Illinois baseball fans who made the trip to Michigan last weekend saw more than just the Illini winning a big conference series — they saw breakout performances from senior Joe Bonadonna and redshirt junior Matt Dittman.

“It definitely felt good to come back and play like ourselves,” Dittman said. “And to play like we know we are capable of playing.”

Dittman, a first baseman, batted 6-for-11 with four RBIs in Ann Arbor, Mich., while Bonadonna hit 4-for-12 with six RBIs. The two victories seemed to get the Illini back on track after they lost two of three at home to Indiana in their previous conference series. Dittman and Bonadonna expect things to stay that way when the Illini (21-8, 6-3 Big Ten) play host to No. 29 Eastern Illinois (24-6) on Tuesday night.

“Confidence is a big part (of offensive success),” Dittman said. “Confidence definitely carries over from one game to another.”

EIU is coming into the contest with plenty of momentum and confidence themselves, being ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s National Poll for the second straight week and having seen their offense explode in a 30-3 drubbing of UT-Martin in Brentwood, Tenn. Senior outfielder Brett Nommensen is currently batting a team-high .521 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs, while infielder Jordan Kreke, also a senior, has hit .435 with nine home runs and a team-leading 40 RBIs. Kreke batted 3-for-6 with six RBIs last Saturday against UT-Martin, while Nommensen’s biggest performance of the season was on March 15, when he hit 3-for-4 with a homer in leading the Panthers to an 8-6 upset of then-No. 15 Oklahoma. Junior infielder Richie Derbak nicely complements the two seniors, and is batting .456 with 32 RBIs.

But Illinois shortstop Brandon Wikoff said the Illini offense has the talent to outscore any opponent.

“You look up and down our lineup, and we know we have hitters that are more than capable,” Wikoff said. “We all believe in each other.”

Wikoff’s .412 average is good for first on the team, and the junior has racked up an impressive 20 RBIs this season. Illinois senior pitcher Ben Reeser said knowing that the team’s batting order can score runs allows its pitching staff to be more confident when facing explosive offenses — such as Eastern Illinois.

“We have a great offense,” Reeser said. “They’re always going to put runs on the board and back us up.”

Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said the key to his team’s offensive success is balance. Seven different Illini have recorded at least 15 RBIs so far this season.

“It seems like each day, we’ve had someone new step up,” Hartleb said. “(Friday) Matt Dittman stepped up with a big hit, and Saturday Bonadonna came up big for us. Then on Sunday (freshman DH) Willie Argo stepped up and got some big hits for us.”

Bonadonna said the Illini will not only look to their offense but also to the toughness and team character they demonstrated against the Wolverines to produce a victory Tuesday at Illinois Field.

“The character of this team … we just don’t give up,” Bonadonna said. “We don’t go down without a fight.”