Illinois (7-6, 1-2) came out flat against Michigan (8-6, 2-1) in its opening conference series. Illinois dropped its first two games against Michigan but avoided the sweep by winning the series finale.
Cause for the struggle
The biggest issue that plagued Illinois during the weekend was the bullpen. In its losses, Illinois had leads over Michigan but couldn’t hold on, giving them up as the games progressed.
In Game 2 especially, Illinois’ bullpen struggled to contain Michigan’s batters. The Illini held a two-run lead going into the ninth inning. It didn’t last, as junior right-handed pitcher Grant Ross and junior left-handed pitcher Sam Reed gave up a combined three runs to the Wolverines to give them the 6-5 win.
This came after Illinois was given a solid outing from redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Ben Plumley. Plumley went 4.2 innings and only gave up one earned run on four hits. The game improved his season ERA to 5.49.
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“Trust your stuff; it’s all about location, not throwing it harder trying to make it break more,” said head coach Dan Hartleb. “We’ve got to find guys that will compete out of the pen.”
Illinois’ pitching has been struggling as it ranks No. 15 in the entire conference in ERA (6.52). Illinois’ current best pitcher in the ERA category is junior right-handed pitcher Julius Sanchez. In three games, Sanchez has a 4.50 ERA.
Patience is a virtue
At the plate, Illinois is No. 8 in the Big Ten for batting average (.282). The player with the highest average on the team is junior infielder Jack Zebig. In 13 games, Zebig has batted .404, while no other Illini is above .400.
Despite this, Illinois was outhit by Michigan over the weekend, even in the lone victory. In the finale, Michigan had eight hits compared to Illinois’ seven.
Most of these hits came when sophomore left-handed pitcher Regan Hall was on the mound. During his five innings, he surrendered five total hits.
“There’s a lot of stuff we have to get a lot better at,” Hartleb said. “It’s much easier going into practice and having conversations with guys coming off a win rather than thinking you’re just beating them down.”
So far this season, Illinois has been patient at the plate and ranks No. 14 in the conference in strikeouts. This discipline has kept the Illini above .500.
It’s still early
At this same time last year, Illinois was playing below .500 baseball. It only had five wins coming off a series sweep against the future national champions, then-No. 8 Tennessee. Now, the team is heading in the right direction with seven wins on the year, only just dipping its toes in the water with conference competition.
It’s still early enough in the season that the Illini can fix things within the team, especially with their pitchers. Last year, Illinois ended with 35 total wins, and that is certainly achievable this season. The jury is still out on how the team finishes the year, but there are 39 games left to determine its fate.
Illinois heads home Tuesday to take on in-state opponent Western Illinois (4-7). The first pitch is at 6 p.m., and Big Ten Plus will broadcast the game.
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