After a big midweek win on Tuesday against James Madison, Maryland baseball awaits a consequential home series against Illinois.
Maryland currently sits ninth in the Big Ten standings, with only the top eight teams making the Big Ten Tournament. As such, this weekend is pivotal, with Maryland returning home after 10 straight road games. Potentially problematic for the Terps, however: Illinois currently stands atop the Big Ten.
Friday’s game will start at 5 pm and air on the Big Ten Network. Saturday’s game will start at 2 pm on Big Ten Plus and Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1 pm, also on Big Ten Plus.
Illinois Fighting Illini (24-13, 10-2 Big Ten)
2023 record: 25-27, 12-12 Big Ten
Led by 19th-year head coach Dan Hartleb, Illinois currently sits first in the Big Ten. The Illini have made a big jump from last year, entering the weekend on an eight-game winning streak.
Hitters to watch
Jacob Schroeder, redshirt senior catcher, No. 8 — Schroeder leads the Illini with a .370 batting average and 1.265 OPS. He also has 11 home runs and 32 RBIs this season.
Coltin Quagliano, junior infielder, No. 3 — Quagliano leads Illinois with 41 RBIs and is third on the team with a .340 batting average. He has hit six home runs as well.
Drake Westcott, redshirt junior infielder, No. 34 — Westcott is tied for the team lead in home runs with 12. He has a .301 batting average, 1.068 OPS and 38 RBIs.
Pitchers to watch
Jack Crowder, senior right-hander, No. 39 — Crowder is the Friday night starter for Illinois, holding a 3-1 record with a 5.03 earned run average in 53 ⅔ innings this season.
Cooper Omans, graduate left-hander, No. 27 — Usually starting on Saturdays, Omans has a 4-1 record with a 3.55 ERA in 45 2⁄3 innings, having made eight starts.
Korey Bunselmeyer, senior right-hander, No. 19 — Bunselmeyer is a weekend reliever. He has a 3-0 record with a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings this year.
Strength
Scoring. Illinois has scored 303 runs in 37 games this season, an average of 8.19 per game.
Weakness
Earned runs. As a team, Illinois has a 5.82 ERA this season, seventh-best in the Big Ten. Maryland, which has had shaky pitching, has a comparable team ERA (5.79).
Three things to know
1. Postseason implications. Realistically, Maryland needs a series win to keep its chances of making the Big Ten Tournament reasonable. Losing two or three more games this weekend
2. Same pitching as last week. Last weekend, Terps head coach Matt Swope experimented with a rotation of Logan Koester on Friday, Omar Melendez on Saturday and Joey McMannis on Sunday. It is expected to remain the same against Illinois.
3. Back at home. Maryland will finally host a weekend series at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium after playing its previous 10 games on the road. The Terps are 11-3 at home this season.
