UI baseball photos | The Baseball Zealot

Illini Crush Sycamores 15-4

Ryan Hastings slides in to score (Photo credit: Dylan Nelshoppen)

Once again, the Illini offense was on its game. For the second time in three days (and third time this season), they scored fifteen runs. Final score Illinois 15 Indiana State 4

By the time I got there in the fifth inning, the Illini were already ahead 10-0, already sealing the fate of the game it would seem. Starter Aaron Martin had been pulled after pitching four scoreless innings and extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak to fourteen.

DH Daniel Webb went 2 for 3 today

Very similar to last year’s team, the players of this year’s squad seem to take turns being the hero. Today, it was freshman Casey McMurray who had his first four hit game going 4 for 5 with a double and 3 runs and a rbi. Joe Bonadonna cashed in 4 rbis with a 2 for 4 performance.

More photos at the Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery

Next up… Michigan State at East Lansing.

Illini clip the Eagles’ wings 15-5

It was a chilly day for baseball but when the sun came out, it wasn’t so bad. The wind blew straight out to center. We were even treated to a smattering of snowflakes in the fifth inning which didn’t amount to anything.

Nonetheless, it was baseball and it was here in Urbana. Judson University made the trip from Elgin, Illinois to help make up some gameage that was lost due to weather (for both teams it turns out).

Craig Lutes celebrates with teammates after hitting a homer in the fourth

Illinois had no trouble scoring on their new home turf. They scored at least two runs each in the first four innings. All told, they managed 20 hits for the game. By the fifth inning, when it was 11-2, Coach Hartleb brought in the reserves so it was a good chance to see the whole team in action.

Kyle Hudson hustles toward third

Kyle Hudson who has been on fire, went 3 for 5 with 2 runs and 2 rbis. That raises his batting average to .490! Joe Bonadonna hit his first triple of the year and contributed 3 rbis for the game. Maybe it’s me but I don’t think that will be his last triple of the season.

RF Craig Lutes hit the only homerun of the game, his second of the year. That was a two-run shot in the fourth. That shot was deep and long going over the centerfield wall. For the game, he was 3 for 4 with 4 rbis.

Starter Mike Stankiewicz

With the big hit-fest going on, we can’t ignore the solid job that Mike Stankiewicz did off the mound. Stanky allowed two runs in 5 innings. He gave up 6 hits but only one walks. Lee Zerrusen came in and pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Boy, you gotta feel for Eagles’ starter Kyle Kobernus. Eleven runs in four innings. And 100 pitches.

Well, for a home opener it was definitely a way to get off to a good start. it would have been nice to have more people in the stands but between the last minute scheduling, the 3pm game time, and the chilly weather, we probably couldn’t expect too much.

The win puts Illinois at 8-6 and in third place behind Ohio State and Michigan.

By the way… the Tuesday game with Indiana State has been postponed due to weather. They are attempting to re-schedule the game.

There are more photos at the Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery. Check them out!

Photos of Illinois Field’s turf installation

After work today, I thought I’d bop on over to Illinois Field and see how the installation of the Field Turf was going. My place of work is only a couple blocks away so it’s convenient enough. So when work was done, I trekked over the cemetery that separates me from Illinois Field. I was in a hurry since dark approaches so much earlier these days and if I wanted any decent pictures, I wanted some of the sunlight left.

Well, they are obviously getting some work done. What was once an outfield now resembles a gravel pit. There is no grass to be seen anywhere in the park.

I had been told by University of Illinois team staffers that the field (particularly the outfield) was in pretty bad shape and they’re looking forward to the turf, aka Field Turf ™.

I have some more photos of the turf installation at the Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery.

By the way Cub fans, Wrigley Field is going under its own construction this winter. Bleed Cubbie Blue has the photos.

Meeting new people, seeing old friends at the Orange and Blue Series

I dropped by the fourth game of the Orange and Blue series after work today.

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I ran into former Illini shortstop Shawn Roof at the game. I hadn’t seen Roof (shown above with junior Nathan Lawrence) since the Big Ten Tournament last spring so we caught up with each other. He talked about his summer in the Tigers minor league system which he really enjoyed. The Lakeland team ended with a slump but the minors are treating him well.

Billy Barrett started for the Orange team.

