Joe Bonadonna (left, with the Illini) and the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Marlins Single-A) are seeing playoff action for the first time in 12 years.  They did in style too.  They won 13 of their last 15 games to win their South Atlantic League division.

Tanner Roark and his Harrisburg Senators (Nationals Double-A) clinched the earlier this month.  They won the Western Division of the Eastern League on September 1.  They had the help of big star Stephen Strasburg who pitched the clinching game.

The Missoula Osprey and Josh Parr (Diamondbacks, Rookie)are in the midst of a playoff series against the Great Falls Voyagers for the Pioneer League North Division title.  Josh is still in rehab from his injury from earlier in the year so it’s doubtful he’ll get in the game but I’m sure he’s in the dugout doing everything he can.

Good luck to all!!!

In other news, Kyle Hudson got his first stolen base the other day.  The first of many to come, I’m sure.  And don’t starting counting now but he has a three game hitting streak going.

The Baltimore media ran a photo with him in it a few days ago.

Josh Parr and Co will attempt to win their first Big Ten series this weekend

This weekend, the Illini will be hosting their first Big Ten series.  They’ll be hosting the 11-15 Iowa Hawkeyes.  Weather permitting, that is.  I doubt the Illinois weather will prevent any action on Friday but the outlook on Saturday looks pretty grim.  I’m hoping for the best.

Here is the official weekend preview on fightingillini.com.  Hopefully the game on Saturday will be played because the Big Ten Network plans to broadcast the game on the TV.  Live video will be available on their website.  Audio and Gametracker will be available on fightingillini.com.

If you do make it out to Illinois Field, don’t forget to pick up your pack of Freshman baseball cards!

The Iowa Hawkeyes haven’t wowed anyone with their offense with an opposing ERA of 3.77.  That said, their pitching, led by starter Nick Brown (3-2, 2.85) has evened things out.  Hyped starter Jarred Hippen has done ok but perhaps hasn’t gotten the support he needs with a 1-3 record.  Kevin Johnson could relate, I’m sure.

In their first Big Ten series, the Hawkeyes lost their first two games to Michigan State but came raring back with a vengeance to win the last one 19-7.  That shows they can put runs on the board if the mood strikes them.

Random Ramblings

Take a look at the roster of the Single-A Greenville Grasshoppers.  It looks like former Illini Joe Bonadonna has been picked up by the Florida Marlins organization.  Until this year, Bonadonna has played for the Rangers organization.  Good luck playing for your new boss, Joe!

Let’s go Illini!

Great, not only is he a pro baseball player but now he has celebrity status.  He’s going to get a big head now.

Seriously, nice going, ‘Donna. 

Box Score

In the 2nd inning, Western Carolina accomplished something you don’t see everyday…  a triple play.

 Illinois 2nd – Dittman, M. walked (3-2 BFBBFB). McMurray, C. singled up the middle (2-1 BBK); Dittman, M. advanced to second. Cappetta, P. lined into triple play 3b to 1b (3-2 BBBKK); McMurray, C. out on the play; Dittman, M. out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Unlike the game against East Carolina, Illinois never had the lead, though it WAS close.  WCU had a 3-0 lead by the end of the 4th and the good guys managed to close  the gap a little thanks in part to a solo homer by Mike Giller (left) in the 4th. 

Other than Giller, the offense was pretty quiet.  Casey McMurray was 2 for 4 but the team didn’t manage to capitalize… no runs or rbis for Mac. 

By the numbers
26	Total strikeouts by Illini batters in the last two games
4	Season total of rbis for Mike Giller (now leads the team)
4-1	Record in 2009 after 5 games

Those four Catamount runs came off Starter Brian de le Torriente.  Three of them were earned.  Considering WCU got eight hits, it was lucky that de la Torriente kept them to four.  Or perhaps it wasn’t luck.  The fact that he didn’t walk a batter probably helped.  In his two starts, he hasn’t given up any walks.

