The Illinois baseball team received its first donation to Wednesday’s food and fund drive from The Cookie Jar at about 6 a.m. The donations, solicited to aid tornado victims in Harrisburg, Ill., kept coming until about 7 p.m. when the event ended. The team raised more than $10,000, with an additional $1,000 in gift cards and more than 6,700 pounds of food supplies.

“The thing about this community is, it’s very giving,” said head coach Dan Hartleb, who was at the field from 5.30 a.m. until the event ended. “So I’m not surprised by the great support in the community.”

The tornado’s devastation hit close to home for the Illini, as second baseman Reid Roper is from Harrisburg. Illinois baseball got help packing and sorting through all the donations from volunteers, sponsors and even some fellow Illini athletes. The soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s track and field and swimming and diving teams all had representatives stop by to help the Illini’s efforts.

“We heard about this community service opportunity, and we thought we’d just come out and pitch in,” said Mackenzie Taylor, of the soccer team. “What’s so important and special about this event is to see how many people who aren’t in the area are able to pitch in and help each other.”

“We’ve been surprised there have been so many people willing to give so much food, it’s been great,” fellow soccer player Katie Reed said.

After the Illini play Saturday in Carbondale, Ill., they will drive to Harrisburg to present what they raised to the community’s leaders.

Injury update

Pitchers Rob McDonnell (elbow) and Bryan Roberts (shoulder) are both coming off Tommy John surgery from the summer and have been shut down the past couple weeks with tightness in their arms.

“We’re just being very cautious with them,” Hartleb said. “We just need to make sure that they don’t have any soreness when they go back out on the mound.”

Roberts has been sidelined since pitching Feb. 19 against St. John’s. He was cleared to pitch last weekend but didn’t get into any of the games because of the Illini’s strong starting pitching.

“It feels pretty good,” Roberts said of his shoulder. “It’s still not up to 100 percent, but it’s pretty close. I’m still going to rehab and getting treatment done. It doesn’t affect me when I’m throwing anymore, but it still gets a little sore after.”

McDonnell visited a doctor Thursday and was diagnosed with a strain, not a tear. He will rest for about a week, with hopes of returning for Big Ten play.

“I’m just resting, doing shoulder exercises and getting my conditioning in, trying to stay in shape,” McDonnell said. “So when I am able to comeback I’m not behind and my legs are still strong.”

Makeup games

The Illini had two games rained out two weekends ago in the Coastal Carolina Invitational and would like to eventually make those games up. They won’t add any more trips to South Carolina, but may try to reschedule some home games against some in-state schools such as Chicago State.

However, Hartleb says he doesn’t want to schedule makeup games these next couple weeks.

“We got four games on the weekends, and it’s tough to turn around and have enough quality pitching midweek,” Hartleb said. “Once we get into (conference play) and have a three-game series, we have to look ahead and see who got rained out and who’s got openings on specific days that becomes a judgment call.”