Illinois Baseball Report

Davis Hendrickson drove home the sole run in today’s loss

In an elimination game against Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois (34-18) couldn’t hold on to a slim lead and lost 3-1 and will have to say goodbye to Minneapolis. 

Ryan Castellanos was a hard luck loser as he allowed only eight baserunners in five innings.  The Gophers capitalized on a one-out rally in which they scored all three of their runs. 

 

 

Once again, Illinois scored first and once again, they were helped by their opposition’s defense.  A throwing error by the Minnesota shortstop led to a single run in the second inning as Davis Hendrickson drove home the first run of the game. 

The three-run rally in the fourth by the Gophers changed the tune of the game and Illinois never managed to put two hits in inning after that. 

The bottom three in the lineup, Reid Roper, Hendrickson and Kelly Norris-Jones provided the most offense.  Combined, they were 5 for 10.  Unfortunately, that didn’t translate into too many runs for the good guys.

Here are highlights from today’s game on YouTube via IlliniProductionsHD:

 

 

 

Big Ten Watch

Illinois becomes the second team to depart from the Tourney after Michigan left Minneapolis yesterday being the victims of Illinois themselves.  Who’s left?

#1 seed Indiana and #2 seed Ohio State remain unbeaten while #3 seed Nebraska and #4 seed Minnesota are both hanging in there with one loss each.  That won’t last long as the Huskers and the Gophers are playing right now and one of those two teams will advance and the other will just go home. 

Tonight, it’s the Battle of the Best as the two top seeded teams, Indiana and Ohio State will play. 

I’m not making any predictions but so far it seems that the Tournament is playing out like it “should”.  Top seeded teams are doing well and the bottom seeded teams are getting eliminated. 

Once again, here are the Big Ten Tournament links:

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Central

Big Ten Baseball Tournament release

Tournament Bracket

What’s Next for the Illini?

Coach Hartleb holds out hope that the Illini will be chosen next Monday to move on to NCAA Tournament despite the early departure from the conference tournament:

"It’s disappointing, but we hope to live another day.  I feel we truly deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament."

With so many quality teams in the conference, the chances might be slim but one can hope.  One thing Illinois does have in its corner is its overall record (34-18).  It’s the second best among the Big Ten Tournament competitors.  It’s better than Minnesota, better than Nebraska and even better than #2 seed Ohio State. 

The NCAA Tournament Selection will be announced Monday at 11am during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. 

Good luck on Monday, Illini! 

Tags: big ten tournament, coach hartleb, Davis Hendrickson, kelly norris-jones, minnesota, reid roper, ryan castellanos

Related posts

• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)
• Getting closer: Illini take game 1 against Minnesota on Thursday (2)
• Illini head north in hopes to clinch a postseason berth (1)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 24th, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

John Kravetz’ win extends the Illini’s stay in Minneapolis

With their backs up against the wall at the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois (34-17) came through.  Like yesterday, it was a tight, 3-2 ballgame but this time, Illinois came up on top.  They defeated Michigan (29-27) who are already eliminated from this year’s double-elimination tourney, losing their first two games. 

John Kravetz was the winner, throwing seven strikeouts in seven 1/3 innings.  Kravetz spread out eight hits allowing two runs. Bryan Roberts came on in the ninth and pitched a hitless inning for his seventh save. 

 

 

Michigan’s defense hurt them for the second day in a row.  Today, their fielders committed three errors and Illinois was happy to capitalize on them.  In the first, an error helped move runners along before Jordan Parr grounded home Thomas Lindauer.  In the second, an error on the Michigan pitcher helped Kelly Norris-Jones load the bases for the Illini.  Lindauer took advantage by bringing home a run on a sac fly. 

Illinois added their third and deciding run in the fifth when Michael Hurwitz triples home Lindauer who had led off the inning with a base hit.  From then on, it was up to the pitchers to get the job done. 

