A breakdown of Ohio’s potential opponents in the NCAA Tournament, which starts Friday at 8 p.m
Today is the first day of the NCAA’s Champaign regional tournament, where No. 4 regionally- seeded Ohio will play No. 6 nationally-seeded Illinois with hope to advance to the super regional tournament. The Post already armed you with a few important things to know about the Bobcats as they make their way to Illinois, but now the staff will analyze the rest of the teams inside Ohio’s region.
Illinois (47-8-1, 21-1 Big 10)
Jordan Horrobin | For The Post
The regional host Fighting Illini enter the Champaign Regional as the No. 1 seed and the No. 6-ranked team in NCAA Division I. If the Fighting Illini move on, they would host the super regional.
In part to its impressive 2015 campaign, Illinois put together a 27-game win streak that stretched from March 30th to May 20th. The team has the highest win percentage (0.848) in NCAA D-I this season and is just two wins shy of its school record (49). Illinois is 9-3 all-time against Ohio, and last met the Bobcats in 2013. Illinois defeated Ohio, 11-6.
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Offensively, Illinois’ best player is senior first baseman David Kerian. He leads the team in a plethora of major categories, including batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.644), on base percentage (.452), home runs (14), total bases (125) and is tied for the lead in RBIs (47).
On the mound, the Fighting Illini held opposing teams to a .238 batting average. Their shutdown closer is Tyler Jay, who held a 0.64 ERA with 13 saves in his 28 appearances. With a 10-1 record, Kevin Duchene is Illinois’ top starter. He boasts a 1.30 ERA and is slated to be the starter against Ohio (34-21, 17-10 Mid-American Conference) on Friday.
Being the host could be a key advantage for the Fighting Illini, as they went 22-2 at home this season — a school record. Illinois and Ohio will square off at 8 p.m. EST on Friday night at Illinois Field in Champaign, Illinois.
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN 3 and Watch ESPN.
@JordanHorrobin
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Notre Dame (36-21, 17-13 ACC)
Ethan Felderstein | For The Post
Notre Dame, the three-seed in the Champaign Regional, comes into the postseason sporting a 36-21 record. This is the team’s first bid to NCAA Regionals since 2006.
The Fighting Irish earned an at-large bid, as they finished 1-2 and were eliminated early in the ACC Tournament this past week. Don’t take their lack of success in the tournament as an indicator of a lack of success against their conference though. Notre Dame took series victories over conference powerhouses such as Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson and NC State.
They finished 3-1 against the MAC, earning wins over Western Michigan, Akron and Eastern Michigan and a loss to Toledo. The Fighting Irish are 14-15 all-time against Ohio, with their last meeting coming in 1972.
Notre Dame has offensive talent up and down their lineup, including Cavan Biggio, a highly regarded draft prospect and son of MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. Biggio has started every game at shortstop for the Fighting Irish and leads the team with eight home runs. He’s also a threat on the base paths, leading the team with 14 steals.
The Fighting Irish also have some impressive arms on the mound, including Ryan Smoyer, a native of Bowling Green, Ohio. In 10 starts, Smoyer is 9-0 and posted a 2.13 ERA.
Notre Dame plays its first game Friday at 1:00 p.m. against Wright State.
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Wright State (41-15, 21-18 Horizon)
Tony Wolfe | Staff Writer
Wright State is on its way to its first regional tournament appearance since 2011 after winning the Horizon League tournament title last Saturday. It is the Raiders’ fifth overall appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Wright State holds a 6-0 record against MAC teams this season (three wins against Toledo, three wins against Miami (OH)), and also handed Miami (FL), the 11-best team in the country at the time, one of its four losses this season.
Wright State is 18-16 all-time against the Bobcats, with their last meeting coming in 2012. The Bobcats lost 7-1.
The Raiders are led offensively by junior outfielder Ryan Fucci, who has belted 13 home runs and 45 RBIs, to go with a .289 batting average this season. Redshirt senior outfielder Mark Fowler leads the team with a .341 batting average.
On the mound, Wright State comes to the tournament armed with an incredibly stingy bullpen, led by redshirt junior Logan Blair. Blair averaged an ERA of 1.01 in 35 2/3 innings pitched this season. The Raiders also have junior E.J. Trapino and freshman Jeremy Randolph, who have gone a combined 15-0 this season and have ERAs of 2.55 and 2.22, respectively.
Wright State plays its first game Friday at 1:00 p.m. against Notre Dame.
@_TonyWolfe_
