Ryan Hastings, a red-shirt sophomore second baseman on the baseball team, is currently batting .266 with 18 runs scored and eight extra base hits for the Illini (15-13, 3-5). Despite sitting out last season with a wrist injury, Hastings’ 53 hits his freshman season ranked him 10th all-time at Illinois for hits by a freshman.

Q: Being from Mattoon, what’s it like being able to play so close to home?

A: It’s nice because I can have my family come here and watch me. I have friends who can come over on the weekends and watch every once in awhile. It’s a good situation for me.

Q: After a great freshman season, what was it like having to sit out last season?

A: It was tough, but at the same time it was a great learning experience for me. It was one of those things where you really don’t appreciate the game as much until it is taken away from you.

Q: What type of things were you able to learn while watching the team last season, and how do you feel you improved your game sitting out last season?

A: I really began to appreciate the game a lot more. I got the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and see how the game operates from the other side.

Q: What’s been your biggest highlight of your Illinois career thus far?

A: Even though I wasn’t a part of it on the field, it had to be last year watching us win the Big Ten Championship and getting to see a lot of guys come together with their abilities.

Q: You got the opportunity to play at U.S. Cellular Field in the Jack Kaiser Memorial All-Star game in 2002, what was it like to play a game at a major league ballpark?

A:It was pretty sweet. It was something that I really relished last year watching the White Sox make their run at the championship knowing that I had been out there playing on that same field.

Q: Who is your favorite Major League Baseball player?

A: My favorite team has to be the St. Louis Cardinals, and my favorite player is Jim Edmonds because of the way he hits and the way he goes and gets the ball out in center field.

Q: You played basketball in high school and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and led your team in rebounding. If you weren’t recruited to play baseball, would you have tried your hand at basketball?

A:I like basketball a lot but I don’t know if it would have worked out. I don’t jump high enough and don’t run fast enough, but it would’ve been fun to try.

Q: Who was your biggest influence or idol growing up?

A: Probably my dad. He was always a sports fan and was always kind of in my ear and helped me with everything in sports.

Q: Your entrance song to the plate is D.H.T’s “Listen to Your Heart,” why did you choose that song?

A: There isn’t really any story behind it. I just kind of like it but at the same time it’s funny. It’s just a goof-ball type of thing, but I still like it.

Q: If you could play any sport other than baseball at Illinois what would you play?

A: Definitely basketball. I would run the point.