Michigan did manage to score one more off Kravetz in the eighth but JD Nielsen and Drasen Johnson helped him by getting out of the inning.  Roberts, of course, did his usual magic by pitching a near perfect ninth for the save. 

Highlights from the game via IlliniProductionsHD’s YouTube Channel

 

 

Nice going, Illini!

Big Ten Watch

As I said, Michigan is the first to leave the Tournament.  Illinois can thank themselves for that, I guess.  The other team to beat Michigan was Nebraska.  They are currently being narrowly defeated by Ohio State 2-1 in the bottom of 8th inning. 

Tonight, we get our first look at Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament.  They will take on Minnesota, the victors against Illinois on Wednesday. 

I’ll leave these links here again. 

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Central

Big Ten Baseball Tournament release

Tournament Bracket

Random Ramblings

On the heels of the news that he was named a semi-finalist for the Dick Howser Award, Justin Parr has been named as a semi-finalist for the inaugural Gregg Olson Award for “Breakout Player of the Year”.  There are 46 players nationwide up for the award and only two among the Big Ten. 

Congrats and Good luck, Justin!

Hard to believe it but with the win today, the Illini equaled the most wins since the 2009 season with 34.  It also ties the record for the most wins in the Coach Dan Hartleb era.  A lot was expected from this young team but they really have come through. 

 

Next Up

Illinois faces the winner of the Nebraska/Ohio State matchup tomorrow Minnesota at noon.  This will be the fifth time in one week that Illinois has faced the Gophers.  No pitching announcements have been named but I would guess that it’s freshman Ryan Castellanos for Illinois. 

Good luck Illini! 

Tags: Awards, big ten tournament, bryan roberts, drasen johnson, jd nielsen, john kravetz, Justin Parr, michael hurwitz, michigan, one-run games, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)
• Getting closer: Illini take game 1 against Minnesota on Thursday (2)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 23rd, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

Three hits for Illinois’ David Kerian in Game 1 loss

In a heartbreaking Game One of the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois (33-17) lost to Minnesota (31-20) on walk-off hit by the score of 3-2.  Illinois had the lead till the Gophers tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Andy Henkemeyer drove home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give Minnesota the victory.

 

 

The starters for both teams pitched well.  Illinois’ Kevin Duchene and Minnesota’s Tom Windle both gave up just two runs in their respective stints.  Windle however, did give up six walks including a bases-loaded one in the second.  The bad news?  Windle got out of the inning with the bases full. 

However, it was the relievers on both teams who played key roles in the decision.  The Gophers’ Ben Meyer (5-4) pitched four scoreless innings for the win.  Ronnie Muck (3-1), who has been quite effective as of late, just got into a jam in the ninth.  He was helped by a fielder’s choice play at the plate but that just delayed the inevitable run scoring single that came right after. 

Tough loss for the Illini. 

Big Ten Watch

The second game of today’s initial day of the Tournament involves #3 seed Nebraska (13-8) and #6 seed Michigan (14-10).  In progress as I write this, Nebraska is winning 7-0 in the 6th inning and Kyle Kubat is pitching quite a game (edit: as I’m finishing this article, Kubat gave up his first hit in the 7th inning).   

Minnesota will get to face #1 seed Indiana tomorrow night at 7pm. 

Here are some handy links for info on the B10 Baseball Tournament:

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Central

Big Ten Baseball Tournament release

Tournament Bracket

 

Next Up

Now entering the loser’s round, Illinois has another noon game scheduled for tomorrow.  They will face the loser of today’s Michigan-Nebraska game.  So most likely, we can expect to see Michigan matchup unless they can get their offense going this afternoon.

Game time is at noon and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network. 

 

Good luck Illini! 

Tags: big ten tournament, david kerian, kevin duchene, minnesota, ronnie muck

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)
• Getting closer: Illini take game 1 against Minnesota on Thursday (2)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 22nd, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

On the eve of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament opening day, the conference awards were announced and the Fighting Illini were represented quite well.  For starters, Illini players wrapped up two big awards. 

