Top two Big Ten baseball teams square off

The top team in the Big Ten will play the second place team this weekend when IU travels to Illinois.

The Hoosiers (26-11, 11-1) boast the top record in the conference and will look to add to their five game winning streak. Illinois (22-15, 9-3) has taken advantage of a weak conference schedule and climbed ahead of Nebraska, which is third in the Big Ten at 8-4.

“You can’t really be disappointed with how we’ve been playing,” IU junior closer Scott Effross said. “We’ve been throwing pretty well from top to bottom and getting great starts from our starters.”

The Fighting Illini’s opponents in conference play — Michigan, Penn State, Purdue, and Northwestern — have combined for a record of 57-94-1 overall.

They have also played several non-conference teams that the Hoosiers have faced, Western Kentucky, Indiana State and Xavier, and gone 4-4 against them, while IU went 3-1.

Illinois has little power as a team, with only nine home runs, but has four starters hitting above .300. The series, which runs Friday through Sunday, is an important one, said IU ace Joey DeNato.

“The one and two seeds are going at it this weekend, so it’s a big weekend for us,” DeNato said. “We’re just going to stick to our game plan, it’s been working for us for the past month or two. We’re not going to overlook them and will just play our baseball.”

IU defeated Ball State 10-1 Wednesday.

Illinois comes off of a loss to Missouri at the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium.

“They’re always a good hitting team,” DeNato said. “They scrap it around. They also have a lot of good pitchers.”

DeNato will start on the mound on Friday for IU. He is 8-1 with a 2.12 ERA this season. Sophomore Christian Morris will pitch Saturday. He is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA in eight starts this year. Senior Brian Korte is expected to start on Sunday after starting two games last week. He stepped up to help the team after injuries created problems in the pitching staff. He is 0-0 with a 1.77 ERA this year. Sunday would mark his fourth start of the season.

“It starts all the way back in the fall when we condition our arms,” Effross said. “Brian Korte and Luke Harrison are great pitchers, and it’s just a credit to how they work every day.”

The bullpen has performed well lately, and a number of guys are making an impact, IU Coach Tracy Smith said.

“I’m just not an excuse maker,” Smith said. “I make that clear with these guys, that regardless of your role, I haven’t found yet where the mound distance changes from 60 feet 6 inches. You still have to go out and throw strikes, and we have guys who’ve done that.”