Illinois (12-13, 2-4) travels up north to Evanston, Illinois, as they take on another in-state rival. In a three-game series, the Illini will play a struggling Northwestern Wildcats (3-20, 1-2) that has been unable to find answers at the plate and on the mound.

The Illini could not have asked for better timing for a matchup with the Wildcats, as the Illini have been beyond inconsistent over the past few weeks. The Illini have lost 10 of their last 16 games after starting the season 6-3. Head coach Dan Hartleb preached consistency after their last game, a 12-9 loss to the Illinois State Redbirds.

“We’ ve got to get better,” Hartleb said. “We’ re not playing well. We haven’ t done it in about 10 games, at least consistently.”

The Illini bats have certainly been there, at least in terms of getting on base; however, they have struggled in terms of driving in those runs, especially in late-inning situations. Hartleb also preached situational hitting and how important it is to success.

“They put the ball in play when they had runners in scoring position,” Hartleb said. “We did it occasionally, but we have to do it on a regular basis.”

Looking at the numbers, the Illini clearly have an advantage. In terms of players with at least 15 starts, the Wildcats have two players with an on-base plus slugging percentage over .800, with five players below that margin. The Illini have six players with an OPS over .800, and junior outfielder Danny Doligale is just below the margin with an OPS of .793.

In terms of batting average, the Illini as a team are hitting .274, with an on-base percentage of .382. The Wildcats, on the other hand, are hitting .245 with an OBP of .345. The Illini have the advantage in team OPS by far, with a mark of .861 compared to the Wildcats’ .700. On paper, the hitting matchup seems to be a no-contest.

The pitching statistics are just as wide of a margin. The Illini pitching staff has an earned run average of 6.14, which ballooned over the last several games. Northwestern’s pitching staff has an ERA of 9.26. Once again, the Illini have a clear advantage here.

However, the Illini cannot overlook their opponents if they want to get where they want to be at the end of the season. No games are easy, but it does seem like an opportunity for the Illini to try and get their season back on track.

The first pitch of the series is scheduled for 3 p.m. Game two is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, while game three is set for 1 p.m. on Easter Sunday, just in time for families to arrive. All times are listed in Central Daylight Time.

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