The Illinois baseball team might not play South Florida very often, but memorable moments seem to happen when the two teams meet.

The Illini secured their first win and series sweep with head coach Dan Hartleb at the helm in 2006 when they travelled to Tampa Bay, Florida, to take on the Bulls. USF took its revenge the last time the two teams met, with a 12-3 win in 2010 to tie the all-time series at four.

Hartleb must have realized the importance of Illinois’ (15-4-1) final three-game series before Big Ten play commences when he pushed to add Wednesday’s game against Lindenwood-Belleville to the schedule. Following the weekend series with USF (14-6-1), the Illini have just two more games before opening conference play.

“I (wanted) guys to be sharp, not only for the weekend, but we’ve got big games coming up next Tuesday and Wednesday,” Hartleb said. “With a lot of innings coming up here in a short amount of time, I think it’s important that we get the bullpen, and those guys who haven’t thrown a lot, some innings so that they’re sharp.”

Except for junior closer Tyler Jay, no reliever has reached double-digit innings yet this season.

In the midst of a stellar start to the season, Jay said he enjoys seeing his fellow pitchers go to the mound out of the bullpen.

“I like when all the other guys get to throw,” Jay said. “I think it develops our pen. I try to be a big talker when other guys are going in.”

Illinois is fresh off taking two out of three against Southern Illinois last weekend and the Illini continue to be led by their pitching and are in the top 10 in the nation in five different pitching categories, including first in WHIP and fifth in ERA.

The hitting hasn’t been as consistent, but with six extra base hits, including three home runs, in the series against Southern Illinois, it looks to be trending in the right direction. Sophomore Pat McInerney said Illinois needs to find more of those big hits.

“Our pitching staff is doing an unbelievable job like usual,” McInerney said. “I think if we get one or two bigger hits, those games get stretched out and they’re not as tight. Hitting with runners in scoring position is our biggest thing to work with.”

As of Tuesday, USF will come to Champaign riding an eight-game winning streak. Like Illinois, the Bulls rely on a solid pitching staff — they are 68th in the nation with a 3.35 team ERA and have allowed just three runs in their last three games. At the plate, they are led by the brother duo of Levi and Luke Borders who have combined for five homeruns and 35 RBI so far this season.

With these games being some of the final opportunities to tune up for Big Ten competition, Hartleb said he just wants to stick to the script that has gotten the Illini this far.

“We don’t ever change anything,” Hartleb said. “It doesn’t matter win, lose or draw. We have a plan and we’re going to stick to it all year.”

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