The University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team will resume its Big Ten schedule with a three-game home series against No. 19 Oregon, beginning Friday, April 17 at Illinois Field in Champaign.
This series marks the start of the second half of conference play for Illinois, which currently holds a record of 19-16 overall and 7-8 in the Big Ten. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., with all matchups available via B1G+ streaming and free admission for fans.
Illinois is coming off a decisive win over SIUE earlier this week, where the team secured a run-rule victory by scoring fourteen runs in the first two innings and hitting four home runs. Freshman AJ Putty led offensively with two homers and three RBI, while Sam Reed started on the mound allowing only one hit across two innings. The upcoming opponent, Oregon, arrives with a strong record (26-10 overall; 10-5 in conference) and leads the Big Ten in home runs as well as several pitching categories.
The last meeting between Illinois and Oregon was in March 2012 during the Nike College Showcase, where Illinois won by one run. This weekend’s games will be their first regular-season series as conference opponents.
Several individual achievements have highlighted Illinois’ season so far. Outfielder Nick Groves reached base safely in forty-two consecutive games spanning from April last year to early April this season—a streak ranking fourth-longest for an Illini since 2004. Freshman AJ Putty was named Midseason Freshman First Team All-American by Perfect Game after leading his team in batting average and RBI through twenty-seven games.
Head coach Dan Hartleb recently achieved his six-hundredth career win as manager during his twenty-first season leading the program. The Fighting Illini baseball program participates both in conference and non-conference games to build competitive experience according to its official website. It operates under NCAA Division I rules within the Big Ten Conference according to its official website, offering student-athletes opportunities for competition, development, and academic achievement according to its official website. The program competes as part of intercollegiate athletics according to its official website at the University of Illinois according to its official website.
Looking ahead, fans can expect continued promotions throughout this homestand including prize giveaways on Friday nights, trading card handouts on Saturdays, and family-friendly activities each Sunday.