First the big news, centerfielder Justin Parr was named Big Ten Player of the Year.  Following that up, starting pitcher Kevin Duchene was honored as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. 

In addition, Parr was named first-team All-Big Ten and was joined by shortstop Thomas Lindauer and firstbaseman David Kerian.  Duchene was selected as second-team All-Big Ten as well as leftfielder Jordan Parr.  Catcher Jason Goldstein joined Duchene on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

How good was Justin Parr this year?  We all know about his 33 game hitting streak which was the all time team best and second-best in the nation in 2013.  But there is more.  He led the Big Ten in hitting and was 3rd in the nation with a .415 batting average.  Not only that he paced the conference with 51 rbis, 85 hits, and 125 total bases. 

Kevin Duchene who was 8-1, tied the Illini record for wins by a freshmen with teammate John Kravetz who did it just last year.  His 2.67 ERA was just eighth in the conference.  Most importantly was how Duchene performed down the stretch, though.  His 1.74 ERA against Big Ten foes was third best in the conference and he won two key victories in the last two weeks.  

David Kerian batted .331 and really seemed to have a knack for hitting in the clutch.  His 20 steals were sixth in the Big Ten.  Thomas Lindauer played excellent defense as usual but he also came on with a big surprise bit of power this year.  In addition to hitting .310, he hit nine homeruns which was good for second in the Big Ten.  Jordan Parr scored 46 runs, third in the Big Ten and also stole 22 bases again third in the conference. 

Freshman catcher Jason Goldstein came through as a real offensive threat (the ball seemed to jump off his bat!) and really seemed to handle himself well behind the plate.  His 11 runners caught stealing in conference play led all Big Ten catchers. 

Here is the full list of the Big Ten of award honorees.  Congrats to all!

ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
C – KYLE SCHWARBER, IND
1B – David Kerian, ILL
2B – Pat Kelly, NEB
SS – Thomas Lindauer, ILL*
SS – Kirby Pellant, OSU*
3B – Dustin DeMuth, IND
OF – Justin Parr, ILL
OF – Michael O’Neill, MICH
OF – Chad Christensen, NEB
DH – Scott Donley, IND
SP – AARON SLEGERS, IND
SP – DJ Snelten, MINN
SP – Tom Windle, MINN
RP – TRACE DEMPSEY, OSU

ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
C – Kurt Schlangen, MINN
1B – Sam Travis, IND
2B – Zach Morton, NU
3B – Jacob Cronenworth, MICH
OF – Jordan Parr, ILL
OF – Eric Toole, IOWA
OF – Jimmy Pickens, MSU
DH – Michael Pritchard, NEB
SP – Kevin Duchene, ILL
SP – Joey DeNato, IND
SP – Luke Farrell, NU
RP – Scott Effross, IND

ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
C – Cole Martin, MICH
1B – Kash Kalkowski, NEB
2B – Connor Schaefbauer, MINN
SS – Michael Basil, IND
3B – Blake Headley, NEB
OF – Andy Henkemeyer, MINN
OF – Rich Sanguinetti, NEB
OF – Kyle Ruchim, NU
DH – Blaise Salter, MSU
SP – Andrew Waszak, MSU
SP – Brad Goldberg, OSU
SP – Brian King, OSU
RP – Ryan Halstead, IND

ALL-BIG TEN FRESHMAN TEAM
C – Jason Goldstein, ILL
1B – JOSH ESTILL, PUR
2B – Nick Ramos, IND
SS – TRAVIS MAEZES, MICH
3B – Jacob Cronenworth, MICH
OF – CAM GIBSON, MSU
OF – JAMES COATES, PSU
OF – Kyle Johnson, PUR
DH – KYLE WOOD, PUR
SP – Kevin Duchene, ILL*
SP – Will Coursen-Carr, IND*
SP – Evan Hill, MICH*
SP – Jordan Minch, PUR*
RP – Scott Effross, IND

