Illinois baseball player Phil Haig was dismissed from the team Tuesday for violating team rules.
“We place great emphasis on conducting yourself in a way that represents our team and the University in a positive way, and Phil did not fulfill his responsibilities,” head coach Dan Hartleb said in a press release. “We will move forward as a team in our preparation for the 2010 season.”
While the Illinois athletic department refused to comment any further on the situation, Haig, a junior, was arrested for stealing more than $300 worth of electronics from a location in the 1000 block of Second Street last Friday, according to a report by the Champaign Police Department.
Haig, an Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native, started 16 games for the Illini last season as a sophomore and posted a 7-3 record with a 4.92 ERA, leading the team in wins. The 20-year-old was one of the top pitchers on the Illini staff, frequently taking the mound for the first contest of Big Ten series.
Haig was also a member of the Illinois football team in 2007, when he redshirted as a freshman. In baseball in 2008, the left-hander appeared in 10 games.The Illini baseball team has four returning pitchers who started a game last season: sophomores Will Strack and Bryan Roberts, junior Lee Zerrusen and senior Kevin Manson. They combined to go 13-6 with a 5.43 ERA last season.
