The Illini baseball players hope to return from Florida on Monday with more than just a few nice tans. Ideally, they’d board the plane home with a 3-0 record to start the 2009 season.

The Inaugural Big East/Big Ten Challenge begins Friday. Hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, the three-day tournament features ten squads from the Big Ten and eight from the Big East, matching the Illini up against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and West Virginia Mountaineers.

Following a 2008 season that saw the Illini win 31 games, junior catcher Aaron Johnson said the team has set the 40-win mark as a goal in 2009. Success in nonconference games like this weekend’s will be crucial, as victories are hard to come by in the grueling Big Ten season, Johnson said.

However, with seven of nine starters returning in the field, the Illini believe they have the depth and experience to reach their goal.

“Offensively we had some major losses,” head coach Dan Hartleb said. “But we have a good nucleus back that we’re excited about.”

Rivals.com preseason All-Big Ten shortstop Brandon Wikoff and second baseman Joe Bonadonna, who is also expected to play center field, bring the pop to the plate. Bonadonna batted .356 last season with 34 RBIs and, though he stands only 5-foot-8, Wikoff may be the team’s most dangerous hitter. He accounted for 61 RBIs while hitting .369 in 2008.

“I’m a contact hitter,” Wikoff said. “I don’t try to hit the ball out of the park. I just try to put the ball into play and bring guys home.”

The Illini also return six of the seven pitchers who started games in 2008, as well as their entire bullpen. Junior right-hander Kevin Manson stepped into the starting rotation midway through last season and finished the year strong, winning five of his last six starts and being named third team All-Big Ten.

Despite his individual success, Manson cites pitching as Illinois’ downfall a year ago. However, he feels that the struggles of last season will only make the rotation better in the long run.

“We have a lot of experience,” Manson said. “And our experience helps the young guys out a lot, but it’s also good for team chemistry.”

Those young guys are the ten freshmen that make up a very talented recruiting class, headlined by catcher Adam Davis, shortstop Josh Parr and outfielder Willie Argo – a four-sport athlete at Assumption High School (Davenport, Iowa) who was named the 2008 Iowa Male Athlete of the Year by the Des Moines Register and Quad City Times.

Meanwhile, Parr could see playing time at second base if Hartleb decides to make Bonadonna’s switch to center field permanent.

With so much experience returning, Hartleb expects his squad to get off to a strong start in 2009. And unlike some head coaches, he sees the season opener as anything but a tune-up game.

“If we’re knocking any rust off, it better be off of Iowa,” Hartleb said.

Opponent: Iowa Hawkeyes

2008 Record: 22-33

When: Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Jack Russell Stadium (Clearwater, Fla.)

Players to Watch: Kevin Hoef (Sr., IF); Wes Freie (Sr., IF); Michael Jacobs (Jr., LHP)

Opponent: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2008 Record: 33-21-1

When: Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Where: McKechnie Field (Bradenton, Fla.)

Players to Watch: Evan Sharpley (Sr., IF); AJ Pollock (Jr., OF); David Mills (Jr., OF); Greg Sherry (So., IF)

Opponent: West Virginia Mountaineers

2008 Record: 35-21

When: Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

Where: Raymond A. Naimoli Complex (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Players to Watch: Joe Agreste (Sr., IF); Austin Makel (Sr., IF); Jedd Gyorko (So., IF)