Unanimous honorees in ALL CAPS
*additional honoree due to tie

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Alex Lincoln, ILL
Michael Basil, IND
Ricky Sandquist, IOWA
Patrick Biondi, MICH
Jordan Keur, MSU
Ryan Abrahamson, MINN
Bryan Peters, NEB
Trevor Stevens, NU
Ryan Cypret, OSU
Luis Montesinos, PSU
Robert Ramer, PUR

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Justin Parr, ILL

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Slegers, IND

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Kevin Duchene, ILL

COACH OF THE YEAR
TRACY SMITH, IND

Tags: Awards, Big Ten, david kerian, jason goldstein, jordan parr, Justin Parr, kevin duchene, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)
• Getting closer: Illini take game 1 against Minnesota on Thursday (2)
• Illini head north in hopes to clinch a postseason berth (1)

Filed under: Awards on May 21st, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Drasen Johnson gets the ‘W’ in Illinois’ clinching victory

Illinois Baseball dropped their last game of the regular season to Minnesota but they still had plenty to be happy about.  With Friday’s 4-3 win over the Golden Gophers, the Orange and Blue will be advancing to the Big Ten Tournament next week. 

After all was said and done, the Illini finished in a fifth-place tie with Michigan with a 14-10 record. 

Here are the final Big Ten Baseball standings

 

 

The weather played a key part in Saturday’s game as the rains came which prompted a two-hour rain delay.  The Minnesota defense was factor as well.  There were four Gopher errors and each played a part in plating Illinois runs. 

Ryan Castellanos pitched solidly as he allowed just two runs in 4 2/3 innings. He even struck out five batters.  I can only assume the rain delay played a part in why he didn’t last longer in the game.  The bullpen pitched fantastically.  Drasen Johnson, Ronnie Muck and Bryan Roberts allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 innings.  Johnson (3-1) came away with the win and Roberts got his sixth save of 2013 in the 4-3 win.

Offensively, Thomas Lindauer (2 for 5) and Michael Hurwitz both had key rbi doubles and David Kerian collected two hits and an rbi. 

 

 

John Kravetz really pitched like a winner in this start and it’s a shame he couldn’t get the W.  He only gave up four hits and no walks in 7 plus innings.  Not only that, he took a no-no into the sixth inning, giving the Illini plenty of chances to score. 

Indeed it was a pitchers’ duel as Illinois even outhit Minnesota 7 to 5 but couldn’t plate any runs.  The Gophers put together a mini-rally in the eighth inning and scored two runs for the only offense for either team.  Final score:  Minnesota 2 Illinois 0.

Hard luck Kravetz ends the regular season with a 4-2 record. 

Random Ramblings

Illini fans must see this.  It’s a video of Bryan Roberts and Anthony Milazzo announcing Saturday’s Illinois lineup for the Big Ten Network broadcast.  Quite humorous. 

Congrats again to Justin Parr.  He has been named as a semi finalist for the 2013 Dick Howser Trophy.  A quick description of the Howser Trophy:

“The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager, who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.”

Parr is among just 40 semi finalists up for the award. 

Next Up

The Illini get just a couple days off but the good news is that they won’t have to travel.  The Big Ten Tournament is right there in Minneapolis at Target Field.  Guess who they get to play??

That’s right, Minnesota.  Most likely, they will have starter Tom Windle going again but Illinois has already proven that we can beat him. 

Illinois and Minnesota will actually be playing Game One of the Tournament. Game time is Wednesday, May 22 at 12 noon.  Should Illinois win that game, they will play Thursday at 7pm.  If they lose, they will enter the loser’s bracket, and will play on Thursday at 3pm. 

Here is the entire Big Ten Baseball Tournament bracket.  There is much more info on the Tournament at the Big Ten website. 

Good luck Illini! 

