Iowa Baseball Weekend Preview: at Illlinois

WEEKEND SERIES: AT ILLINOIS FIGHTINING ILLINI (13-5) (28-16)

It’s going to be a wild final two weeks of the Big Ten season, as the Hawkeyes (28-18 / 13-8) can finish anywhere from 1st to 11th in the standings. This past weekend, they kept their slim title hopes alive with a three-game sweep of Northwestern. Four straight hits in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Iowa a comeback win in the series opener, while Brody Brecht was phenomenal on the mound in their 9-1 win on Saturday. Then on Sunday, Kellen Strohmeyer was the hero, delivering a walk off single in the 13th inning.

The Fighting Illini come into the weekend with a 28-16 record and are atop the Big Ten standings at 13-5. Illinois has won five of their six Big Ten series, including a pair of sweeps, while their lone series loss came two weeks ago at Maryland. In Champaign, the Illini have been nearly unbeatable winning 18 of 20 games. It is worth noting that 16 of their 20 home games have come against Quad 4 opponents.

Illinois Last 10 Games (7-3)

April 20-21 vs Northwestern: W 7-1, W 11-7 April 23 vs Western Illinois: W 12-1 April 26-28 at Maryland: W 7-4, L 9-8, L 11-7 April 30 vs Indiana State: W 21-11 May 3-5 vs Ohio State: L 7-5, W 10-5, W 12-2

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED PITCHING ROTATION

RHP Brody Brecht (Friday) – Over the last three weeks, Brody Brecht has been the pitcher that everyone expected him to be this season. Against Rutgers, Nebraska and Northwestern, Brecht has combined to allow two earned runs on five hits over 22.2 innings, including 36 strikeouts to eight walks. After losing four straight games with Brody on the mound, Iowa has won three straight with him as the starter.

RHP Marcus Morgan (TBA) – Marcus Morgan has really moved around the rotation and has done his best to work through control issues throughout the year. It wasn’t a perfect outing against Northwestern, but Morgan allowed one run on three hits over 4.1 innings, including 8 strikeouts to three walks. If the Hawkeyes are going to make a run at the Big Ten Tournament, getting Marcus going in the right direction over the next two weeks will be key.

Starter #3 TBA (TBA) – The hope is that Cade Obermueller (3.11 ERA, 44 K, 37.2 INN) will be able to get back on the mound after missing the last two weeks with an undisclosed injury. If he cannot go, Rick Heller will likely turn to Anthony Watts or Aaron Savary. Watts got the start last Friday against Northwestern, allowing two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings, including seven strikeouts to three walks.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI PROJECTED PITCHING ROTATION

RHP Jack Crowder (Friday) – The Friday night starter for the Illini since day one, Crowder has made 12 starts this season. He owns a 5.07 ERA over 65.2 innings, including 58 strikeouts to 42 free bases. Opponents are batting just .213 against Crowder and average 0.78 hits per inning, however, they have slugged 14 doubles and 14 home runs. That’s the most home runs allowed in the Big Ten. Last time out against Ohio State, Crowder allowed five runs on five hits over 6.0 innings, including four strikeouts to three walks.

LHP Cooper Omans (Saturday) – A grad transfer from Nova Southeastern, Cooper Omans has appeared in 12 games, with ten starts as the Saturday starter for the Illini. Omans has a 4.24 ERA over 51.0 innings, including 50 strikeouts to 25 walks. Opponents are batting .212 against him and are averaging just 0.76 hits per inning. Illinois has won in five of his last six starts. Last time out against Ohio State, Omans allowed one run on two hits over 4.1 innings, including six strikeouts to one walk.

Starter #3 TBA (Sunday) – Illinois has started a different Sunday starter the last three weeks, so who they decide to go with is really up in the air. RHP Jake Swartz (8 starts, 7.15 ERA) and LHP Sam Reed (6 starts, 9.00 ERA) are the two most likely options. Reed allowed one run on five hits over 2.1 innings against Ohio State last week. Whoever makes the start, expect it to be a short outing, as they have not had a Sunday starter complete three innings since Swartz went 4.1 innings against Penn State back on March 30th.

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE ILLINI

1. C/DH Camden Janik – One of the top hitters in the Big Ten for average, Camden Janik is one of many tough outs in the Illinois lineup. Janik is fourth in the conference batting .379, with a .462 on-base percentage, including 67 hits, 12 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI’s. What makes him such a tough out is that he is the hardest player to strike out in the entire conference. Janik has struck out just nine times in 208 plate appearances for a 4.4% strikeout rate. He has racked up 20 multi-hit games, including five in the last seven games.

