Zealot friend Brian D from Big Ten Hardball does his annual review of Big Ten baseball team and predicts Illinois to at least make the tournament in 2009.
Brian’s bottom line??
Illinois will go as far as their pitching lets them. This team, like many of the recent Illini squads, should swing the bats well enough, steal a few bases and play tough day-in and day-out. The question will be how their arms, especially the unproven ones, hold up.
The thought here is that the Illini should secure another top six Big Ten finish and a trip to Huntington Park and the conference tournament
His review of Illinois is pretty spot on. You can read it at his blog, Big Ten Hardball.