Sports | The Daily Illini

Donors give Illinois Football Performance Center project cash injection

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

July 2, 2018

Filed under Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories, Women's Sports

Illinois announced its secured a major set of donations for the football program’s Football Performance Center on Wednesday. Twelve donors pooled together to add $2.725 million to the project’s financing, which brings the total amount of money donated toward the project to $8.975 million. The ...

Turchin looks ahead to pro career, reflects on time at Illinois

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 23, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories

When Illinois baseball’s Doran Turchin was selected in the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, it signaled the end of an era. Turchin, an All-Big Ten third team selection, is coming off a strong season with Illinois, posting a .272 batting average (fifth on the team) along with nine home runs (th...

Ubben Basketball Complex to undergo $30 million renovation

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 11, 2018

Filed under Basketball, Basketball, Men's Sports, Sports, Women's Sports

Illinois director of athletics Josh Whitman announced a $30 million renovation project for Ubben Basketball Complex, the practice facility for the Illinois men’s and women’s basketball programs. The renovations are expected to be completed about three years after the plan is approved by the Univ...

Illinois competes at League of Legends College Championship

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 9, 2018

Filed under Club Sports, Sports

Coming into this week’s League of Legends College Championship, few would have expected No. 8 seed Illinois to make much noise. The Illini came in rather unheralded and without the funding or scholarships many national e-sport powers have, but that hasn’t affected the team’s ability to get result...

State of Illini Nation: Josh Whitman discusses construction, renovation of athletic facilities

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 7, 2018

Filed under Men's Sports, Sports, Women's Sports

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman gathered with local media on Wednesday afternoon for a roundtable discussion about the collective state of the University's athletic programs. The focus of the afternoon shifted frequently, but the topic discussed the most was the Division of Intercollegiate...

Former Interim Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk announces retirement from Illinois

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 6, 2018

Filed under Sports

On Tuesday afternoon, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Paul Kowalczyk officially announced his retirement, which will take effect on Aug. 31. Kowalczyk is best known for his former service as Illinois’ interim director of athletics for five months, spanning from November 2015 to March 2016...

Illini closer Gerber selected by Mariners in eighth round of MLB Draft

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 6, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

Make that two Illini players selected in the MLB Draft on Tuesday. Reliable closer Joey Gerber joined teammate Bren Spillane in the professional ranks when he was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the eighth round of the draft (pick No. 238). Gerber tied the program’s record for single saves in...

Spillane drafted by Cincinnati Reds in third round, highest picked position player in Illinois baseball history

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

June 5, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

After a historic season where Illinois first baseman Bren Spillane cemented himself into program history and was named 2018 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Year, he has officially become a pro. Spillane was picked Tuesday by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round with the 82nd o...

Illinois falls out of Big Ten Tournament, set sights toward NCAA Tournament

By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor

May 27, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

The Illinois baseball team's run through the Big Ten Tournament slipped through its mitt Saturday afternoon when poor defensive play helped guide Purdue to an 11-5 victory. The first inning saw both teams get on the board fast. Purdue catcher Nick Dalesandro wasted no time getting around the bases,...

Illinois sends Indiana home with walk-off win

By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor

May 26, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

The Illinois baseball team knocked Indiana out of the Big Ten Tournament late Friday night in walk-off fashion. Facing elimination, Illinois grabbed the 5-4 victory and will move on to face the No. 2 Purdue at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Early on, Illinois' offensive woes continued from the game prior,...

Illinois falls to Nebraska in regular season finale, earns No. 4 seed for Big Ten Tournament

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

May 20, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

Illinois was looking to sweep a Nebraska team that had no postseason to play for on Saturday afternoon, but the Cornhuskers rode a six-run burst in the seventh inning to an 11-8 win in the regular season finale. Things started well for the Illini, who got off to a 3-0 lead despite being outhit 15-8...

Illinois pours on the runs to beat Nebraska 13-6

By Gavin Good, Staff writer

May 19, 2018

Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports

Illinois flexed its offensive muscles on Friday night in a 13-6 win over Nebraska at Illinois Field. The Illini racked up 15 hits, bursting out to a 13-1 lead that the Cornhuskers could not overcome. Sophomore Ben Troike extended his on-base streak to 53 games when he was hit by Luis Alvarado’s pitc...