| Probable Starting Pitchers (stats from 2015) |
| Day | Illinois | Tulane |
| Friday | RHP Cody Sedlock (4-0, 4.02) | RHP Corey Merrill (5-6, 2.12) |
| Saturday | LHP Doug Hayes (0-0, 7.20) | RHP Alex Massey (6-4, 3.67) |
| Sunday | RHP Andrew Mamlic (2-0, 4.91) | RHP Emerson Gibbs (5-3, 2.73) |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini baseball team hits the road this weekend to open the 2016 season in New Orleans, Louisiana, against Tulane. The teams are scheduled to meet three times Friday-Sunday.
The Illini begin the season with their sights set on their 31st Big Ten championship and another berth in the NCAA tournament. Illinois won a program-record 50 games in 2015 and made their first Super Regional after appearing in an NCAA Regional for the third time in the last five years.
Illinois will give the ball to junior Cody Sedlock in the season opener, its first matchup with the Green Wave since 1990. Sedlock is a highly-touted righthander who Baseball America and D1Baseball.com rated as the No. 3 prospect in the Big Ten.
Live video will be available on TulaneGreenWave.com and Mike Waddell will have the radio call on the Fighting Illini Sports Network.
SERIES HISTORY VS. TULANE
• Record: 6-2 (.750)
• Last: W, 16-6 (3/9/1990 at Tulane)
• First: W, 16-1 (4/5/1915 at Tulane)
• Met six times between 1915-23
• 1990 was first meeting since 1954
NOW TRENDING - #ILLINI
JASON GOLDSTEIN
• C Jason Goldstein was ranked among the top 20 prospects in the Big Ten (No. 14) by D1Baseball.com. The engineering major was selected in the 17th round of the MLB Draft last June but elected to return to Illinois to finish his degree.
CODY SEDLOCK - @CodySedlock
• Although Illinois lost a bulk of its pitching staff to the MLB Draft, junior RHP Cody Sedlock returns and looks to headline this year's arms. Sedlock is a potential first-round pick and has been named a top-40 prospect by Baseball American and D1Baseball.com.
ADAM WALTON - @AWalton2
• SS Adam Walton was ranked the No. 16 prospect in the conference by D1Baseball.com. He started every game at shortstop in 2015 and was drafted in the 20th round by the Baltimore Orioles.
LUKE SHILLING - @ShillPickle
• 1B/RHP Luke Shilling, a freshman from Clarkston, Michigan, was predicted to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game.
HARTLEB'S TAKE
"During the first meeting we had with the team this year, I told them that there is an expectation for our program to win at a high level. I told them that I have that expectation, people in the community have that expectation and people in college baseball have that expectation. So, the people in the room have to have that same expectation. It is a culture that we have done a great job at building and I expect us to continue to play at a high level."
UP NEXT
Illinois travels to Ft. Myers, Florida, to take on Florida Gulf Coast in a three-game set Feb. 26-28.
