Illinois (5-6) travels to Knoxville for a ranked series against the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (13-1), which has won 12 in a row. The Volunteers have been one of the nation’s elite programs in the last several seasons, with multiple players going on to Major League Baseball. The team manages to constantly replenish that talent.
The Volunteers boast one of the best lineups in the nation, as it hits .327 as a team with 141 runs scored through just 14 games. With a team on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.060, Tennessee is once again a threat for the College World Series.
Illinois, on the other hand, is still figuring things out at the plate. With a batting average of .253 and OPS of .789, the Illini will certainly need to raise those totals if they want to take any games in Knoxville over the three-game weekend. However, with redshirt junior infielder Drake Westcott earning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors, the Illini offense certainly has the capability. Westcott racked up three home runs and hit .538 to earn the nod from the Big Ten.
As elite as the Volunteers have been at the plate, its pitching might be even more impressive. Boasting a team-earned run average of 2.97 and walks and hits per innings pitched of 1.14, Tennessee knows how to shut down an offense at will, which Illinois needs to cancel out. Illinois pitching has struggled through 11 games, albeit a few solid outings over the past weekend helped its cause.
Illini pitchers have an overall ERA of 5.77 and WHIP of 1.51, far higher than this weekend’s opposing rotation and bullpen. Senior right-hander Logan Tabeling pitched five innings of two runs and three hits in a no-decision against Western Michigan. The Tuscola, Illinois, native also racked up seven punchouts.
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Illinois fought valiantly to tie the game at 7-7 against Florida State, but that was all the scoring for the latter as Florida State pulled ahead for good in a 13-7 win. The Illini wrapped up with a two-victory weekend with multiple players having two hits and every player in the starting lineup having a base hit.
Sophomore right-hander Jake Swartz pitched well too, which should give head coach Dan Hartleb confidence as the Illini enter another grueling weekend matchup.
With the Volunteers awaiting the Illini, fans can tune in on SEC Network+ at 5 p.m. CT on Friday for game one. The rest of the series takes place at noon on both Saturday and Sunday before Illinois goes back to the Midwest for a Tuesday afternoon matinee against Indiana State.
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