The Illinois men's baseball team won't ease into their 2004 schedule.

The baseball schedule was released late last week and showed the Illini facing Mississippi State the first weekend. Mississippi State finished the 2003 season ranked No. 24 in the Baseball American poll and the Collegiate Baseball poll.

Illinois is scheduled to open the season playing Western Kentucky on Feb. 27 and then again the morning of Feb. 28. The Illini play Mississippi State the afternoon of Feb. 28 and then again on Feb. 29. All four games are scheduled in Starkville, Miss.

"I think that's going to be a very, very strong opener for us," said Illinois baseball head coach Itch Jones. "We will be against two teams that have been outside practicing."

The Illini spend most of the early season practicing indoors at the Irwin Indoor Football Practice Facility.

"The only times we will be outside (until April) will be playing those games," Jones said. "The rest of the time we will be back inside. This season, I think it is probably the best (Big Ten) preseason schedule we've had in a long time."

During spring break, the Illini schedule has the team playing six consecutive days in North Carolina and South Carolina, starting March 20 and extending through March 25. Jones expected the spring break trip to benefit the team again this season.

"That's always helpful. That's one of the things that helps us the most," Jones said. "We can play and then practice a little outside afterwards if we need to. Outside we can play them on the field, have the players the right distance apart, and make adjustments that we can't make by just practicing inside."

The Big Ten season is scheduled to start with Illinois traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for four games against the Buckeyes. Ohio State finished second in the Big Ten last season but has not played Illinois in conference play since 2001.

"Once we get our games out of the way in the preseason then we've got to be prepared to go into the Big Ten," Jones said.

The two teams played three non-conference games last season in Florida with Illinois, winning two of the three.

Purdue replaced Ohio State as the conference team absent from the Illinois schedule. Illinois will not play Purdue as a conference opponent again until the 2006 season.

"I'd like to have Purdue on the schedule," Jones said. "One, it's a close trip and second, we've always played very well against each other. I'd rather have someone much farther away off the schedule like Penn State or Minnesota."

The Illini open the home season hosting Western Michigan on April 6. Jones is ready to begin the season now.

"I wish the season was ready to start and I wish that spring time was here already," Jones said. "The players are working very hard in their individual workouts and I hope it pays off with good dividends for them when the season starts."