llinois head coach Dan Hartleb has shown he won’t hesitate to make changes when his team struggles. So after the Illini lost their third straight game Thursday, he decided to shake things up.

Whatever buttons he pushed, they seemed to work. Illinois (4-3) rebounded for three consecutive victories in the Keith LeClair Classic to bring its record back over .500.

“It’s one of those things where we made some changes in the lineup, plugged some guys in at-bats, moved some guys down and wanted to play mind games to get guys the opportunity and see if they can produce,” Hartleb said.

One of the encouraging things for the Illini was how they showed off their depth.

Illinois capitalized on Adam Walton’s RBI single and Michael Hurwitz’s two heads-up baserunning plays, turning them into runs against Ohio University on Friday. Also, catcher Kelly Norris-Jones stepped right in defensively and Will Krug filled in on the field and at designated hitter to hit .438 on the weekend.

As Hartleb tries to find what lineup combinations work best, he knows he is going to have a strong bench to take advantage of. That could come in handy with a lot of young players who are more prone to inconsistencies.

Hartleb is going to have to make room for sophomore David Kerian somewhere in the lineup. He started all weekend at first base and hit .571 with five RBI, including going 4-for-4 at the plate Friday, which he says is the first time he can remember himself having such a day.

“Just getting a chance to go out and get a start and get comfortable at the plate,” the sophomore said.

He’s getting his first opportunity at first base and so far has handled it well and has yet to make an error. Hartleb was most impressed that he only struck out only once all weekend. Kerian got his chance because freshman Ryan Nagle, who started the season-opener, struggled and has yet to record his first hit of the season.

Illinois also pitched as well as it has all season. Freshmen starters Kevin Duchene and Nick Blackburn pitched their first career victories Friday and Sunday, respectively. Sophomore John Kravetz returned to the rotation Saturday.

The freshmen seemed more at ease in their second start, especially Blackburn, who threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run and only five hits. Hartleb called his overall performance “night and day” compared with last week.

“The first start, my nerves definitely got me a little more, but this start, I was more relaxed and I kept the ball down a lot more,” Blackburn said.

Illinois’ bullpen continues to be one of its strengths. The staff is led by Ronnie Muck, who in four appearances has yet to allow a run with opponents hitting .154 against him.

Illinois’ pitching staff combined for 19 strikeouts and two walks during the final two games.

“We are a much better team (Sunday) than we were last weekend,” Hartleb said. “I was proud of the way our guys battled back and kept their composure to get us back over .500. We have done a good job as a team of staying together and not panicking.”

Jamal can be reached at [email protected] and @JamalCollier.