It’s nice to go into 2012 knowing that our team is the reigning Big Ten co-champions AND the Big Ten Tournament Champions.  That’s gotta carry some weight and I’m sure help in terms of confidence.  With our new, improved schedule (i.e. tougher) for 2012, we’ll be reaching for higher goals, I’m sure. 

Before we go any further this year, I want to point out a new web site that Illinois baseball fans will want to check out.  It’s called B1GBaseball.com.  B1G Baseball is run by Chris Webb who maintained the Buckeye Nine and Buckeye State Baseball web sites.  Webb has gone on to bigger and better things and is filling the void left by Big Ten Hardball which fell off the map a few years back. 

Chris Webb is no doubt a Ohio State Buckeye fan but he’s a fantastic baseball analyst.  I’m looking forward to reading more of his postings in the future on B1GBaseball.com. 

Here’s to a even better 2012! 

Considering that the word “test” is in the web address, I wondering if the project is in beta testing at the moment.  I highly approve. 

The page is interactive so you can click away.  Clicking on a year will bring up the Illini’s roster and stats for that year.  Conversely, clicking on a player will bring up their career stats.   Anyone who’s used Baseball Reference will be familiar with the similar interface. 

Check it out.

Those of you who are parents of players most likely know of Brian and Big Ten Hardball.  His site is the only comprehensive Big Ten baseball website out there and Brian has done a great job with it.  Not only that, no one has a full knowledge of the conference as a whole like he does.  For me as a blogger for the Illini baseball team, Brian and Big Ten Hardball has been invaluable.

I’m hoping that while Big Ten Hardball may be closing shop, Brian finds another venue to share his Big Ten baseball knowledge and analysis. 

Thanks, Brian for such a great resource for the past five years!

So bookmark the ones you find interesting or useful.  They may come in handy down the road during the 2010 baseball season.

It’s a big list but I’m sure I’m leaving some out.  Anyway, I hope it’s useful to some of you.

University of Illinois Baseball

The official Illinois baseball page is an obvious one but for those who might dismiss their Facebook or Twitter presence, give it a shot.  It’s a great way to get up-to-date and inside information into the program.

Big Ten

Don’t bother checking the Big Ten blog now.  It usually gets into full swing when the season starts.

Getting your stats fix

The Big Ten (proper) has improved their statistics web page but quite honestly, I go to the Big Ten Network site for my Big Ten Baseball numbers.

The NCAA stats page is quite nice to go to if you want to compare both Illinois team or individual stats on a national level.

Big Ten Baseball Blogs

There is a cadre of hard-working bloggers out there who give a lot of their time reporting and analyzing their favorite teams (and in some cases, conferences).

…and a few others

Please feel free to suggest more.  I’m sure I missed some. 

It’s run by Daniel Pavlue who hails from Minnnesota and attends Gopher games.  He promises he’ll be balanced in his coverage though. 

One reason I like it:  a photo of Joe Bonadonna sliding into home is currently his header image. 

One reason I’m suspicious:  In his poll you can take choosing the best head coach in the Big Ten, he leaves out the option of Coach Hartleb.  Mercy!

Anyway, stop by the Big Ten Baseball Blog and say hi.

By the way, here’s a link to Behind the Plate’s Q & A of me about the Illinois team.

	Games #23, 24, 25	Record: 17-5 (3-0 Big Ten)
	vs Indiana University Hoosiers	at Illinois Field, Champaign, Il
April 3	6:05pm CT
April 4	3:05pm CT
April 5	1:05pm CT

Without any further ado, let’s learn a bit more about the Indiana Hoosier baseball team! 

Illinois Baseball Report:  Seeing Indiana play last year at the Big Ten Tournament, I thought they were one of most exciting teams to watch from an offensive standpoint.  I see they are second in the Big Ten in hitting this season so far.  Can we expect more of the same for the rest of 2009 from Phegley and Co.?  Who are the movers and shakers in the IU lineup?

