On Friday, Rutgers baseball (30-18, 11-7) is preparing to host the Illinois Fighting Illini (22-22, 11-10) in a three-game weekend series matchup. This series is a must-win for the Scarlet Knights, holding onto hope for the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers is two games back from first-place Maryland with only seven games (six Big Ten games) remaining in the regular season.
Rutgers is riding a five-game winning streak, coming off a weekend sweep over the Penn State Nittany Lions. In their last ten games, the Scarlet Knights are 8-2 with victories over Northwestern, St. John’s, Purdue, Princeton, and Penn State. Rutgers has played their best baseball at home, holding a dominant 14-3 record. Heading into this weekend’s matchup, the Scarlet Knights are No. 49 in the country according to the NCAA rating percentage index.
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As for Illinois, they currently find itself in 9th place in the Big Ten Conference standings. In their last ten games, the Fighting Illini have a 6-4 record with victories over Minnesota, Ohio State, and Michigan State. Illinois is riding a three-game winning streak, sweeping the Spartans in their previous matchup. The Fighting Illini play below-average baseball on the road, holding a 9-13 record. According to the NCAA rating percentage index, Illinois is ranked No. 87 in the nation.
T O G E T H E R
3⃣0⃣ wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004-05.
And doing it with the little things.
– 48 double plays: 1st in Big Ten, 4th nationally
– 37 sac bunts: 1st in Big Ten, 14th nationally
– 35 sac flies: 1st in Big Ten, 4th nationally#TCD pic.twitter.com/8o2fDCiwnh— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 11, 2023
Players to watch
Illinois catcher Jacob Schroeder is a player to watch in this matchup for the Fighting Illini. Schroeder is ranked No. 6 among Big Ten leaders in slugging percentage with a .723. He has a .295 batting average, 33 hits, and 39 RBIs this season. Illinois infielder Drake Westcott is another player to watch for the Fighting Illini, ranking fifth among the Big Ten leaders in home runs (17).
For the Scarlet Knights, outfielder Ryan Lasko is one of the key players for Rutgers. Lasko is ranked No. 9 in hits (68), No. 10 in doubles (16), and No. 10 in steals (15) among the Big Ten leaders.
Rutgers pitchers Drew Conover and Christian Coppola will look to continue their dominant play as they take the mound this weekend. Conover is ranked No. 2 in opposing batting average (.191), while Coppola is ranked No. 3 in ERA (3.29) among the Big Ten leaders.
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