It might have been a simple ninth inning defensive replacement, but Michael Hurwitz thought it was amazing. 

Last season, he got to play second base — even if only for an inning — at Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom Hurwitz has spent his entire life as a fan. His family would make as many as four or five trips a year from his home in Springfield, Ill., to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play.

Now as the Illini designated hitter, Hurwitz will get a chance for the full experience on Tuesday, when Illinois (17-7, 1-2 Big Ten) meets Missouri (9-15, 2-7) in the fourth annual Battle at Busch. But even for players who aren’t Cardinals fans, it’s one of dates on the schedule the Illini look forward to most.

“It’s a lot of fun for us as players,” center fielder Justin Parr said. “You know you’re going to get a competitive ball game against Missouri. It kind of makes it more competitive just because you’re kind of on that bigger stage.”

It’s not as big as the basketball games in St. Louis, and neither team’s fans get no where near filling the 44,000 seat stadium to capacity. If years past are any indication, then both teams will be about equal in fan support — even though Missouri is closer in distance. 

The Illini haven’t beaten the Tigers since the two teams began playing at Busch, going 0-2 against them with the game being rained out in 2011. Missouri has won six in a row against Illinois and has never lost at Busch Stadium. The Tigers come into the game losers of six of their last eight games. This game concludes a five-game break from Big Ten play for Illinois.

One of the things that makes the game special for Illinois is that they are able to make it just like a normal game day, which Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said isn’t always the case when college teams get to play in major league stadiums. 

“Some places you go into, they guard the field so much you can’t even take batting practice and can’t step on the field until the first pitch,” Hartleb said.

Illinois will send left hander Rob McDonnell to the mound, making his first start in more than a year. McDonnell entered last season as the team’s No. 2 starter before his season ended because of arm soreness lingering from his Tommy John surgery in 2010 that forced him to redshirt in 2011. Now as a redshirt sophomore, he’s finally healthy. In his four appearances this season, McDonnell has a 1.42 ERA. He has struggled with his command at times, with six walks and hit batsman in 6 1/3 innings. 

“Any time you get on the mound in any situation, it’s fun for these guys with all the work they put in,” Hartleb said. “But to get the opportunity to do it in St. Louis, in a big league park will be fun.”

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