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Coming off wins over Coastal Carolina, VCU, No. 11 UCLA, Arizona and Washington, the Fighting Illini head to South Carolina to play three games in two days. They will face the Michigan State Spartans on Friday and Saturday afternoon, with a matchup against the Furman Paladins sandwiched in-between on Saturday morning. Threats of inclement weather pushed the second meeting with the Spartans to Saturday afternoon, causing a doubleheader for the Illini — third doubleheader this season.
Starters for the weekend series will be Quinn Snarskis, Andy Fisher, and Ty Weber.
Illini Starters
| ERA | Record | Games Started | Innings Pitched | Strikeouts | Walks | Hits Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERA | Record | Games Started | Innings Pitched | Strikeouts | Walks | Hits Allowed |
| Quinn Snarskis 3.21 | 0-0 | 2 | 14.0 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Andy Fisher 4.50 | 0-0 | 3 | 14.0 | 11 | 4 | 12 |
| Ty Weber 3.57 | 2-0 | 3 | 17.2 | 8 | 7 | 17 |
The starting rotation for the Illini has held it’s merit so far this season, but the bullpen really has been the story for the Orange and Blue. Ryan Thompson leads the team with a 3-0 record, striking out nine while only surrendering one hit and one walk through four games. After a rough first game against Coastal Carolina, Joey Gerber has anchored the bullpen with three saves over five games. Both players have been key in the later innings of ballgames, and will likely be the 1-2 punch we see for the remainder of the season.
Offensively, Illinois has four players with 20 or more at-bats hitting at .300 or better. Bren Spillane has been an absolute stud, hitting with a .382 average and a slugging percentage of .676 (seventh-best in the Big Ten). Michael Massey has been just as electric, with a .324 batting average and 12 hits so far this season. Massey was named as the Big Ten Player of the week after earning Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge MVP honors following a 7-1 victory over the Washington Huskies.
First pitch of today’s game against the Michigan State Spartans at Fluor Field is 1 p.m. CST, and can be heard via live stream at FightingIllini.com