Illinois (10-12) picked up its second series win last weekend, taking two of three games from Indiana in its Big Ten opener. The Illini are set to face the Missouri Tigers (10-14) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the home of the Gateway Grizzlies in Sauget, Illinois.
Mizzou is coming off a 2-1 series loss to Kentucky and was swept by No. 1 Arkansas the weekend prior, putting up one run across three games. The Southeastern Conference is a baseball powerhouse with 10 teams currently ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The Tigers are currently 1-5 in conference play.
Winning three out of their last four games, the Illini have greatly improved offensively over the past week. Illinois scored 37 runs in its last four games, compared to 17 across the four games prior.
“We just have to play with confidence,” said head coach Dan Hartleb.
Kicking off Big Ten play with a series win over Indiana, the Illini found their rhythm at the plate with a .303 cumulative average across the weekend with seven doubles and three home runs.
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Redshirt junior first baseman Drake Westcott was named Big Ten Player of the Week after batting 6-15 over the last four games with a home run, five runs scored and six RBI — his second time earning the award this year. Consistently batting clean-up in Hartleb’s lineup, Westcott leads the Illini in home runs with six to go along with 17 RBI and a 1.045 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Other offensive leaders for the Illini include junior catcher Camden Janik, who is batting .341 on the season with a 1.000 OPS. Janik has also knocked in 16 RBI with four home runs, six doubles and 29 hits.
Scheduled to take the mound is senior right-handed pitcher Jake Rons in his debut start for the Illini. Rons has seven appearances in 2024 and tossed two strikeouts to earn the win against Western Michigan.
A leading bat in the order for Mizzou is sophomore infielder Jackson Lovich, who holds a .322 average with 20 RBI and six home runs. The Tigers have a fierce junior lefty pitcher in Javyn Pimental, who carries a 1-0 record this season with a 1.90 earned run average and 26 strikeouts.
History for the programs favors Mizzou, as the Illini are 14-16-1 all-time against the Tigers and 3-3 in the last six matchups. The Braggin’ Rights game is consistently held at a neutral location and is played at Grizzlies Ballpark for the fourth straight season. Both programs are .500 at neutral sites this season, with Mizzou sitting at 1-1 and Illinois at 4-4.
Fans can tune into SEC Network to catch the 2024 Braggin’ Rights baseball game. The Illini will return to Illinois Field this weekend to continue conference competition with a three-game series versus Penn State (12-9).
