Category: University of Illinois Baseball

Brandon Wikoff tips helmets with Kyle Hudson as on-deck Aaron Johnson watches on

Illinois defeated Northwestern Saturday 14-4. Brandon Wikoff was the big producer going 5 for 5 for 5 with 2 doubles, a homer, six rbis, and four runs. Yes, that’s right… he was one base away from a cycle. I was standing next to Brandon’s dad when he got the second double to deep center. He was REALLY hoping for that triple, I could tell. Cycle or no, awesome day by Brandon.

Illinois starter Kevin Manson won the game, improving his record to 6-1.

Here is the game in pictures.

Starter Kevin Manson is third in the Big Ten in wins with 6.

We got there in time to see Brandon Wikoff hit his homerun. His 6 rbis puts him 3rd in the Big Ten with 51 for the season.

Bonadonna on first base…	and there…
he…	goes!!

The next time up, Wikoff got a little chin music…

…but he battled back for a single to right.

A lot more photos at the Photo Gallery. I’ll be there for most of the doubleheader today.

Important: Don’t forget… vote for Ryan Hastings for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award. Fan voting counts toward 25% of the voting.

Here’s Ryan’s bio on the Award web site. Good luck, Ryan!!!

Brandon Wikoff laying down a bunt

College baseball is a strange beast.  After a weekend against a Big Ten rival where we score 49 runs and give up 43 runs, they take on Southern Illinois and pitch their hearts out.  After a rough 3 innings giving up two runs, Illinois relievers were stingy and allowed only 2 hits and no earned runs for eight innings in an extra innings affair.  Alas, the one unearned run that was given up was the game breaker.  Southern Illinois went away winners 3-2.

Mike Sterk, who gave up one hit and just the one unearned run in two innings, was the hard luck loser.

Tuesday’s Starter Nick Chmielewski

There was controversy from the very start when the second SIU batter was awarded first base after being hit.  A lot of us didn’t see it including Coach Hartleb.  He came out and discussed it with the ump.  The batter was called back and showed his the part of his batting glove where he says it hit him.  The ump was satisfied so play continued.

Joe Bonadonna and Aaron Johnson continue their hot streaks.  Both had two hits for the night.

Dom Altobelli and Kyle Hudson are both nursing injuries

Kyle Hudson pulled a fast one on us.  He wasn’t suited up for pre-game wearing sweats so I didn’t expect him to play and instead to rest that ankle.  Somewhere around the second or third inning, I saw him return the dugout with regulation pants (still wearing the sweatshirt so I wasn’t sure).  Sure enough, Hudson came on to pinch hit for John Schlichter in the bottom of the 11th.  Unfortunately for us, he struck out.

It was my pleasure to finally meet (in person) Eric Loy.  I stopped by the media booth before the game and introduced myself.  I am occasionally a guest on his Sports Nite show on Fridays on WDWS 1400AM.

More photos are here.

This weekend:  Northwestern at home.  Come out to the ballpark!

Illinois got their revenge for yesterday’s sweep and evened the weekend series up by blasting the Penn State Nittany Lions 17-6.  Casey McMurray continued to put up the big numbers as he went 4 for 4 with 3 runs.  Kyle Hudson (right) was 3 for 4 with 3 runs and 2 rbis.

For the weekend, McMurray was 11 for 15 with five rbis and seven runs.

Today, the big inning no doubt was the Illini 4th.  They batted around in the order and put together six hits plus a Lion error to score eight runs.

As for starter Billy Barrett, he was unhittable the first four innings.  Literally.  With two outs in the fifth, Barrett (left) had yet to give up a hit.  Once Rick Marlin hit a double to center, the floodgates opened.  Barrett walked two batters then a single by Wes Borden scored two.

The next inning, it was beginning to feel like  yesterday all over again.  Fortunately, the Illini had a 12-2 cushion.  Penn State “only” scored 4 runs with the help of Mike Stankiewicz who somehow got out of it with minimal damage all things considered.  Fortunately, those would be the last runs Penn State would score this weekend.

Final Score:  17-6

My daughter and I sat in front of Mike Sterk’s mom today.  I just knew she was a Illini mom from the way she cheered.  When she passed on the answer to the trivia question announced over PA to my daughter, I introduced myself.  Answer to today’s question:  Ben Reeser is the only Illini player with a twin.  The More You Know.

More photos from the game here.

Saturday, the Illini went 1-2. Not every day that’s going to happen.