Illinois got good performances from the bullpen.  Kevin Manson saw the ball for the first time this year and responded well.  He pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball.  Coach Hartleb put Lee Zerrusen in to finish the game and he pitched a scoreless eighth. 

Next up

The Illini play their last game of the Classic on Sunday bright and early at 9 am against the West Virginia Mountaineers.  The Fighting Illini can take some heart that they have a 6-0 record against the Mountaineers. 

Random Stuff

Coach Hartleb’s former recruit Seth Schwindenhammer (whose name I always have  to copy and paste) was named in Bus Leagues Baseball’s The Best Names in Minor League Baseball.  Schwindenhammer is now with the Red Sox organization.

I suggested to BLB that their list should include our own Joe Bonadonna (right) who is now with the Texas Rangers organization.  His name just rolls off the tongue. 

Go Illini!

Bonadonna (left), who was grabbed by the Rangers in the 43rd round has been doing everything right since they placed him with their team in the Arizona League.  As a matter of fact, he hasn’t gone a game without getting at least one hit.  With the AZL Rangers, he’s gone 11 for 29 scoring 8 runs. 

That hasn’t gone unnoticed by the organization.  Bonadonna has been promoted to the Class A short-season Northwest League and is now playing for the Spokane Indians.  He’s already played one game for them and wouldn’t you know it, he extended his hit streak.  Nice going, Joe!

  Former Illini catcher Chris Robinson is definitely getting some attention these days too.  Playing for the Triple A Iowa Cubs, Robbie has been named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star Roster.  He’s hitting .319 with 30 rbis and if I know Robbie, he’s playing excellent defense in the 54 games for the I-Cubs. 

The PCL will be taking on the International League All-Stars on July 15.

Sue wanted me to let everyone know that the Iowa Cubs will be playing at Wrigley Field on August 9.  They’ll be taking on the Las Vegas 51s in a special game at the Friendly Confines. 

Unless Robinson gets called up before then, it would be a good chance to see a preview of what Robbie will look like playing in a major league stadium. 

To those watching during the 2009 Illini season, it seemed apparent that Lee was being groomed for a bigger role in the next year.  With Big Z getting good work in like this in summer league action, it will only help to boost his confidence. 

I’ve seen it happen with other players like Joe Bonadonna two years ago.  Joe had a phenomenal summer in the Northwoods League playing second base and winning all kinds of awards.  The next year in 2008 (as a junior), his success carried over into the Illinois season when he hit .356 and stole 26 bases. 

So keep up the good work Lee (and the rest of the Illini!).  Have fun playing this game!

Well, Brandon Wikoff is off to a hot start for the Tri-City ValleyCats in New York State.  After last night’s two-hit performance, Wikoff is 5-15 through his first three games.  Rumor has it he’s played some good D including three double plays in last night’s game.

Dominic Altobelli’s road trip to Idaho Falls was off to a rocky start but it wasn’t his fault.  His team bus broke down en route to the ball field according to his father.  No worries, they got their in time to play.  Dom even got hit in his first pro game.  Unfortunately, it was one of only five of Casper Ghosts hits of the game as Idaho Falls defeated them 10-1. 

Joe Bonadonna has gotten a hit in each of his three games for the AZL Rangers.  No surprise, he stolen 2 bases and scored 2 runs too.  Bonadonna is listed at 3B for the Rangers, by the way.

First Inning

By the way, if any of you are fanatical about keeping up with Illini players (or anyone) in the minors, try out FirstInning.com.  If you register, you can keep a list of “favorite” players on one page that gives you a quick glance on how they’re doing in minors.  Each player is linked to a more detailed stats and bio page and the games in their game log are linked to MiLB’s box scores.  Very handy!

Good luck to our Illini!

Bonadonna:  Bound for Rookie League

As of today, four Illinois draftees have signed pro contracts with their respective teams.  Big Ten Network has the info.

