The Illinois baseball team scored 33 runs and locked up sole possession of third place in the Big Ten in taking two out of three against then-No. 23 Minnesota last weekend. Senior third baseman Dominic Altobelli said that nothing less than a victory will be accepted when the Illini travel to St. Louis on Wednesday night.

“Our offense produced,” Altobelli said. “So, hopefully we can continue that into this midweek game.”

The Illini (23-11) are 22-2-1 all-time against the Billikens, and their formidable batting order hopes to produce plenty of runs and avoid a midweek letdown in this year’s contest. The Orange and Blue lost games to then-No. 29 Eastern Illinois last Tuesday and Southern Illinois last Wednesday.

Altobelli batted 6-for-12 last weekend in leading Illinois past the Gophers, but emphasized that balance, not individual performances, drives the Illinois offense.

“We’re all just kind of coming through with hits and picking each other up,” Altobelli said. “It’s just a team offense right now … We have a bunch of very good hitters, and there are no easy outs in our lineup.”

But the St. Louis (20-19) pitchers are more than capable of neutralizing Altobelli and the rest of the Illinois order and boast a team ERA of 5.54 through Monday. Offensively, freshman phenom Zach Miller leads the Billikens with eight home runs and 48 RBIs. Miller is batting .347 on the season. Senior Ryan Bennett is also having a solid year, recording 30 RBIs, and his .413 average is first on the squad. Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said his players should focus more on themselves than on St. Louis’s recent stat lines.

“I’m not so concerned about other people,” Hartleb said. “I’m more concerned about us doing the right things because we’re talented enough that, if we do the things we’re capable of, we can beat people … we can control our own destiny.”

Hartleb also said his team’s batting order, as well as its pitching staff, cannot afford to approach Wednesday’s contest with the same attitudes that they approached the EIU and SIU games.

“Every game is important,” Hartleb said. “We need to have guys step up midweek and play with the same intensity that we do on the weekends.”

Illinois freshman pitcher Will Strack said the Illini staff, which gave up nine runs against the Salukis, must improve its focus to give the Orange and Blue offense a chance to win.

“We were kind of flat, and we didn’t play too well,” Strack said of last week’s two performances. “So I think we really want to come out and show that we don’t just focus on the Big Ten but also can win our midweek games.”

Strack also said he and the other pitchers agreed they must take to the mound with an aggressive attitude.

“We talked a little bit among ourselves,” Strack said. “We need to come out and attack, throw strikes, give our fielders a chance and make them hit ground balls … We need to be more mentally prepared to play.”

Hartleb said Strack is one of many pitchers that might see action on Wednesday, as he and his staff often choose to use up to eight hurlers in midweek contests rather than give one pitcher a full start.

“I would think we’re going to split it up,” Hartleb said.

Hartleb also said it is unknown whether senior right-hander Ben Reeser, who has been hampered by a strained back, will see any action.

“It’s day to day with his back,” Hartleb said. “I hope he gets back on the mound soon.”