WHERE
Billikens Sports Center — St. Louis, Mo.
THE GAMES
Tuesday, March 19 — 3:00 p.m. CT
Wednesday, March 20 — 3:00 p.m. CT
LIVE STATS
Tuesday — Live Stats
Wednesday — Live Stats
BILLIKEN OUTLOOK
Saint Louis brought their record back to even at 9-9 with a series sweep of Chicago State over the weekend. They'll welcome in the Fighting Illini for a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Billikens will turn to Jackson Wark in game one of the mid-week series. It'll be his third start of the season, the first since February 23 against Loyola Marymount. Wark has made five relief appearances since the game against the Lions.
Wark has thrown for a 1.72 ERA in his seven appearances. He is 1-2 with 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched.
Luke Matheny takes the ball in game two against the Illini. The righty is 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched. Matheny has appeared in five games for the Bills this season, earning the start in two of them.
At the plate, the Billikens have two hitters riding hit streaks entering the series.
Cam Redding leads the team with a .387 batting average, and he has hit safely in seven straight games.
Junior right fielder Jake Garella is on an eight-game hitting streak, putting him second on the team with a .333 average. He is tops on the Bills with both 25 hits and nine doubles.
SCOUTING THE ILLINI
Illinois comes to town with a 13-3 record and a No. 23 ranking by Collegiate Baseball. The team is currently on a six-game win streak, with series sweeps against Grand Canyon and Southern Illinois.
The Fighting Illini are projected to start Aidan Maldonado and Nathan Lavender in the two-game set. It will be the first career starts for both pitchers.
Maldonado has appeared in five games in 2019, throwing for a 5.06 ERA with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.
Illinois has called on Lavender for three relief outings this season, and in his small sample size of 2.2 innings pitched, he's thrown for a 16.88 ERA and five strikeouts.
Senior outfielder Zac Taylor leads the team in multiple hitting categories, including hitting for a .400 average, 20 hits, 15 runs, seven doubles, three home runs and 12 stolen bases in the team's 16 games.
The team has six additional batters hitting for over a .300 average.
Jack Yalowitz is batting .322 and has a team leading 12 RBIs.
Michael Massey, .317 average, has three home runs on the season with nine RBIs.
The series will mark the first time Saint Louis will welcome in a ranked opponent to Billiken Sports Center since No. 26 Oregon State on March 3, 2012.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Billikens are 2-19 against Illinois all-time. The teams last met on April 17, 2016.