Tags: big ten tournament, bryan roberts, david kerian, drasen johnson, john kravetz, Justin Parr, michael hurwitz, minnesota, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Getting closer: Illini take game 1 against Minnesota on Thursday (2)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 18th, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

Kevin Duchene comes through again versus Minnesota

Kevin Duchene continues to pitch well as he won his eighth game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  It was a key win as the Illini (32-15, 13-9 Big Ten) were facing a formidable pitcher in Tom Windle.  The Illinois offense managed to score four runs off Windle raising his ERA over 2.00.  Final Score:  Illinois 6 Minnesota 2

The win for Duchene matches the team high for a freshman set just last year by John Kravetz.  At 8-1 with a 2.67 ERA, Duchene is making a good case for himself to make the All-Big Ten Freshman squad. 

 

 

For the record, Duchene put in a solid performance pitching six innings and allowing just two runs.  He spread out six hits and again showed control by giving up just two walks. 

Both teams scored one in the first but it wasn’t until the fourth when the Illini’s Reid Roper drove home a run with a sac fly did another run score.  They added two more in the sixth when Jason Goldstein and Thomas Lindauer both came through with rbi singles.  And just in case, David Kerian drove home two with a double in the ninth inning. 

Though it wasn’t a save situation, Coach Hartleb wasn’t taking any chances.  He brought out the big guys from the bullpen in the 7th inning.  Ronnie Muck pitched two hitless innings and Bryan Roberts closed out the game with a perfect ninth. 

Big Ten Watch

With yesterday’s win and Penn State’s miracle win against Michigan State (11-9, 32-17 overall), Illinois’ magic number to make the Big Ten Tournament is down to one. 

 

Next Up

Today’s game is still in progress as I write this.  It started as scheduled at 2pm but there was a substantial rain delay and the game was continued at 4:30.  Currently, Illinois has a 4-2 lead after 6 innings.  Thomas Lindauer and David Kerian continue to rake the ball as they are both 2 for 3 with an rbi.  Jordan Parr is also 2 for 3 with a run scored. 

Good luck Illini! 

Tags: david kerian, jordan parr, kevin duchene, minnesota, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 17th, 2013 | 2 Comments »

Kevin Duchene will take the mound vs Minnesota on Thursday

This weekend, Illinois heads north to Minneapolis to finish out the regular season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. While both teams both have 12 conference wins, the Gophers (12-6, 29-18 overall) have three less losses than Illinois (12-9, 31-15 overall) and are in a three-way tie for second place.  Currently, Illinois is in a tie for fifth place with Michigan and hope to stay among the top six teams in order to advance to the Big Ten Tournament.

After his stunning performance last weekend against Penn State, Kevin Duchene gets the nod for Thursday’s start.  He’ll be going against tough Tom Windle who has a nasty 1.76 ERA.  Ryan Castellanos will be on the mound Saturday and sophomore John Kravetz will finish out the regular season on Sunday. 

 

 

Minnesota is probably on their toughest stretch all year.  They’ve lost three of their last four games.  Ironically, that started with their loss to Penn State two weekends ago.  Minnesota is a good team though and a lot of that comes from their pitching.  I’ve already mentioned starter Tom Windle who is one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten. 

The Gophers are ninth in the conference in hitting as well as homeruns so they have their Achilles heel.  As long as our guys can get to their pitching and do it early, we should be ok. 

It’s worth a reminder that the series is played a day early and all the games are played in the afternoon.  Thursday’s game starts at 3:05pm CT.  The Big Ten Network will be broadcasting Thursday’s and Friday’s game live. 

 

Random Ramblings

The Big Ten’s rules concerning season-ending ties aren’t always crystal clear.  Illinois found that out the hard way last year.  The good news?  B1G Baseball.com’s Chris Webb did the homework and determined that should Michigan and Illinois tie at the end of the regular season, Illinois would win the tie-breaker.  That’s one less thing for Illini fans to worry about. 

