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'Big' game awaits Illini baseball today

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Dan Hartleb didn't mince words when he spoke about the importance of Saturday's series finale against Michigan State.

Shortly after his team's 5-2 loss to the Spartans on Friday night, which evened the series at 1, the Illinois baseball coach called Saturday a "big day."

"It's all about winning series, especially on the road," Hartleb said. "We have to find a way to win the series."

The Illini (35-17, 14-9 Big Ten) — with an eye on improving their NCAA tournament resume and their seeding at next week's conference tournament — conclude the regular season at 12:05 p.