Game Day: Mizzou vs. Illinois @ Busch Stadium

This is the second year the Tigers have played a game at Busch Stadium. Last year's match against SLU featured the only appearance by Kyle Gibson in a Johnny Wholestaff-pitched game.

■ The Illini have been up and down this past week:

Tuesday, L 8-13 vs. Illinois State
Wednesday, W 18-2 vs. Chicago State

Friday, L 9-16 vs. Penn State

Saturday, W 10-8 vs. Penn State

Sunday, W 15-3 vs. Penn State

■ Baseball takes Penn State rubber match with one of the best performances of the season (The Daily Illini, April 4)

“It was a tough night on Friday night. I got after the guys a little bit, wasn’t real nice to them,” Hartleb said. “And they responded well. I think that’s the sign of a good team. Some teams would fold their tent after things didn’t go well, especially the way we did things on Friday. To see us come back and win (Saturday) and then play as good of a game as we did (Sunday), as clean as it was, I’m very proud of the guys.”

■ Nittany Lions open Big Ten Baseball with convincing win over Illini (WGAL.com)

■ Argo's the center of attention now (IlliniHQ.com)

From the moment Willie Argo belted three home runs in his first three at-bats last season, there's been little question the Illinois sophomore could handle – no, make that manhandle – collegiate pitching.

One year later, the 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American continues to thumb his nose at the notion of a sophomore slump, pounding out three more hits Saturday in the Illini's 10-8 Big Ten victory against Penn State to raise his season batting average to .405 and his career figure to .370.

But Argo is proving this season – in the field and on the bases – to be so much more than merely a pitching nemesis.

■ Learn a lot about Illinois baseball in UI Baseball: What have we learned? (IlliniHQ.com, 3/25)

It appears Illinois has a real find in freshman Brandon Hohl. A fixture at third
base since the opener, Hohl so far is one of the Illini's most consistent and
productive hitters. He leads the team in RBI (16), is tied for most hits (23)
and ranks fourth in batting average (.371). The newcomer has been just as much
of a revelation in the field, committing merely one error in 49 fielding
chances.

■ From College Baseball Today's preseason Taking a look at the Big Ten:

The Illini sent small tremors through the college baseball community last March by winning two of three games at Alex Box Stadium over eventual national champion LSU, setting them on a course to a 34-win season, their second straight 30+ win campaign in a row. Johnson is a longtime backstop that also has a power stick at the dish. Argo brings power and speed and leading hitter Cappetta and SS Parr will keep the defense solid, bordering on spectacular. RHP Brian delaTorriente (2-2, 7.79) brings some experience with his transfer from Northern Iowa. Good speed remains as UI stole 79 bases in ‘09.

■ Also from College Baseball Today, March 30th:

Illinois State meanwhile, set a stadium record of its own in the 13-8 rout of
in-state rival Illinois, packing in 906 fans into Duffy Bass Field. The Redbirds
scored 10 runs in the 4th inning, off of six hits and three Illini errors. The
previous record-high attendance was also in May of last year, coming against
Creighton in front of 823 fans.

. . . and March 12th:

Illinois won at No. 12 Coastal Carolina 11-10.The Illini scored three runs in the
bottom of the 9th to pull out their seventh win over a ranked team in the last
two years. Yes, that was not a misprint there. The orange and blue chased CCU
ace Cody Wheeler after getting nine hits and six runs off of him in 6.0 innings
of work.