Some bittersweet news for Justin Parr… his 33-game hit streak is now the second highest in the country for 2013.  St. Mary’s Brendan Kalfus now has a 34 game hit streak which surpasses Parr.  Oh, so fleeting!  Fighting Illini Baseball also notes that Thomas Lindauer has the current highest streak on the team with 9 games. 

Go Illini!!

Tags: john kravetz, Justin Parr, kevin duchene, minnesota, ryan castellanos, streak, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)

Filed under: Game Previews on May 15th, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Kevin Duchene brings home the trophies

Congrats to Kevin Duchene who is putting more awards on the mantles of Illini players.  He not only garnered the Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week award but also Freshman of the Week as well. 

Duchene pitched a complete game two-hit win on Friday night against Penn State.  Illinois won the game 9-0.  Duchene also struck out 11 batters in the effort.  He now leads the Illini with a 7-1 record.

Congratulations Kevin!!

Looking ahead

The Illini will need some of Kevin’s pitching prowess in a couple days against Minnesota.  Not to give any false hope to the Illini but I noticed that once-strong Minnesota team has lost four of their last five games.  Illinois will face the Golden Gophers for their last series of 2013 starting this Thursday. 

Tags: Awards, Big Ten, kevin duchene, minnesota

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• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)

Filed under: Awards on May 13th, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

Celebration after Saturday’s win!

 

Illinois got the job done this weekend!  A three-game sweep is what the team needed against the Penn State Nittany Lions and that’s what they got.  With an 8-6 win on Saturday and a comeback 5-4 victory on Sunday, the Illini improve their conference record to 12-9 and more importantly, they are now tied for fifth place with Michigan. 

 

 

Ryan Castellanos gets win #3

On Saturday, it was business as usual as starter Ryan Castellanos pitched a fine game for his third win of 2013.  Illinois gave Castellanos plenty of support as they scored seven runs in the first three innings.  PSU did threaten late in the game, scoring three in the eighth but Ronnie Muck finished the Lions off for his second save of the year.

Brandon Hohl slides into third

Illinois put together five hits in the first inning including a Jordan Parr rbi single and rbi double by Brandon Hohl.  In the third, Jason Goldstein followed up Davis Hendrickson’s rbi hit with a two-run double.  By then, it was 7-1 and Illinois coasted until the eighth when Penn State mounted a rally. 

Justin Parr didn’t waste time getting his hit to extend his hitting streak on Saturday.  He singled in the first inning to make it 33 straight games, a NCAA high for 2013. 

 

 

Things seemed to be bit amiss on Senior Day.  Justin Parr wasn’t getting a hit and the Illini were losing as late as the seventh inning. 

Illinois, however did mount a rally in seventh inning to tie the game 4-4.  It was Thomas Lindauer who drove home two runs with a base hit followed by another run scoring hit by Jordan Parr.  Give Reid Roper credit for the game winning hit.  He drove home David Kerian with a single up the middle in the eighth inning. 

Starter John Kravetz pitched seven innings and allowed four runs, two earned.  Drasen Johnson got the win in relief, his second of the year.  Bryan Roberts pitched the ninth for his fifth save of the year. 

I’d like to write that Justin Parr got his hit in the ninth inning (as he has been prone to do lately).  Unfortunately, Mr. Parr went 0 for 2 with 2 walks on Sunday.  If I know Justin though, he’s happy with a win.  Nice streak, Justin!  Congratulations on probably the best offensive season I’ve ever witnessed. 

More photos from Saturday’s game here

Big Ten Watch

With the weekend over, Illinois is in a better place now.  They are 31-15 and 12-9 in conference play.  Take a look at how Michigan and Michigan State stack up against them now:

• Michigan (12-9) went 2-1 against Purdue and is tied with Illinois for 5th place. 
• Michigan State (10-8)was defeated by Iowa 2 games to 1 and slipped to 7th place. 

If it eventually matters, Michigan has the season advantage in case of a tie with Illinois. 

Random Ramblings

As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t able to make it to Sunday’s game.  From the reports, it looked like quite a game.  But some things like attention to the people in our lives on their special day, take precedence. 

