Illinois baseball will take a break from flights and bus rides this week, and starting pitcher Kevin Duchene couldn’t be happier.

After five straight weekends on the road, Illinois will play its home opener Tuesday afternoon against Indiana State. With the series loss to Southern Illinois fresh from three days prior, the Illini are eager to take on the Sycamores.

“Getting out here and playing at Illinois Field usually always turns it around for us when we’re slumping,” Duchene said.

When the two teams met in 2012, Duchene, along with leading hitter Ryan Nagle and catcher Jason Goldstein, had yet to don the Illini uniform. Illinois’ starting lineup also regularly includes two freshmen — Ryne Roper and Zack Kolakowski — who are unfamiliar with Indiana State’s upperclassmen-heavy lineup.

The Sycamores also bring more momentum, having won 14 of their first 16 games, including a 12-game winning streak. The Illini have won just seven of their first 16 but boast two wins over a then-No. 23 Florida team.

Illinois’ weekend in Florida was it’s only successful one this season, though. And to produce similar results, consistent effort is needed in all facets of the game.

“You look at our wins, and we were solid in all aspects, and you look at our losses, we gave some away,” head coach Dan Hartleb said. “It’s not just one thing.”

While Illinois pitching has struggled in various games this season, it has been strongest when Duchene starts. In 37 innings pitched across five games, he has struck out 26 and allowed just seven runs on 26 hits, earning him a 1.70 ERA.

For Xavier this weekend, Illinois will put faith in the depth of its pitching staff and start junior pitcher Rob McDonnell against Indiana State for his season debut.

“I always like starting games, I always felt more comfortable doing that than coming out of the bullpen,” McDonnell said.

The bullpen has been the larger issue for the Illini this season, posting a 1-4 record so far this year. While sophomore Tyler Jay has recorded three saves this season, the relievers have blown late leads in three games.

Shoring up efforts in the batter’s box is also a large focus in Illinois’ short week of practice after a performance in its final game against Southern Illinois that Hartleb said lacked confidence.

In the weeks when the Illini offense shows up, it has scored as high as 19 runs in one game; however, it has also been shut out on three separate occasions and held to three or fewer on four more.

Meanwhile, Indiana State has scored fewer than four runs in just two games this season, scoring six or more in 11 others. The Sycamores have also turned in four double-digit outings with 101 RBIs, 33 more than the Illini.

But as many of the players said this season, this slump isn’t the program’s true face, and Tuesday’s home opener may be the chance for them to prove just what type of team Illinois is capable of becoming.

“We’re way too good of a team to be playing the way we are,” Duchene said. “Being at home has to be a momentum changer.”

J.J. can be reached at [email protected] and @Wilsonable07.