It was a hectic week in the Big Ten, featuring a plethora of storylines. Among these was a three-game series between Northwestern and Illinois.

While the trio of games against the Fighting Illini offered promise as the Wildcats looked to carry momentum from their previous series win over Maryland, the matchup quickly turned sideways.

NU fell 5-3, 7-1 and 11-7 in a decisive series sweep for Illinois.

Another key storyline was the continued stellar play of Nebraska’s ace Brett Sears, who leads the Big Ten with a 1.58 ERA and seven wins on the year.

Sears again delivered a brilliant performance this week. On Friday night, he threw seven innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs, while striking out eight batters, which helped lift the Cornhuskers to a 6-3 victory over Maryland.

Looking forward to Big Ten action this week, coach Ben Greenspan’s squad will have its work cut out as it prepares to host Purdue at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park. The Boilermakers will arrive in Evanston with an impressive 25-15 record.

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