser had thrown only 59 pitches, 40 of which had been strikes. He began to labor and loaded the bases before being replaced, but still finished with only 75 pitches thrown.

Roark was the same way in the second game, using only 71 pitches to get through five, despite struggling through a four-hit, two-run fourth.

Those are efficient outings, especially for young kids. While most freshmen might have struggled in their first Big Ten starts, Reeser and Roark took to the challenge and made the most of it. They earned starts for next weekend’s series at Minnesota and, if all goes well in the Metrodome, could sew up their own spots in the rotation for years to come.

And that Big Ten tournament bid would be nice, too.