The Illinois baseball and softball teams are slated to open Big Ten play Friday in Champaign-Urbana, with Dan Hartleb’s program hosting Penn State and Tyra Perry’s team welcoming Nebraska. A quick synopsis of how the first month of the season has gone for each program:
Baseball
At 8-10, the Illini have already matched the number of losses that last year’s Big Ten champions had all season. Illinois only has three regulars batting above .300, and no Illini has driven in more than nine runs. Cody Sedlock is the team’s ace (3-1, 3.98 ERA), but the lockdown closer Tyler Jay served as last season hasn’t transpired yet.