Posted: 5/15/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeremy Berg Illinois' Ryan Hastings hits the ball during the game against Western Illinois on April 23, 2008.

For all the problems the Illinois baseball team had this year - losing their ace before the season, a self-described lack of consistency and weather that has affected nearly every Big Ten series - the Illini go into the final weekend of the conference season with a chance to sneak into second place. If the Illini can sweep their series this weekend with Purdue, they will move into second place in the Big Ten standings, giving them a first-round bye in next weekend's conference tournament.

However, the Boilermakers have quite a bit at stake this weekend as well - they're the second-place team the Illini are trying to jump.

"It's a little bit of a rivalry game; (Purdue is) only about an hour and half away from us so it'll be a good weekend of baseball - two teams that are really fighting for a lot, so there's a lot on the line," senior first baseman Ryan Hastings said.

As much as the Illini (29-20, 15-12 Big Ten) would like to sweep Purdue (27-22, 18-9), they're still not guaranteed a spot in the conference tournament. Though unlikely, the Big Ten standings are close enough that the Illini could finish the weekend outside the top six. But with a magic number of just two, contingent on its own and Michigan State's performances, the odds are in the team's favor to make the tourney. The odds of sweeping Purdue, however, aren't as good; the Illini haven't taken four from the Boilermakers since 1999.

Nevertheless, outfielder Kyle Hudson is confident in Illinois' chances in the series, which starts Thursday at 6:05 p.m.

"If you get that second seed, you get the bye, and you get to save a pitcher. It's definitely big for us and just being at home I think we'll be able to pull off what we need to do in front of our fans," Hudson said.

On the mound for the Illini to start the series will be sophomore Kevin Manson, who has put up four consecutive wins and a 7-1 record on the season. Manson has developed into the staff's ace, after Tanner Roark left the team for unexplained reasons, and has provided consistent pitching backed by excellent run support. The Illini are scoring 9.2 runs per game when Manson starts.

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