Brandon Wikoff has signed with the Astros and will report to single-A Tri-City Valley Cats in the New York-Penn League.  He’ll start June 23. 

As mentioned before, Dominic Altobelli has signed with Colorado Rockies.  He will be playing with the Casper Ghosts in the Pioneer League and play will start in one week. 

Joe Bonadonna will report to the rookie league AZL Rangers after being signed with the Texas Rangers. 

Finally, Illinois recruit Seth Schwindenhammer will take the field for the GCL Red Sox in Florida.  Seth, we hardly knew ya. 

The last I heard, Matt Milroy, the other Illinois recruit that was drafted is on a “draft and follow” meaning that the Red Sox will keep tabs on him but won’t sign him immediately.  At this point, Milroy plans to attend the U of I and play for the Illini. 

Illinois fans can celebrate again today as Illini centerfielder Joe Bonadonna was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 43rd round.  This makes three current Illinois players drafted, the most since 2005.  Yesterday, Brandon Wikoff was chosen in the fifth round and Dominic Altobelli was picked in the 16th round.

Bonadonna is a speedster and a hustler.  And to me, that makes him a fun player to watch.  As a amateur photographer, I loved taking photos of him speeding around the basepaths.

Speedster that he is, Joe really came alive with the bat last year, his junior year.  That was coming off his phenomenal year with his summer league team the Duluth Huskies.  That success continued on into his 2008 season with the Illini.  He hit .356 with 47 runs and 26 stolen bases.  He hit one homerun in 08 but he really made it count.  He was the hero of Game 1 of the Big Ten Tournament and hit a homerun that decided the game for the Illini.

The Anatomy of a Joe Bonadonna Steal

Admittedly, Bonadonna got off to a slow start offensively in 2009. He was hitting around the Mendoza mark before the Big Ten season started but Coach Hartleb publically stated that he had confidence in his centerfielder and leadoff man.

The confidence paid off.  Bonadonna caught fire once Illinois hit the Big Ten schedule and his batting average rose some 50 points before the end of season.  He ended with 44 runs and 19 stolen bases.  For his career, Bonadonna hit .303 with Illinois. 

Texas is lucky in that they will be getting a versatile player (Bonadonna has played LF, CF, 3B, 2B that I know of while at Illinois) with a whole mess of  hustle and speed.  With proper motivation, he’ll be able hit well in the Texas organization. 

I’ll miss Joe.  He was fast, intense and he hustled, qualities I like in a ballplayer. 

Here are some more of my photos I took of Joe.

Good Luck Joe!!

Ben Reeser honored on Senior Day

Illinois took a loss today against Ohio State in their last home game of 2009 by the score of 12-7.  The Illini battled back but couldn’t overcome a pair of five-run innings by the Buckeyes. 

Brandon Wikoff sliding home to score in the second inning

It was Senior Day today at Illinois Field today… in more ways the one.  Outgoing seniors Joe Bonadonna and Dom Altobelli did all they could to put Illinois in the W column.  Joe Bonadonna was 2 for 3 with 4 rbis and 2 rbis and a double and a homer.  Altobelli hit his second homer of the series going 2 for 4. 

Bonadonna receives congrats

Bonadonna had an excellent weekend.  Bonadonna went 6 for 10 with 7 rbis and five walks. 

Box Score

I posted some pictures on the Photo Gallery but just know that I had to leave in the 3rd inning so there aren’t any photos after that.  It’s Mother’s Day and a few things, like mothers take precedent even over Illinois Baseball. 

Before I left though, I ran around saying goodbye to all the fans I knew I wouldn’t see till next March.  Fortunately, I’ll see many of the players’ parents who will make the trip to the Big Ten Tournament (which starts a week from Tuesday).

If I have the standings right (someone correct me if I’m wrong), Minnesota has a slim 1/2 game lead on Illinois and OSU who are both tied for second.  We have Michigan to thank for that for defeating the Golden Gophers today 10-4 and keeping everything close. 

Next weekend… Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette for the last regular season series.