My plan was to go the ballpark to see the Illini finish up Friday’s game with the Nittany Lions and play their regularly scheduled doubleheader and was pleasantly surprised to see my buddy Brando had shown up to root on the Illini. I was a bit late so he filled me in.

The Illini had made quick work of finishing up Friday’s game and even managed to score four runs to win 20-11. Daniel Webb wasn’t satisfied with four hits on Friday so he added one more to 5 for 6 (with 5 rbis). Final score 20-11.

(4/27 Update:) Freshman John Schlichter broke a Big Ten record for the Friday/Saturday game. His 3 triples are the most by a Big Ten batter in a conference game. (thanks to reader Joe Dirt… I missed this). He also managed 5 rbis.

And that was pretty much last good news of the day.

Illinois got off to a quick 1-0 lead when Kyle Hudson scored on a wild pitch in the first but that was squashed when PSU LF Scott Kelley hit a two-run homer over the right field wall. It was 4-1 when Cory Wine (remember Cory Wine from last night?) did the same thing in the fourth.

So with the score 4-1 in the top the fifth I had to go pick up my kids from the parking lot from my wife who was dropping them off. I found the car, got the kids, came back to where Brando and I were sitting, looked up at the scoreboard and… it was 10-1!!! What!!! I swear I was gone 5 minutes, eight minutes TOPS! Four singles, and homeruns by Cory Wine and Scott Kelley (again and again) will do much to alter the balance of reality.

Rough outing for Aaron Martin

Starter Aaron Martin suffered the brunt of the first five innings. Martin can be hot (he had a scoreless innings streak earlier this season. Then he has games like this. Things didn’t get a whole lot better when Wes Braun came in but the way Penn State was hitting today, I don’t know who could have stopped them.

One highlight… Freshman Pete Cappetta (left), who is our backup shortstop, hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. That was his first career homerun. It may not have seemed to have meant much but it did give Illini fans something to cheer about in game which there was not much to cheer about. Thanks Pete!

Illini Numbers

Pete Cappetta: 1 for 2, HR, 3 rbis

Aaron Martin: 5 IP, 12 H, 12 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (L)

Final Score: Penn State 16 Illinois 5

The second game pretty much got off to same start as the first with the Nits getting off to an 10-4 lead by the top of the 7th inning. The Illini did make it interesting by scoring three runs in the bottom of 7th on two singles and two Penn State errors. But it was not enough and Penn State won again 10-7.

Illini Numbers

Aaron Johnson: 3 for 3, 2B, 2 runs

Ryan Hastings: 3 for 4, HR, 2 runs, 2 rbis

Well, the Penn State team that has hit 20 homeruns all year going into this weekend has suddenly found their stroke and has hit seven in three games. Not only that, the team that was second to last in Big 10 in runs scored has shown they can score 37 runs in the same three games. Is it conference motivation? The ever prevailing Illinois Field wind?

I have photos from the first game on Saturday. By the way, I noticed when uploading these pictures that I now have over 1000 photos of University of Illinois baseball dating back to last year (and including the 2007 Big Ten Tournament). If you’re a fan, take a minute and browse through them.

Game 4 today at 12:05 today. Get out there and cheer the Illini!!

When then wind is blowing out like this you’re going to expect a high scoring game.  In this case, it might contribute to bad weather.  In this case, rain which suspended that game in the eighth inning.  Friday’s game will be be picked up at 2pm Saturday to be followed by the regularly scheduled doubleheader.  It will be a loooong day for both teams.

The action so far

Daniel Webb rapping a 3-run double in the first

Up until the game was called, Penn State has rapped 15 hits and scored 11 runs.  Every Nittany Lion except one has scored a run and all but two has a rbi.

The funny thing is the Illini are still winning.  Through eight, Illinois 16 runs on 22 hits.  Six Illini have multi-hit games going.  The big stars of the game (so far) is DH Daniel Webb, Casey McMurray and John Schlichter.  Webb is 4 for 5 with two doubles and four rbis.  Freshman McMurray is 5 for 5 with 3 rbis.  Schlichter has hit two triples and a double and scored three times and drove in three runs.

Brandon Wikoff crossing home plate for a run.  Is PSU catcher Joe Blackburn really that tall?

I have to give Penn State (actually both teams) their due.  They were down 9-3 in the top of the sixth when their offense kicked in.  They managed to score three runs in the sixth and seventh and two in the eighth making it an interesting game again.  For Illinois’ part, sensing the urgency, responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth and four in the seventh.

