First baseman AJ Putty was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his performance this past week. The first baseman was 9 for 17 (.529) with 11 RBIs over four games.
His big game came against No. 6 Coastal Carolina (5-2). Putty had an unbelievable game in the upset victory, going 5 for 6 with three doubles and a grand slam. He put the Illini up 6-0 in the first inning with a grand slam off junior right-hander Ross Norman.
Putty doubled to left center in his next at-bat to bring in two more runs for Illinois. He had two more doubles and a single in the game.
The freshman has been off to a stellar start in 2026, batting .414 with 13 RBIs and eight extra base hits. He leads the Illini in batting average, hits and RBIs.
Putty is the first Illini to earn the honor since 2017, when Michael Massey won the award.
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Illinois is back in action Wednesday against Lindenwood (4-3) in a game that was just added to the schedule. The Illini take the diamond at 3 p.m. CST.
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