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...
Gerber makes history in Illini’s series-opening win over Nebraska
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
May 18, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
Illinois closer Joey Gerber made history Thursday night at Illinois Field, closing out a 5-2 win over Nebraska to tie the program’s single-season save record set by Tyler Jay in 2015. Like many of his save situations this season, Gerber came in with a comfortable lead. He struck out two of the batters...
Illinois club baseball looking to make postseason run
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
May 12, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Club Sports, Men's Sports, Sports
Payton Lykins won’t be at his college graduation. It’s not because he failed a class or for any academic purpose. It’s because he’ll be in Battle Creek, Michigan, with the Illinois club baseball team playing for an NCBA Regional title. After going 20-2 and winning the Great Lakes South Con...
Illini of the Year: Illinois baseball’s Bren Spillane
By Gavin Good
May 7, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Illini of the Week, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
Coming into the 2018 season, there was not a lot of hype surrounding junior Bren Spillane and the Illinois baseball team. The Illini make up a team returning much of its talent, and Spillane was merely a player with potential. He had struggled to play well consistently in his first two years while ...
Errors help Ohio State take down Illinois and clinch series
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
May 6, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports
Illinois entered Sunday’s contest against Ohio State as the No. 5-ranked team in fielding percentage (.982). However, after committing a season-high four errors and gifting the Buckeyes eight of their 10 runs, that statistic is on the decline. Ohio State rode a five-run second inning to pick up ...
Illini split first two games of Buckeyes series
By Tatiania Perry, Staff writer
May 6, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
As the smell of the annual Bleacher Bum Barbecue wafted into the stadium, Illinois baseball took to the field for the first night of the Ohio State weekend series. After a pivotal third inning from the Buckeyes, the Illini were not able to come back in Friday's game in a 6-5 loss. Illinois pack...
Michalak thriving in first season with Illini
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
May 3, 2018
Filed under Baseball, Men's Sports, Sports
When Illinois baseball head coach Dan Hartleb was looking for players to shore up his roster after an under-achieving 2017 season, one player from Des Moines Area Community College in Des Moines, Iowa, caught his attention. Hartleb had been disappointed with the production at third base, and he believed...
