Illinois (2-1) continues its 2025 season with another weekend competition in the Corpus Christi Series. It will play Texas State (4-0) once on Saturday afternoon and twice on Sunday.
Texas State has the record advantage right now after sweeping Binghamton (0-3) in its first series of the year. Both teams have had successful early performances, making this matchup one to look out for.
Previewing Texas State
After defeating Binghamton last weekend, Texas State jumped out to a 3-0 start on the year. The Bobcats compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which is known for having several competitive teams each year. They finished the 2024 campaign with a 27-29 record, but it’s worth noting that the Bobcats had a tough schedule. The team went 13-17 in conference play but finished with a home record of 15-14.
Despite finishing the year under .500, Texas State took down some impressive ranked teams. These wins included two against No. 21 Troy and a win against No. 15 Texas. Even though the Bobcats are not projected to be a powerhouse, they can match up against talented teams any night.
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One of the best indicators of this Texas State team was its Thursday night matchup against No. 19 Oklahoma State. On Thursday, the Bobcats defeated the Cowboys 4-2 despite only having five hits. With the Bobcats now undefeated, they’re looking to keep that win streak alive on Friday against the Illini.
Pitching bounce back
Illinois allowed 18 runs in three games over the weekend. After a rough game in which the Illini gave up 10 runs, they improved over the next few games, which is promising to see this early in the year. In Game 2 of the series, Illinois dropped those runs to six before bringing it down to two runs in Game 3.
One of the bright spots for the pitching crew was junior right-handed pitcher Julius Sanchez. Sanchez was tasked with the start in Game 3, where he had a dominant performance. In seven innings, Sanchez only allowed three hits and one earned run. He also struck out 10 batters while only walking one, which helped the Illini record a 6-2 victory.
In their first weekend, the Bobcats were fairly consistent at the plate and put up 28 hits against the Bearcats. While Illinois’ pitchers don’t have an easy task, the staff showed it can shut down opposing offenses. Fortunately for the Illini, they’ve got some heavy hitters of their own that can back them up if the pitching goes south.
Keeping the bats hot
Unlike pitching, the offense wasn’t anywhere close to a struggle. Illinois scored 26 runs over the weekend. There wasn’t a single game where the Illini scored fewer than six runs.
The offense has been a team effort, as four players have hit over .400. Those names include sophomore outfielder Cameron Chee-Aloy (.455), redshirt sophomore infielder Kyle Schupmann (.417), junior outfielder Nick Groves (.444) and senior outfielder Vytas Valincius (.417).
The team isn’t lacking any power either, as the Illini have hit four home runs. Two of those belong to redshirt senior infielder Drake Westcott.
Right now, Illinois looks like a powerhouse on offense, carrying over some of that strength from last year. The program rode an elite offense in 2024, and if the Illini continue to bring runners home consistently, it’ll be another year of exciting baseball.
