Illinois (6-4) will travel to Vero Beach, Florida, for a Big Ten matchup against Michigan (6-5). Not only is this series important because of its conference implications but the game is also being played on a neutral field.
The two teams will face off on Friday at Holman Stadium, which is located in the Jackie Robinson Training Complex. After some renovations, the stadium is supposed to mimic a professional-level field.
Know the foe
It’s tough to gauge Michigan, as the team has had an up-and-down start to the year. The Wolverines started their year with a bang, taking down the then-No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (8-3) in 11 innings, 5-4. They won the next three games as well, beating Rice (2-9), Villanova (6-4) and Stetson (7-5).
All of those games were played in the Puerto Rico Challenge, so when Michigan started to compete in the College Baseball Series, it had a rough time. The team lost games to then-No. 22 TCU (8-4), Kansas State (6-5), then-No. 5 Arkansas (10-1) and one game to Long Beach State (5-7).
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However, Michigan later rebounded and took down Long Beach State in its last two games. Despite winning two of its past three games, the pitching staff allowed six or more runs in each game. The strong suit for Illinois has been its offense, so the matchup statistically favors Illinois.
Illinois pitching staff looks to step up
The pitching staff has struggled for the Illini to start the season. In the team’s last four games, they’ve allowed eight or more runs in each. Three of these matchups were against unranked teams: Aurora (1-5), Texas Tech (2-8) and Washington (5-8).
In Illinois’ only ranked matchup of the year, it allowed a season-high 15 runs to then-No. 15 Texas (10-1). If the Illini want a chance against the Wolverines, the pitching staff must avoid the big inning, according to head coach Dan Hartleb.
Continued offensive dominance
Despite a rough pitching performance against Texas, a few hitters stepped up. Junior center fielder Nick Groves had a nice day against top competition, going 2-3 at the plate. Groves, hitting .382 this year, is a name to watch on the weekend.
Redshirt sophomore third baseman Kyle Schupmann had a rough day against Texas, but he’s still one of the top hitters for the season. Schupmann provides some power to the Illini as he already has one home run to pair with a .375 batting average in 2025.
Previous battles
The two teams have been facing each other for quite some time, with the Wolverines coming out on top more often than not. Michigan has won 44 games while only losing 38. It also carries a two-game win streak heading into the weekend.
Both were close games, but pitching was the deciding factor. Michigan held Illinois to three or fewer runs each time. The weekend will serve as a good early conference test to see where the Illini stand moving forward.