Behind The Plate:  Obviously, preseason All-American Josh Phegley is very dangerous at the plate, ranking 4th in the Big Ten in batting average (.407), 1st in slugging percentage (.709), 2nd in on base percentage (.505), 3rd in RBIs (28), and 3rd in homeruns.  In regard to the rest of the lineup, 1 through 9 have all been solid contributors (all regular starters are hitting over .298), and all the regulars are capable of stepping to the plate in a key situation and making something happen.  It is also worth noting that 10 different players have recorded at least 1 homerun on the season, an indication that there a threat to go deep throughout the lineup as well.

IBR:  On the other hand (ok, you knew this was coming), Indiana pitching is last  in the Big Ten with a 6.51 ERA.  That said, they seem to be a hard throwing bunch, third in the conference with 177 strikeouts so far.  Do you see a turnaround now that we’re heading into conference play? 

BTP:  First off, I think I should say that our pitching staff is much better than our team ERA indicates.  Beyond that, out of those 177 strikeouts, 106 have come from our 3 weekend starters (45 by Eric Arnett alone) and another 31 from what will probably be the first 2 guys out of the pen this weekend (Chris Squires and Matt Carr).  I wouldn’t exactly say we simply have a hard throwing bunch (although many of them can light up the radar gun), but instead we sport several guys that have good movement on their fastballs as well as very good secondary pitches that oftentimes fool the opposition.  As for our staff ERA, the weekend starters have a combined 4.34 ERA and hold opponents to a .254 batting average.  That being said, I think it’s apparent the numbers are slightly skewed by mid-week performances and pitchers that will not likely see action in the weekend series.       

IBR:  Freshman outfielder Alex Dickerson is having quite a season for the Hoosiers, batting .374 and a team leading 7 homers.  What’s your take on him?  Any other newcomers pulling more than their weight for the Hoosiers?

BTP: Before the season, IU Coach Tracy Smith said Alex Dickerson may end up being the best hitter he has ever coached.  Admittedly, this would be a large feat for the freshman given that Smith currently coaches preseason All-American Josh Phegley.  Thus far, Dickerson has not disappointed.  Batting from the left side, he has great power to all fields.  So, if the Illinois coaching staff is thinking about pitching around Phegley, they should probably reconsider since Dickerson is just as dangerous behind him as he is putting together a very nice freshman campaign with 7 homeruns, 28 RBIs and a .370 batting average.  As a team, we routinely bat 7 players with experience from last year’s team.  The 2 newcomers are of course Dickerson in the 4 hole and then junior college transfer SS Jake Dunning.  After getting off to a slow start at the plate this season, Dunning has really picked it up of late and is now sporting an impressive .373 BA with 22 RBIs (good for third on the team behind Phegley and Dickerson) and is currently in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak.  From a pitching standpoint, freshman Blake Monar (who you can expect to see on the mound Friday) has also pitched well thus far for the Hoosiers, holding opponents to a .220 batting average in 5 starts, good for 6th in the Big Ten.     

Thanks to Behind the Plate for suggesting this.  I thought it was great idea.  Looking forward to a great series!

Brian’s bottom line??

Illinois will go as far as their pitching lets them. This team, like many of the recent Illini squads, should swing the bats well enough, steal a few bases and play tough day-in and day-out. The question will be how their arms, especially the unproven ones, hold up.

The thought here is that the Illini should secure another top six Big Ten finish and a trip to Huntington Park and the conference tournament

His review of Illinois is pretty spot on.  You can read it at his blog, Big Ten Hardball.

He does a quite thorough job.  His take on the Illini?

The good thing for Illinois is that outside of Michigan, the remainder of the conference appears to be very close. The hunch here is the Illini finish in the middle of the pack in 2008. However, if McMurray and Chmielewski explode onto the Big Ten scene, all bets are off.

Read Brian’s full review at Big Ten Hardball.

I’ve written about about these leagues and others like them. They’re all college summer leagues and they serve a very important purpose in developing college baseball players.

In this episode of Baseball Zealot Radio, I interview Andrew Hartwell who, as far as I know, has the only website devoted exclusively to college summer leagues. It’s called Summer Ball and if you’re a fan of college baseball, you should check it out. During our interview, Andrew talks about what purpose college summer leagues serve and how these leagues operate.

Direct Link to the show

Listen via iTunes

Baseball Zealot Radio website