The last time Illinois (3-4) made the trip to compete in the annual Baseball at the Beach tournament was in 2024. That year, things could not have gone worse, as the Illini dropped all three games in Conway, South Carolina.

This time around, the Illini came into the tournament on a two-game skid and needed a swing of momentum. After their last outing in Conway, the only direction to go was up.

While four games were on the schedule for Illinois, only three took place, as Mother Nature was already in midseason form to provide weather cancellations. The Illini’s three games proved action-packed with everything from a comeback win to standout performances.

Coming from behind

Senior right-hander Ben Plumley got the ball in game one against the VCU Rams (4-3), and gave up three runs off the bat — quite literally. A first-inning home run by graduate student utility player Dante DeFranco gave the Rams an early 3-0 lead.

This didn’t faze Plumley. Discipline and maturity reigned supreme as he only allowed three hits in the remaining 4.1 innings he pitched. Senior outfielder Cole Warehime homered to bring Illinois within a run in the top of the fifth. After Plumley twirled a shutout frame in the bottom half, the bats came to life.

Illinois scored seven total runs over the sixth and seventh innings. Graduate student catcher Daniel Contreras started the extended rally with a home run to left field, and Warehime smashed his second of the game for the last of the Illini runs.

Sandwiched in between those bombs was some small ball. Whether it was a double followed by a single, or a sacrifice fly to advance runners, the Illini found ways to plate runs. Senior left-hander Reed Gannon shut the door across the final 3.2 innings to secure the 9-4 win.

The next day wasn’t as fortunate for Illinois. The Rams jumped ahead 3-0 for the second game in a row, and the Illini were again put in a scenario where they needed to come back.

It looked like they would pull through in the seventh inning. They loaded up the bases for senior infielder Jack Zebig, and he drew a walk, plating a run. The next batter, Contreras, also walked, bringing Illinois within a run of another comeback.

However, they didn’t push any more runs across. The Rams held on by a thread and won, 3-2.

Crazy AJ’s batting Putty

After rain washed out the first meeting between Illinois and No. 6 Coastal Carolina (5-2), the next morning was much clearer, and the two faced off.

In front of 2,296 fans, the Illini offense exploded, putting 12 runs on the board in the first two innings. They chased junior right-hander Ross Norman from the game after he recorded just two outs. The main catalyst was freshman infielder AJ Putty, who had a breakout game at the plate.

Out of those 12 first-inning runs, six came off the bat of Putty. He crushed his first career grand slam to right field in the inning, making the score 6-0 before Norman even got an out. In the very next frame, he was back at it again, doubling into the left center field gap to plate two more.

A vast majority of the scoring came in those first two innings, as Illinois led 12-3. Before the game was up, Putty doubled home one more runner and later scored, bringing the game to its ultimate score of 14-5.

Putty’s day is the latest step in his blazing start to the season. He ended the game 5-6 with seven RBIs, just a triple away from the cycle.

Putty wasn’t the only batter lighting up the scoresheet. Redshirt junior infielder Kyle Schupmann went 3-5 with an RBI, while senior catcher Will Johannes plated three on two hits. Contreras, junior infielder Michael Farina and senior outfielder Nick Groves joined them in the two-hit club.

This win is the Illini’s first over a ranked team this season. They passed the test with flying colors and look to ride the momentum into future games. Illinois next takes on Michigan State (2-4), Charleston (3-5) and Albany (0-4) this weekend in its final tournament of the season. 

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