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Below are this weekend's baseball series in no particular order along with projected wins/losses.
Illinois at Penn State 2-1 Illini
Penn State had it easier early in the season and the Illini pitching staff is getting better as the season goes along. The llini are third in team pitching (3.12 ERA) and fourth in team batting (.279).
Michigan at Purdue 2-1 Michigan
Purdue hasn't got much going for them this season, it wouldn't be surprising if Michigan swept this series.
Michigan State at Indiana 2-1 Indiana
Indiana is the top of the conference, but Michigan State is no slouch, picked third preseason in conference behind Nebraska. Sparty has some good pitching as well with Mick VanVossen and Justain Alleman leading the way. This could be a very interesting series.
Minnesota at Iowa 2-1 Iowa
Iowa has been playing better this season under new coach Rich Heller, while Minnesota just can't seem to put it together. Iowa's Calvin Mathews still leads the conference in strike outs and Sasha Kuebel picked up B1G Pitcher of the Week honors last week.
Murray State at Ohio State 3-0 Ohio State
This is a key series for the Buckeyes, believe it or not. They've dropped two midweek games already against West Virginia and Ball State. Either they get it together this weekend (a sweep is not necessary) or their season is in peril. This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Northwestern at Nebraska 3-0 Nebraska
Nebraska is hot. The offense is in full gear, and the pitching staff has been pretty darned good. Nebraska leads the conference in batting average, runs, hits, RBIs, triples, total bases, at bats, plate appearances, and sac bunts.
News
The Big Ten welcome guide: What Maryland and Rutgers fans need to know - SBNation.com
Say hello to your new conference foes, Maryland and Rutgers! Be sure to read the comments section!
Texas Longhorns AD Steve Patterson counters Northwestern push for players' union - ESPN
"It's interesting when you look at the objections of the plaintiffs in the case; we address all of them," Patterson said. "If our athletes get hurt, we pay all their medical bills. If they want to come back and graduate, we pay for them to come back and graduate. We do everything that they say they wanted."
Northwestern alums say players being pushed to vote against union | CollegeFootballTalk
A meeting of former Northwestern football players Wednesday night brought attention to concerns that current players were being pressured to vote no on an upcoming vote to determine if Northwestern football players will form a union.
Katie Hnida: 'Horrified and not surprised' by Jameis Winston report | FOX Sports on MSN
Ten years ago, Hnida went public with her own accusation of rape by a college football player. And when she read the new account of the investigation in Tallahassee, she seemingly was living the nightmare again.
Crooked SEC boosters get Taiwanese animation treatment - SBNation.com
This story is bigger than anyone could have imagined.
2014 NFL Draft: Nebraska OG Spencer Long to Visit the Eagles - Bleeding Green Nation
Nebraska offensive guard Spencer Long is scheduled to meet with the Eagles for a pre-draft visit. Long is projected as a 7th round draft pick - I would say whomever takes him there gets a steal.
The big 2014 Fresno State football preview: Feisty, with or without Carr - SBNation.com
Derek Carr or no Derek Carr, Tim DeRuyter's third Fresno State team should look a lot like his first two, with lots of pace and ball distribution on offense and all sorts of defensive aggression.