With the Big Ten’s recent expansion out West, the conference has never been as talented as it is now.
As such, the Illinois baseball team will face its fair share of tough competition this upcoming season.
While the Illini were able to escape matching up with some of the stronger teams last year, this season they will be seriously tested. With series against Oregon, USC, Iowa, and other strong teams, this season could shape up to be a long one.
The season opens up on the road against the Trojans, who finished 18-12 in conference play last season and lost in the Corvallis Regional. They look to return a lot of production throughout their lineup, which is filled with young talent, to an already successful team.
Following that start, the Illini will have more manageable series against Minnesota, Rutgers, Penn State, which can be tricky, and Purdue.
This stretch of series will be crucial for the Illini to pick up as many wins as possible. Winning early on can help them start to find their groove and get on a roll before their schedule gets much harder.
The back half is where the going really gets tough. With Oregon, Nebraska, and Iowa in three straight series, the Illini could quickly see their season slip away from them in its twilight.
Oregon, the reigning Big Ten regular season champions, looks to build off of their strong first year in the conference, led by star Infielder Maddox Molony. Nebraska, while usually average in the regular season, has won the last two Big Ten Tournaments and is always a team to watch out for.
Finally, Iowa seems to always have consistent and quality pitching making them a formidable opponent. This stretch alone could see the Illini quickly slide out of a tournament spot, especially if they do not win their games early on in the season.
Finishing off the year with a series against Northwestern and Indiana could provide some much-needed help in a push for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Winning the games they can, and should, goes a long way in creating a successful season.
Although the schedule is tough, relying on young talent to face this adversity head-on and learn from it could prove to be incredibly beneficial to Illinois' success in future seasons.