2. 1B Drake Westcott – Illinois leads the Big Ten in home runs (88) and first baseman Drake Westcott is the first of three hitters in the lineup that have double digit long balls. He is batting .281, including 44 runs scored, eight doubles, 13 home runs and 41 RBI’s. Although he is eighth on the team in average, Westcott is third in the Big Ten in walks drawn (39) and has a .424 on-base percentage.

4. 3B Coltin Quagliano – One of three players to start all 44 games for Illinois this season, Coltin Quagliano has become a staple in the lineup after starting just 15 games last season. Quagliano is batting .329, including 11 doubles, eight home runs and a team-leading 48 RBI’s. He is guy that is going to swing the bat, as he has just 14 walks/hit by pitches in 190 plate appearances. That’s just a 7.4% walk rate. Quagliano is second the team with 57 hits and has racked up 16 multi-hit games.

3. OF Ryan Moerman – Another power hitter for the Illini, Ryan Moerman is batting just .252, but leads the team with 15 home runs. Along with the home runs, Moerman has a .368 on-base percentage, 39 runs scored, four doubles and 43 RBI’s. Over his last six games, Moerman is just 6/24 (.250), but he did have three home runs and 9 RBI’s against Indiana State last Tuesday.

5. C/DH Jacob Schroeder – Early in the year Jacob Schroeder dealt with a torn PCL that forced him to miss nine games, but he has started the last 24 games for the Illini. Schroeder is batting .333, with a .448 on-base percentage, including six doubles, 13 home runs and 39 RBI’s. He is averaging a home run every 11.2 at-bats, which ranks first in the Big Ten.

6. SS Cal Hejza/2B Brody Harding – There may be more dangerous bats in the lineup, the middle infield duo of Cal Hejza and Brody Harding has been very good this season. Hejza is batting .308, with a .441 on-base percentage, including 53 hits, eight doubles and five home runs. Harding is batting .305, with six doubles and eight home runs, while he boasts a low 9.3% strikeout rate. The Illini have as consistent of a SS/2B duo as anyone in the Big Ten.

7. RHP Joe Glassey – While no bullpen arms for Illinois with more than ten apparances has below a 4.50 ERA, righthander Joe Glassey is the leader on the team in saves with five. Glassey has appeared in a team-high 18 games with a 5.88 ERA over 26.0 innings. He has totaled 23 strikeouts to seven walks, while opponents are batting .258 against him. Glassey has turned in scoreless outings in six of his last eight appearances, but has allowed multiple earned runs five different times.

MIDWEEK: VS ILLINOIS-CHICAGO FLAMES (31-14)

This is an exciting matchup to close out the midweek slate for both the Hawkeyes and the Flames. UIC comes into the week with a 31-14 record and are looking to keep themselves in the discussion for the NCAA Tournament. The Flames are 11-1 against common opponents, including wins over Purdue, Northwestern and a series sweep at Bradley. They also took two of three against Kansas. UIC will host Illinois State for a three-game series this weekend.

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE FLAMES

1. OF Kendal Ewell – A grad transfer from Kentucky, Kendal Ewell has put himself squarily in the discussion for MVC Player of the Year. He leads the conference in two batting categories and is top five in eight total categories. Ewell is batting .389, with a .491 on-base percentage, including 68 hits, 15 doubles, 17 home runs and 56 RBI’s. He has racked up 18 multi-hit games, including five-hit games against Northwestern, Missouri State and Bradley. Over his last six games, Ewell is 13/22 (.591) with five home runs and 11 RBI’s.

2. SS Zane Zielinski – A two-year starter since transferring in from Northeast Community College, Zane Zielinksi is one of three Flames players to start all 45 games this season. Zielinski is batting .362, with a .455 on-base percentage, including 67 hits, 16 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 38 RBI’s. On the basepaths, he has racked up 18 stolen bases on 21 attempts, which leads the MVC. Zielinski has 19 multi-hit games this season and has reached base in 42 of 45 games.

3. CF AJ Henkle – A redshirt junior, AJ Henkle has started all 45 games this season as the Flames centerfielder. He is sixth on the team in batting average (.285), but is third in the MVC with 49 walks/hit by pitches to give him an impressive .452 on-base percentage. Henkle has totaled 45 hits, eight doubles, four triples, six home runs and 33 RBI’s. He has racked up 10 multi-hit games and has reached base in 40 of 45 games.

FINAL THOUGHT

The Hawkeyes only need one win to fully cement their spot in the Big Ten Tournament, although it would take something pretty dramatic for them to miss even if they got swept by the Illini. Rick Heller said that it will allow them to potentially experiment with some lineup and pitching things with the injury situation. He still made it very clear that the Hawkeyes are going to Champaign with the intention of winning all three games. The next two weeks will be all about figuring out who you can trust on the mound in the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois-Chicago will be a good test for some of the arms that haven’t seen much weekend work.