Interestingly, with the wild wind blowing out, there has been only one homerun hit in the game so far.  That belongs to Lion Cory Wine, the coach’s kid, who knocked one in the second inning.

So as it stands in the bottom of the eighth, Illinois 16 Penn State 11

Meeting more people

It seems every home game I meet at least one more parent of an Illini parent.  This time it was Bill Wikoff, father of SS Brandon Wikoff.  I’ve seen Bill around plenty at home game shouting encouragements to the team but this is the first time I’ve gotten a chance to talk to him.

Gain One, Lose One

Hudson’s back!

One last note… the Illini uniform sure looked good on Kyle Hudson after seeing him not suit up because of the ankle injury the last few games.  So far, he’s 2 for 5 in this game.  His first at-bat was a grounder to the thirdbaseman which he tried to run out and definitely tested that ankle.

Unfortunately, Illinois will be without 3B Dom Altobelli for a while.  Dom injured himself late in the game against Western Illinois.  He said he got an MRI two days ago which shows a torn labrum.  He told me he just wants to get his strength back.  No real idea when he will get back but I’ll bet this will be a lot longer than a couple games.

Take care of that shoulder, Dom.

Photos of the game here.  I ran out of batteries midway through so I don’t have any after the sixth inning.  Sorry.

Go Illini!!!

Joe Bonadonna and Brandon Wikoff combined to go 9 for 10 in University of Illinois’ 10-2 win over Western Illinois University.  Bonadonna scored 4 times in the leadoff role.  Wikoff drove in four and scored twice.

Starter Nick Chmielewski pitched a solid game allowing two runs in five frames.  The Illinois bullpen was stellar with Wes Braun, Lee Zerrusen, Ben Reeser pitching four scoreless innings allowing only three hits.

I got a chance to meet Chmielewski’s father, Chris, who was down from Chicago to watch Nick pitch.  I was happy to hear that he has seen The Baseball Zealot already.  Also met Robin who has been an Illini baseball supporter for over 15 years.  Robin recognized my name from my bits on Eric Loy’s show on WDWS.

I took a few photos.  Here they are.

Personal note: It was rough evening.  First, I got to the game to the game late.  A half inning after I had a seizure.  I have epilepsy and this is nothing new to me.  I was fine after my seizure but I had to go with the EMTs and explain that to them which took about another inning I could have been watching the game.

I had the feeling the whole thing was pretty conspicuous when it happened but I didn’t realized how much so till after the game when a few of the the Illini players came up to me and made sure I was I was ok.  Anyway, thanks guys!  I’m fine.  Just a bit sore.  And thanks to Robin and Chris for their help.

Illinois didn’t look back after Aaron Johnson’s three-run HR in the 2nd

University of Illinois scored early and often against Illinois State in their 10-4 win Tuesday night.  Much of their offense came from catcher Aaron Johnson who was 3 for 4 with 4 rbis and 3 runs.

Johnson hit a three-run homerun in the second inning which made it 4-0 Illinois.  It was Johnson’s third dinger of the year.

Starter Billy Barrett was on his game tonight

Meanwhile, Billy Barrett was pitching a decent game.  His ERA before the game was 9+.  Never mind though, he held ISU to three hits in five innings giving up two runs.  In his new role in the bullpen, Mike Stankiewicz did well.  In four innings, he allowed just one earned run.

Despite being 0 for 5, Mike Giller scored a run, drove one in and stole a base.

Aaron Johnson wasn’t done.  He led off the 4th with a double and later scored on a ground out.  Illinois put together a small rally in the fifth inning sparked when Mike Giller ran out a fielding error by an ISU error.  Three hits by Ryan Hastings, Johnson, and Daniel Webb put two runs over the plate.

Daniel Webb, who by the way was playing right field tonight instead of his normal DH role, collected four hits for the game.  Dom Altobelli, Joe Bonadonna, Nick Stockwell and Casey McMurray also had multi-hit games.

Due to his ankle injury, Kyle Hudson didn’t suit up.  He did help out warming up the outfielders between innings.

For those wondering, Kyle Hudson did NOT play.  My guess is that Coach Hartleb didn’t want to take any risks in a midweek, non-conference game.  With Hudson’s absence in center, Illinois used Nick Stockwell in center, Dan Webb in right, and Mike Giller at DH.

Box score

More photos I took are here.

Next up: Western Illinois University Wednesday night at 6:30pm at Illinois Field.