Illinois baseball (16-13, 7-2) returns home for a midweek competition against Illinois State (17-11) after winning two out of three games at Minnesota last weekend. This is the first and only time the Illini will meet the Redbirds after last week’s game in Bloomington was canceled.
In their third Big Ten series win of 2024, the Illini outscored Minnesota 21-14 across three games with 40 total hits. Illinois has won 11 of its last 14 games and just lost a seven-game win streak in the series finale at Minnesota.
Illinois State is coming off a series sweep, outscoring Valparaiso 20-2 over three games, including an 11-1 victory on Friday. Sitting a few games above the Illini, the Redbirds have posted more efficient offensive statistics with a .307 cumulative batting average compared to the .277 Illinois average. Successful at home, Illinois State holds a 6-2 record at Duffy Bass Field and the Illini are 4-8 on the road this season.
Leading at the plate for the Redbirds is senior infielder Luke Cheng with a .373 batting average and sophomore outfielder Daniel Pacella with a .355 average. Illinois State has four other qualified players batting over .300 this season and a cumulative slugging percentage of .487 compared to the .457 held by Illinois. Junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Perry is a leading arm for Illinois State with a 4.26 ERA, 4-3 record on the season and 41 strikeouts.
The ball will be in the hands of Illinois’ sophomore left-handed pitcher Sam Reed, who is 1-1 on the season with an 11.49 ERA. Reed recorded six strikeouts in four innings of work against Cincinnati earlier this season. Illinois State’s pitchers have performed slightly better this season than Illinois with a 6.03 cumulative ERA compared to Illinois’ 6.32.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
History favors the Illini, who hold a 60-35 all-time record over the Redbirds, including a record of 29-17 on the road. The programs split their pair of games last season, with both teams taking a loss at home. In their last meeting, Illinois brought home the win by a 16-5 score. The Illini have won 11 of their last 14 games against Illinois State since 2015, and 10 of the last 11 that have been played at Illinois Field.
Fans can tune into B1G+ to catch this evening’s action and look forward to a three-game series at Illinois Field this weekend against Northern Illinois (10-21).
