One might say Illinois first baseman Matt Dittman likes the big stage.

“Last weekend’s series (against Michigan) was pretty big,” Dittman said. “So I was pumped.”

The redshirt sophomore batted 6-for-11 in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Illini (21-8, 6-3) took two of three from the Wolverines. Dittman’s performance earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors and saw him hit his first career homer in Sunday’s series finale.

“It felt awesome,” Dittman said of the home run. “I’ve been close a few times, so it felt good to finally hit one out.”

Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said Dittman’s performance exemplified the type of player the Illini coaches envisioned him becoming when they lured him to Champaign out of Libertyville High School in Libertyville, Ill.

“When we recruited Matt we thought he could come in and swing the bat for us,” Hartleb said. “He’s worked hard over the last two and a half years, and now things are starting to fall into place for him.”

But a month or so ago, Dittman, or “Ditty” as he has been dubbed by his teammates, was relatively unknown around the Big Ten. His .305 batting average and nine RBIs on the season are good, but not spectacular. Early in the year, Dittman was juggled in and out of the lineup.

“There were times, like the series against Akron or the series against LSU, where I struggled,” Dittman said. “It’s understandable why I was in and out of the lineup. Guys who play well are going to be in the lineup, and guys who don’t play well won’t be.”

Dittman exploded on to the Big Ten scene in an April 4 doubleheader against Indiana at Illinois Field. The day marked Dittman’s first appearance in a conference series, and he enjoyed a near-perfect debut, batting 2-for-3 and recording his team’s lone RBI in a 2-1 loss against Indiana ace Eric Arnett — who currently boasts a 7-1 record with a 2.00 ERA on the season.

“Once I knew I could pick up two hits that weekend — because (Arnett) was pretty good — I started thinking, you know, I can do this. I can play at this level,” Dittman said.

Dittman has batted 10-for-20 with 6 RBIs since his debut against the Hoosiers, and his teammates have definitely noticed — just ask freshman pitcher Will Strack.

“Ditty has really stepped up,” Strack said. “We needed someone to fill that first base position … and lately he’s been on a tear.”

Strack also added that Dittman’s recent success at the plate did not come as a surprise to the rest of the Illinois roster.

“In indoor practices, he was hitting the ball all over the field,” Strack said. “I think it was only a matter of time. … Once he got in the flow of things, everything just connected for him.”

Dittman began playing baseball as a 5-year-old in Long Island, N.Y., before his family moved to Ohio when he was 11. But, despite impressive Little League performances such as pitching a no-hitter when he was 12, Dittman said he did not expect baseball to be the sport he played at the collegiate level.

“Being born and raised in Long Island, lacrosse is huge out there, and I almost gave up baseball for lacrosse,” Dittman said. “But in Ohio, lacrosse wasn’t big. … So I decided that I enjoyed baseball, and I would stick with it.”

Dittman said he has not thought much about where baseball fits in to his future plans. His primary focus is on this season as well as his academics, for which he is majoring in finance, a field he chose because of its versatility. Hartleb said Dittman’s future is bright regardless of where he ends up.

“He’s a great person,” Hartleb said. “He’s got a great personality, and he’s going to be successful at whatever he does.”