One of the oldest clichés about playing sports is that they’re all about having fun. As cliché as it may be, the Illinois baseball team has embraced this mentality throughout its 18-game winning streak.

Illinois (37-6-1, 13-1 Big Ten) will go on the road this weekend to face what could be the biggest threat to its school-record winning streak — Ohio State (31-10, 12-3), which is third in the Big Ten and has a seven-game winning streak of its own.

The Buckeyes will be this season’s first top-five conference opponent for the Illini. The players won’t be intimidated, though. For them, it will just be three more fun days at the ballpark.

“With this team, we just have so much fun playing every day,” sophomore outfielder Pat McInerney said.

The Illini showed the nation just how much fun they can have when a group of relievers attempted scaling the bullpen railing with no hands during Sunday’s BTN-televised victory over Penn State. Following that 6-3 win, the Illini showcased their singing chops with a triumphant performance of Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From” on the bus ride back to Champaign.

Head coach Dan Hartleb has been a fan of his team’s performances, both on the field and during bus rides, and is happy to be around a mature, yet entertaining, group of players.

“They’re fun and funny, yet when we come out here for practice and pregame, everybody’s very focused because we know we have a job to get done,” Hartleb said. “It’s a group that’s fun to be around just because they do the right things.”

Illinois has outscored opponents 141-57 during its record streak. In the 18-game span, the pitching staff has posted a 2.35 ERA, and nine different pitchers have secured a win. The team is hitting .296 during the same span — five Illini are batting over .300 and seven batters have at least 10 RBIs. The Illini went all of April without a loss and as of Tuesday, they have the best record in the nation.

With such accomplishments, having fun is sure to follow. Of course, winning breeds positivity, but the players don’t think such success would be possible without the loose approach they bring to every game.

“It’s relieving coming to the ballpark every day and just seeing someone cracking jokes or something like that,” senior outfielder Casey Fletcher said. “It just makes playing the game that much better and it makes it fun. That’s a great thing that our ball club does — we have fun. I think that’s why we’ve been really successful.”

Illinois’ trip to Ohio State will be its final road trip of the regular season before finishing off with two more Big Ten series at Illinois Field.

With Illinois just a half game ahead of Iowa in the Big Ten, some players have admitted to paying attention to the tight conference race. All Hartleb wants to do is keep winning so the Illini can keep having as much fun as they are now.

“If you look at the best teams at any level, the majority of the time, it’s people that get along and have fun together,” Hartleb said. “Part of having fun is winning — it kind of goes hand in hand.”

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