Indiana University Athletics
No. 19 Indiana Heads to Illinois
5/2/2019 3:42:00 PM | Baseball
•Nineteenth ranked Indiana travels to Illinois Field this weekend, taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini in a three-game series.
• Friday will be the 189th ever meeting between IU and Illinois. The two squads last met in the Big Ten Tournament last season in Omaha, with the Illini beating the Hoosiers twice.
• Illinois leads the all-time series between the two schools, 118-79-1.
• Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season with the Hoosiers and his 10th overall year in coaching collegiately. He has posted an 107-62 career record after leading Wright State to winning seasons in each of his two years with the Raiders, including a 2018 Horizon League title and NCAA Regional appearance.
• Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is in his 14th season as head coach at Illinois and 29th season on the Illini coaching staff in 2019. He has won a pair of Big Ten titles (2011, 2015) with the Illini and has collected 439 career wins as the skipper.
• Indiana is coming off a weekend where it took two of three games from the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and are a half game behind Michigan atop the Big Ten standings heading into this weekend's clash with the Fighting Illini.
• IU has moved up in the national polls this week, as it is ranked 19th by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, 22nd by Baseball America and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and 23rd by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
• The Hoosiers enter the weekend as the nation's leader with 77 home runs and trail the single-season school record by eight (85 in 2010). Tulane and Bryant are second nationally with 71 home runs each.
• Additionally, Indiana comes into Friday leading the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.481, 14th nationally) and runs (314, 34th), and is third in doubles (87, 48th).
• IU's pitching staff is first in the Big Ten in strikeout to walk ratio (2.90, 15th) and strikeouts (429), is second in WHIP (1.21, 15th), ERA (3.42, 19th), strikeouts per nine innings (9.8, 19th) and walks per nine innings (3.40, 33rd), and third in hits per nine innings (7.48, 17th).
• The weekend starting rotation for the Hoosiers consisting of senior Pauly Milto, junior Tanner Gordon and junior Andrew Saalfrank have combined for a 16-8 record, 184.2 innings, allowing 148 hits, striking out 219, walking just 41 and posting a 2.88 ERA.
• Senior Matt Lloyd paces the Big Ten with 14 home runs, while sophomore Cole Barr is second (13), while junior Matt Gorski is fourth (11).
• Overall, the Hoosiers have four players that are in the top 10 in the Big Ten in long balls, as freshman Grant Richardson has eight (8th).
• Head coach Jeff Mercer has won his first five conference series' as IU's head coach. Dating back to his two years at Wright State, he has lost just one league series as a head coach (vs. UIC in 2017).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (417) and conference wins (174). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
• Friday will be the 189th ever meeting between IU and Illinois. The two squads last met in the Big Ten Tournament last season in Omaha, with the Illini beating the Hoosiers twice.
• Illinois leads the all-time series between the two schools, 118-79-1.
• Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer is in his first season with the Hoosiers and his 10th overall year in coaching collegiately. He has posted an 107-62 career record after leading Wright State to winning seasons in each of his two years with the Raiders, including a 2018 Horizon League title and NCAA Regional appearance.
• Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is in his 14th season as head coach at Illinois and 29th season on the Illini coaching staff in 2019. He has won a pair of Big Ten titles (2011, 2015) with the Illini and has collected 439 career wins as the skipper.
• Indiana is coming off a weekend where it took two of three games from the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and are a half game behind Michigan atop the Big Ten standings heading into this weekend's clash with the Fighting Illini.
• IU has moved up in the national polls this week, as it is ranked 19th by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, 22nd by Baseball America and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and 23rd by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
• The Hoosiers enter the weekend as the nation's leader with 77 home runs and trail the single-season school record by eight (85 in 2010). Tulane and Bryant are second nationally with 71 home runs each.
• Additionally, Indiana comes into Friday leading the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.481, 14th nationally) and runs (314, 34th), and is third in doubles (87, 48th).
• IU's pitching staff is first in the Big Ten in strikeout to walk ratio (2.90, 15th) and strikeouts (429), is second in WHIP (1.21, 15th), ERA (3.42, 19th), strikeouts per nine innings (9.8, 19th) and walks per nine innings (3.40, 33rd), and third in hits per nine innings (7.48, 17th).
• The weekend starting rotation for the Hoosiers consisting of senior Pauly Milto, junior Tanner Gordon and junior Andrew Saalfrank have combined for a 16-8 record, 184.2 innings, allowing 148 hits, striking out 219, walking just 41 and posting a 2.88 ERA.
• Senior Matt Lloyd paces the Big Ten with 14 home runs, while sophomore Cole Barr is second (13), while junior Matt Gorski is fourth (11).
• Overall, the Hoosiers have four players that are in the top 10 in the Big Ten in long balls, as freshman Grant Richardson has eight (8th).
• Head coach Jeff Mercer has won his first five conference series' as IU's head coach. Dating back to his two years at Wright State, he has lost just one league series as a head coach (vs. UIC in 2017).
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (417) and conference wins (174). The Hoosiers have made six NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
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