Club Baseball begins its first season of competitive play this year.

Last year was the club’s first year as a registered student organization. Cary Bolnick, sophomore in applied life studies, started the program on Activity Day in January and is now the team’s president.

“Last year, we just took batting practice, infield and outfield practice and had scrimmages once in a while,” he said.

Jay Goldberg, program co-coordinator and junior in applied life studies, said the club was started because students never had the opportunity to play baseball on campus.

“There’s either intramural softball or varsity baseball,” he said. “There’s no other alternative for students to play baseball, and that’s why we started this; softball wasn’t good enough for us.”

Bolnick said roughly 50 people tried out for the team. “We’re allowed 33 players on the team, but it’d be unfair to the players to keep that many because of the lack of playing time.”

This year the Illini are a part of the National Club Baseball Association, which consisted of 77 teams last year and continues to expand.

The team joined the Central Plains Conference and plays the Nebraska, John Brown and Iowa teams, among other schools.

Today is the first and last callback for cuts, and practice starts within a week.

The team will practice two or three times a week this fall. Conditioning and skill development will continue throughout the winter in the Armory, while the spring season will mandate practice about five times a week, with a weight program included.

Games begin in late March and are played on Saturdays and Sundays.

The team has had difficulty finding open fields for practices and games. Bolnick said T.K. Wendl’s, an Urbana sports bar and restaurant, is letting them use their field for free.

Home games will be played in El Paso, Ill. Because the team does not receive funding from the University, club founders have borne most of the expenses. Bolnick said that once the season starts and cuts are made, players will be expected to help with expenses.

Bolnick and the team appreciate outside sources helping them start.

“The varsity team and (head coach Itch Jones) have helped us out with equipment,” Bolnick said. “All their help’s been really appreciated. Without them, I don’t know where we’d be.”