Light snow showers this morning in Champaign will leave a dusting of snow on the field and the temperature at gametime (4:00 ET) is expected to be a verrrry chilly 39-degrees with light winds from the northeast (wind chill temp of 35). The temp for Saturday is about 40 as well. Ditto for Sunday! Gloves and hand warmers will be the order for the weekend. Not a great home-field debut for The Fighting Illini!
ISU's early season standout Colin Rea (4-1, 3.89 ERA) takes to the mound on a day when pitching is a little tougher...but the plight of the batter is also a factor as it is tougher to hit in conditions like this. The Fighting Illini will send sophomore RHP Kevin Johnson (1-3, 2.30 ERA) to the hill. Johnson's won-loss numbers are decptive, as he has pitched 31.1 innings, giving up 17 runs--but only eight were earned. He has given up nine walks, hit two batters and has fanned 25. If Johnson has a good game and his defense supports his efforts, this could be a tough game.
Illinois opens their 2011 home schedule this weekend, as all 16 games that the Illini have played so far have taken place away from home. UI brings a 6-10 record into the weekend series, going 4-4 in true road games and 2-6 at neutral sites. The Illini have won two straight games, topping Saint Louis, 7-4, and Southern Illinois, 8-2 in 12 innings, this past weekend in Carbondale. The wins snapped a stretch where UI had lost eight out of nine games overall.
As a team, UI is hitting .262 this season while their pitching rotation checks in with an 4.67 team ERA. Individually, the Illini are led by sophomore Davis Hendrickson, who brings a .357 (20-for-56) batting average into the weekend. Junior Josh Parr tops the Illinois roster with 23 hits in 71 trips to the plate (.324average), while senior Casey McMurray leads the team with 13 RBIs.
Today's game should be more of a challenge than ISU has seen in the past two weeks. I would place Illinois as a mid-level MVC equivilent. And, add in the cold weather and we'll further separate the men from the boys!
Today's game will be carried on-line through WISU, through Twitter and live stats service is available.
ISU's early season standout Colin Rea (4-1, 3.89 ERA) takes to the mound on a day when pitching is a little tougher...but the plight of the batter is also a factor as it is tougher to hit in conditions like this. The Fighting Illini will send sophomore RHP Kevin Johnson (1-3, 2.30 ERA) to the hill. Johnson's won-loss numbers are decptive, as he has pitched 31.1 innings, giving up 17 runs--but only eight were earned. He has given up nine walks, hit two batters and has fanned 25. If Johnson has a good game and his defense supports his efforts, this could be a tough game.
Illinois opens their 2011 home schedule this weekend, as all 16 games that the Illini have played so far have taken place away from home. UI brings a 6-10 record into the weekend series, going 4-4 in true road games and 2-6 at neutral sites. The Illini have won two straight games, topping Saint Louis, 7-4, and Southern Illinois, 8-2 in 12 innings, this past weekend in Carbondale. The wins snapped a stretch where UI had lost eight out of nine games overall.
As a team, UI is hitting .262 this season while their pitching rotation checks in with an 4.67 team ERA. Individually, the Illini are led by sophomore Davis Hendrickson, who brings a .357 (20-for-56) batting average into the weekend. Junior Josh Parr tops the Illinois roster with 23 hits in 71 trips to the plate (.324average), while senior Casey McMurray leads the team with 13 RBIs.
Today's game should be more of a challenge than ISU has seen in the past two weeks. I would place Illinois as a mid-level MVC equivilent. And, add in the cold weather and we'll further separate the men from the boys!
Today's game will be carried on-line through WISU, through Twitter and live stats service is available.
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