If the above photo looks a bit crisper than normal, I have one man to thank. I showed up to Illinois Field and whipped out my adequate Canon S3 camera and started taking shots. A man a few feet away was snapping pictures with a much better camera with a huge lens. He generously offered to let me put my camera card into his camera (which probably cost more than a used car) and take a some photos.

His name is David Milner and it turns out he is the father of Ty Milner, catcher for the Illini. We soon got talking, mostly about the team, the Cubs and photography.

Thanks David for the use of camera. If you ever need someone to babysit that Mark II, I’m your man.

Joey Bonadonna was the third base coach today. JB is a fun player to watch, always in the game, hustling. I’m looking for him to have a breakout season next spring.

Speaking of Bonadonna, he’s got another award to add to his mantle. In addition to his Silver Glove award, the Northwoods League named him the Top Offensive Second Baseman.

I have many more photos at The Baseball Zealot Photo Gallery.

There’s one more chance to see the Illini in action this fall. Saturday, after the football game the guys will suit up. So if you are up for some baseball, stop by Illinois Field.

Sunday’s Game 3 of Illini’s Orange and Blue Series

On Sunday, my son and I went to Illinois Field to watch the Illini play Game 3 of their Orange and Blue Series.

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Coach Hartleb (right) takes the field before the game.

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Scott Shaw pitches for the Orange team. In 2006, Scott was practically unhittable when he was on his game.

Freshman John Schlichter hit one out on Sunday. The reward for hitting a homer is the task of retrieving the ball.

This series is the first chance I’ve had to see freshman catcher Aaron Johnson in action.

I have many more photos here at The Baseball Zealot photo gallery.

Also, the Fighting Illini site has a wrapup from Friday’s game. There will be two more games next weekend.

Illini’s Orange and Blue Series

Ben Reeser coming off a lights-out summer, started for the Orange team.

I stopped by the first game of University of Illinois’ Orange and Blue series. Stop by The Baseball Zealot photo gallery and see the photos I took.

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2B Ryan Hastings takes third on a fly ball.

If you want to see the Illini in action and couldn’t make it today, don’t worry. There are four more intra-squad games planned. Here is the full schedule:

Sept 28 – 4pm

Sept 29 – 10am

Sept 30 – 10am

Oct 5 – 4pm

Oct 6 – TBA

By the way, they’ve come out with another Fall Diamond Notes, once again with team manager Michael Schroeder.

Back to work for the Illini

Monday was the first day of practice for the University of Illinois baseball team, I showed up to watch and take a few photos.

Thanks to Coach Hartleb and the staff for the privilege. I was the only non-team member there so I felt like I had quite an exclusive.

Here’s my first look at Aaron Johnson. He’s an incoming freshman catcher. He’s known for being the third Illini catcher from Canada in four years. More info about Johnson

Coach Hartleb feeding the pitching machine. When I got there, they were going through fundamentals drills… bunting, baserunning…

… and playing catch.

After a while, they got up a mock game going to work on the glove skills.

Here’s Assistant Coach Eric Snider hitting fungoes for some infield practice. By the way, if you haven’t seen Snider’s bio, you should. He already has quite a legacy for the baseball program at Illinois including having a hand in recruiting 14 eventual pro ballplayers.

I took a whole lot more photos today. Check them out. I also have past photos of the Illini baseball team.

It was a fine day to see some baseball even if was practice. Thanks, guys!

The Big Ten Tournament with no Illini: It’s just not as fun

Well, with the Illini gone, I decided to stick around and watch some ball ANYWAY.

Penn State who lost their very first game against the Buckeyes, have played with heart and have hung on, winning against Iowa, Michigan and yes, Illinois. Minnesota, on the other hand, have just come off a tough loss against the Buckeyes last night.

Big Ten officials and the managers decide to postpone game one half hour

Mother Nature seemed bound and determine to have something to say about the game, though The game was delayed for a half hour because it was sprinkling a little. The game got on (it was still raining) by 4:00.

Penn State scored first in the 3rd inning

It didn’t seem to be a high scoring affair. PSU tallied a run in the 3rd on a double and a hit. The Golden Gophers came back with two in the 4th with 3 hits and help from a PSU error. In the 7th, a walk and 3 singles, scored two for the Nittany Lions putting them up 3-2.

All this while, the rain kept coming. It was really only heavy sprinkle but by the bottom of the 7th, they delayed the game. I decided that was enough for me and I went back to the hotel.

