CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Illinois head baseball coach Dan Hartleb is calling on his veteran leaders to step up as the team hopes to shift things into high gear down the stretch of the regular season.

Illinois is 16-15 overall and 7-8 in conference play.

The Illini pitching has been respectable in year one under Dillon Napoleon’s leadership – a 4.47 team ERA, tied for sixth-best in the Big Ten.

Run production has been inconsistent.

“We really need to go out and start swinging the bat,” Hartleb told WCIA on Thursday. “Just looking for that high level competitiveness.”

The Illini head coach doesn’t believe it’s an ability issue, but rather mental.

“We just need to do a better job of playing to our abilities,” he said. “We’ve got a number of guys that if you look at their overall production, it’s not where it needs to be. They’ve performed at a higher level in the past. We need those guys to step up and produce… They’ve got to get out of their own way and as a coaching staff that’s part of our job to help them get out of their own way.”

In the data-driven world of 2026, the Illini are tasked with processing and using valuable information – while also not thinking too much on the diamond.

“I think when you’re prepared and you’re confident, you can go out and just be yourself and show the best of your abilities,” Illini senior outfielder Nick Groves said. “So comes with the night before and batting practice and practices. And in that way you can just go out and have fun.”

Groves is hitting .319 on the season.

Illinois is set to host New Orleans for three games – starting with a 6 p.m. start on Friday in the non-conference series opener.

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