I do want to personally thank the Senior players and their parents for their hard work and dedication in the past few years.  Thank you! 

 

Next Up

Now the hard work.  In a couple days, Illinois takes on Minnesota who had been atop the Big Ten standings for a good part of the conference season.  Currently, they are third with a 12-6 record (29-18 overall).  Nebraska just took them down a notch by winning two games at their home field this past weekend. 

The series will start Thursday because of the Big Ten Tournament next week.  Currently, they are scheduled as afternoon games.  Thursday’s game is at 1pm, Fridays is at 2pm and Saturday’s is at 1pm.

Go Illini! 

Tags: brandon hohl, bryan roberts, comeback, drasen johnson, john kravetz, jordan parr, Justin Parr, penn state, reid roper, ronnie muck, ryan castellanos, sweep, thomas lindauer

Related posts

• Game over: Illini bats dwindle against Gopher pitching, 3-1 (0)
• Kravetz helps keep Illinois in the Tourney (0)
• Illinois lose heartbreaker to Minnesota in Game 1 of Big Ten Tournament, 3-2 (0)
• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 12th, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »

Kevin Duchene mowed down the opposition in Friday’s contest

Wow! We just need about five more games like these and we might be set. 

Kevin Duchene pitched one of the best performances we’ve seen this season tonight against Penn State.  Throwing a complete game two-hit shutout, Duchene struck out 11 PSU batters and kept them hitless until the seventh inning.  He won his team-high seventh game with Illinois’ 9-0 win over Penn State. 

Justin Parr launches one…

…and watches it sail toward the right field wall.

In addition, Justin Parr extended his hit streak in a big way, going 3 for 5 including his sixth homerun of year which started the ball rolling for the Illini in the third inning.  Parr’s streak is now at 32 games, highest in the NCAA.

 

 

Parr may have gotten things going in the third but practically everyone got into the action in the fourth when the Illini offense batted around the order.  Illinois put together seven hits and seven runs thanks in part to doubles by Davis Hendrickson, Michael Hurwitz and David Kerian plus key rbi singles by Thomas Lindauer, Jordan Parr, and Brandon Hohl. 

By then, it was 9-0 and it was up to Duchene to just get the Nits out… and he did that just fine.  Not only did he bring the no-hitter into the seventh and allow just two hits for the game, he only allowed only one walk.  I mentioned the eleven strikeouts, right? 

Nice job, Kevin!!

More photos from tonight here.

Big Ten Watch

With tonight’s win, Illinois is now 29-5 and 10-9 in conference play.  Here’s how their primary Big Ten competitors, Michigan and Michigan State, did tonight:

• Purdue did their best but Michigan (11-8) won a comeback game 9-8. 
• On the other hand, Iowa upset Michigan State (9-7), 6-2. 

Random Ramblings

According to FightingIllini.com, Duchene’s 11 Ks is the highest strikeout total since his coach, Drew Dickinson struck out 12 against Bucknell in 2002. 

When Justin Parr hit his two-run homer in the third inning, I exclaimed to the group around me, “Game Over”.  That received a few guffaws.  Let the record show that I was right.  :)

Don’t forget, Illini baseball cards will be available at Saturday’s game.  Here’s a sneak peek at what they will look like. Just save a pack for me, ok?

 

Next Up

Saturday’s game at Illinois Field against Penn State will begin at 1:05pm.  Ryan Castellanos (who apparently is very psyched) will be on the mound.

Go Illini! 

Tags: brandon hohl, david kerian, Davis Hendrickson, jordan parr, Justin Parr, kevin duchene, michael hurwitz, penn state, ryan castellanos, shutout, thomas lindauer

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• Justin Parr, Kevin Duchene and Co. honored by Big Ten (1)
• Illinois Baseball plans for extended stay in Minneapolis (0)

Filed under: Game Recaps on May 10th, 2013 | Leave a Comment! »