Illinois defeated Eastern Illinois 14-10 in a slugfest earlier this year on April 7, now the Illini host Eastern Illinois as a top 10 team in the country and have the nation's longest win streak.
Junior Jason Goldstein led the way, going 3-for-5 with his first grand slam and a career-high six RBI. Senior David Kerian homered for an 18-game hitting streak, while sophomore Ryne Roper added his first bomb of the season.
Illinois is ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, marking the highest ranking in program history. It is the first time an Illini team has cracked the Top 10.
UI also is ranked No. 9 by D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game and Baseball America, No. 10 by NCBWA and No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball, meaning Illinois is ranked in all six polls for the fifth straight week.
No. 8 Illinois is off to its best start in school history with a 32-6-1 record. The previous best UI mark after 39 games was 30-9 in 1989 under Augie Garrido.
The Illini have the longest active winning streak in the country with 13 wins in a row, which is tied for the fifth-longest streak in the NCAA this year.
Tonight's game is a 6 pm start time.