Looking at Gametracker, it still shows the same score as when I left. I’m not sure what they decided to do yet. Remember, they were SUPPOSED to play another game tonight. The winner of this game was to play Ohio State. Given the weather, I doubt that’s going to happen.

I wonder what would have happened if they had started on time. The delay didn’t seem to serve any purpose other than push the game back. Maybe they could have gotten a few more innings in.

Penn State catcher Joe Blackburn

On a side note, I was lucky to meet the parents of Joe Blackburn. They seem like really nice people. Blackburn, a senior catcher for PSU, batted .366 in 52 games and has a helluva ‘do.

Update: From the Big Ten Tournament web page, it looks like the game was suspended to be continued tomorrow as is the Ohio State vs. Game 9 winner game.

Sunday, May 27
Game 9 — Penn State 3, Minnesota 2 (suspended in 7th) 10 a.m. Gametracker

Game 10 — #6 Ohio State vs. Game 9 winner, 12:05 p.m. Gametracker
Game 11 (if necessary) — Game 10 winner vs. Game 10 loser, 30 minutes following the finish of Game 10

It will be a very busy day on Sunday indeed.

Oh, I almost forgot.. here are some photos I took today.

Penn State rally in 8th ends Illini’s season

The Penn State Nittany Lions had just come off a 10th inning victory off Michigan. One half hour later they played Illinois for another elimination game. That’s the thing about losing your first game in the Big Ten Tournament… every game you play, you’re playing for your tournament life.

Scott Shaw allowed only 3 hits in 7 IP

Scott Shaw was the starting pitcher for Illinois. When Shaw is on his game, he’s a pretty dang good pitcher. And quite honestly, he looked really good Friday. He was fooling hitters and more importantly, keeping them off the basepaths (3 hits and 1 BB in 7 IP).

High fives all around as Lars Davis scores in the 6th inning

Penn State drew first blood in the second scoring a run on a Mike Deese single. It was goose eggs for both teams till the fifth when the Illini put together hits by Brandon Wikoff, Lars Davis, Daniel Webb, and Ryan Hastings. That pushed a pair across, giving the good guys the lead.

In the 8th, all hell broke loose. Shaw who until this time was still going strong, led the inning off with a walk. A throwing error put runners on first and second with no outs. Coach Hartleb then made the call to Jake Toohey.

RF Nick Stockwell under the telling scoreboard

Four hits and one more error later, Penn State had scored 5 runs and put the score at 6-2, the final score.

Penn State’s Matt Ogrodnik who pitched a nearly perfect 3 2/3 innings (just one hit) got the win. Scott Shaw (2 ER in 7 IP and 5 K) who in my opinion pitched quite well, got the loss.

Said Coach Hartleb after the game:

“This is a tough way to end the season, but we have a lot to build on. The older guys on this team have put us in a very favorable position for the coming years, and I really like the young players we have on this team. Our top three starting pitchers have a chance to be very, very good next year.”

For the record, this is the farthest the Illini have gone in the Big Ten Tournament since 2001.

Some photos I took before and during the game are here. Not so much after.

Penn St chases away rainy day Blues

Rather than sit under the overhang, this guy decided to wear the rain slicker

In my last post yesterday, I mentioned that I noticed a few drops falling from the Ann Arbor sky. Well, that turned into a steady sprinkle that lasted for a couple hours.

That didn’t stop the first game of the scheduled tournament game, Michigan versus Penn State. Michigan who had just lost to Ohio State the night before, was fighting to stay in the tournament. So was Penn State but they were coming off a win against Iowa.

Cory Wine had a big day at the plate

Penn State struck early with two runs in the first but the Wolverines tied it up in the fourth. In the fifth, Cory Wine hit his second triple of the tournament driving home 2 runs. Another Penn State run in the sixth made it 5-2. It was zeroes till the ninth and Penn State seemed to have it wrapped up.

But in the ninth, 4 hits and an error by Michigan against PSU’s top closer, Drew O’Neil, and scored 3 runs to knot the game up 5-5.

With two outs in the tenth, Cory Wine (the coach’s son, by the way) stepped to the plate again. He hit a solo shot to right to break the tie. O’Neil came back in the bottom of the 10th and retired Michigan with little problem.

Penn State defeats Michigan 6-5.

Photos I took of the game here