Not a big follower of college baseball. Do we have a shot at the tournament and I mean a good one?
As of earlier this week, Baseball America's bracket projection had the Illini among the Next Four Out. Purdue was one of their last 4 in.
Not a big follower of college baseball. Do we have a shot at the tournament and I mean a good one?
The process isn't that dissimilar from basketball, and for the Illini the issue is that the quality wins just aren't there. They actually played a really strong non-conference schedule for a Big 10 team...they just didn't win any of them. Winning the BTT and getting the auto-bid is definitely in play though.Not a big follower of college baseball. Do we have a shot at the tournament and I mean a good one?
Not an avid Illinois baseball follower(saw them play early with an L) , but it’s awesome to see them peaking at the right time. Also really cool that all the top teams pretty much control their own destiny in the final weeks of the season.
Agree about the uniforms. The whites with pinstripes are much classier.Not crazy about blue unis, but beating Ioway two out of three is very sweet. Do same to Purdue, but sweep!
Bring back the sleeveless pinstripes! (Haven't seen them this season)Agree about the uniforms. The whites with pinstripes are much classier.
I thought Oregon State won in 2018? Too bad we didn’t add the Beavers to the B1G. They’d be very competitive in baseball.I have alluded to this before, but MAN it is my dream to see the Illini in the College World Series one day ... we had a shot in 2015, but we ran into defending champion Vanderbilt and lost in the Regionals at home, IIRC. The CWS just seems like such a fun event, and my two friends who live in Omaha absolutely swear by it. I get that weather holds back the Northern schools, but man ... sucks that it is always warm-weather schools there.
FWIW, this is the last CWS appearance for each Big Ten team...
Michigan: 2019
Indiana: 2013
Minnesota: 1977
Iowa: 1972
Ohio State: 1967
Michigan State: 1954
Wisconsin: 1950 (no longer has a baseball team)
Illinois: Never
Maryland: Never
Northwestern: Never
Purdue: Never
Nebraska last made it in 2005 (bet that was crazy in Omaha!), but they were obviously not in the Big Ten at the time. Similarly, Rutgers made it in 1950, and PSU made it in 1973. The future Big Ten schools from out west have fared better:
Washington: 2018
UCLA: 2013
USC: 2001
Oregon: 1954
Even stranger when you thrown in that there are schools like Eastern Michigan that had back to back CWS appearances in the 70s and a finals appearance.I have alluded to this before, but MAN it is my dream to see the Illini in the College World Series one day ... we had a shot in 2015, but we ran into defending champion Vanderbilt and lost in the Regionals at home, IIRC. The CWS just seems like such a fun event, and my two friends who live in Omaha absolutely swear by it. I get that weather holds back the Northern schools, but man ... sucks that it is always warm-weather schools there.
FWIW, this is the last CWS appearance for each Big Ten team...
Michigan: 2019
Indiana: 2013
Minnesota: 1977
Iowa: 1972
Ohio State: 1967
Michigan State: 1954
Wisconsin: 1950 (no longer has a baseball team)
Illinois: Never
Maryland: Never
Northwestern: Never
Purdue: Never
Nebraska last made it in 2005 (bet that was crazy in Omaha!), but they were obviously not in the Big Ten at the time. Similarly, Rutgers made it in 1950, and PSU made it in 1973. The future Big Ten schools from out west have fared better:
Washington: 2018
UCLA: 2013
USC: 2001
Oregon: 1954