Thirty-five years ago this week — May 3, 1981 — the Illini baseball team swept Northwestern in a Big Ten-ending series.
The 4-1 and 6-0 victories gave Illinois a final conference record of 11-3, enough to send it into the first Big Ten playoffs.
Todd Schmitke supported Randy Conte’s three-hit gem in the opener with a two-RBI single.
In the second game, Dave Wuethrich hurled a complete-game shutout.
The two wins lifted Illinois’ record to 34-23, breaking a single-season record of 32 set by UI’s 1928 team.
When coach Tom Dedin made a preseason prediction that his ’81 Illini baseball team would win the Big Ten’s West Division, many followers arched their eyebrows and had a cynical snicker.