Illinois looks to rebound from a 1-3 start to the 2017 season with a trip to the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Fighting Illini will play Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Houston and Missouri during the three-day event at Whataburger Field, home to the Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate Corpus Christi Hooks.
Illinois had freshmen or sophomores get 73.5 percent of the team's hits (25 of 34) and throw 80.8 percent of the team's innings (28 of 34.2) during the four-game weekend. The Illini won the opener 10-2 against Milwaukee before losing to the Panthers Saturday and following with a two-game sweep at the hands of the host Lamar Cardinals.
Michael Massey was one of the underclassmen that shined. The freshman is on a four-game hitting streak and collected six hits in the four games, second on the team only to Jack Yalowitz who has eight. Yalowitz went 8-18 at the plate with 11 total bases and four RBIs.
Illinois' pitchers showed flashes of good stuff, as opponents hit just .238 against the Illini in the first four games, but the staff allowed 7.0 walks per game.
