It’s fitting that Illinois pitcher Will Strack’s go-to pitch is his change-up.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander was a three-sport athlete in high school, starring in basketball and football in addition to baseball at Sycamore High School. While baseball is Strack’s field of expertise, he earned two varsity letters in basketball and football and made the All-Western Sun Conference team in both sports.

Even on the baseball diamond, though, the junior’s prep days were full of change. Strack played shortstop, then outfield, before his coaches realized he had the arm to pitch at a high level, and he went on to win conference MVP his senior year.

After his first season at Illinois, however, it appeared Strack had finally nailed down a role. The right-hander blossomed into a weekend starter for the Illini, finishing the year with a 6-1 record, tied for most ever by an Illinois freshman, and a 3.84 ERA. Strack’s performance earned him Illinois’ No. 1 starter job at the beginning of his sophomore year, but inconsistency and arm trouble plagued the Sycamore, Ill., native, sparking yet another change.

After last season’s up-and-down performance, the coaching staff made the decision to move Strack to the bullpen in the offseason.

“I think it was just something where, we were pretty deep starting pitching-wise,” Strack said. “And coming off the season I had last year, they kind of weren’t sure where they wanted to put me. And so they decided to stick me in the pen and see how I do.”

The decision has paid off for Illinois, as Strack has developed into its most reliable reliever. His 23 innings pitched are second of any Illini reliever and his 3.13 ERA leads the team.

Going from the rotation to the bullpen, Strack found the adaptive skills he learned playing multiple sports and positions in high school helped him settle in as a reliever.

“I think the biggest adjustment for me basically was preparation,” Strack said. “Because when you’re a starter, you have your routine, you start warming up a half hour before the game. When you’re in the bullpen, they can say, ‘Alright go down to the bullpen,’ and by the time you walk down and get there, jog down and get there, they’re saying, ‘Alright. Are you ready to go in the game?’”

While he no longer warms up like a starting pitcher, Strack has been racking up innings like one. In seven relief appearances, he pitched more than three innings three times. Last weekend against Penn State, he threw 4.1 innings, more than Illinois’ starter that day, and gave up just one run.

Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb has enjoyed the luxury of having a reliever with the ability to eat chunks of innings at a time while allowing minimal damage.

“You always hope your starters can go deep in the game,” Hartleb said. “There’s games where it gets away early from the starter and you need someone that can go in and shut the door and get you a chance to get back in the game. Or if you have a lead to have a quality pitcher out there that can let you extend the lead. So it’s nice having a quality person like Will coming out of the pen.”

That luxury has also been beneficial for the Illini’s regular starters. Illinois’ No. 1 starter, sophomore Kevin Johnson, said Strack’s presence in the bullpen gives him a sense of backup on days he pitches.

“He’s been our best relief pitcher this year and it feels good to know maybe if I only go four or five innings and not have my best stuff but the game’s close that he’s gonna keep it there and we’re still gonna be able to get a ‘W’ out of it,” he said.

Perhaps as impressive as Strack’s performance has been his attitude. Where some players may have seen the move to the bullpen as a demotion, Strack took the news positively.

“I’ve kinda taken that role and embraced it,” Strack said. “Every time I go in there I just try and do my best and make the most of the situation.”

Hartleb wholeheartedly agreed.

“Will’s been very good about doing the thing it takes to be a good teammate and to help the team,” Hartleb said. “He’s had a great attitude. He just wants to be out on the field, out on the mound, and he knows that’s a role right now where he can help us the most. He’s been good.”

And while Strack has been phenomenal in relief this year, Hartleb didn’t rule out the chance of the redheaded righty returning to a starting role, although the rotation is not expected to change during the Illini’s series against Iowa this weekend.

“There’s always that possibility and we want guys to compete all the time,” Hartleb said. “And we’ll try to make decisions that we think are best for the team in the long term. And could he end up being a starter at some point? Yeah. At the same time, right now, he’s been very effective and very helpful to the team in the role that he’s in.”

With No. 3 starter Corey Kimes struggling from the mound with a 6.67 ERA, Strack might not want to get too comfortable in the bullpen. For his part, though, the junior now just takes changing roles in stride.

“I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Strack said. “So I’m not opposed if they want me in the bullpen I’ll do that. If they want me to close, I’ll do that. If they want me start, I’ll do that. I just want us to win games.”