Former catcher Lars Davis (left with Illinois) had a fantastic game with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers’ record setting 17-5 performance at their new ONEOK Field.  He hit two homers and went three for four.

Don’t look now but Davis is hitting .304 with six homers for the AA Drillers.  He is showing some power that we’re used to seeing from him at Illinois Field.

I hope Davis had a chance to talk to the shortstop of the opposing team, the Corpus Christi Hooks.  He’s none other than former Illini shortstop Brandon Wikoff.  The two played together for a couple years at Illinois Field.  Wikoff was one for two in the game and is having a great year for the Hooks.  He’s batting .351 with  26 runs scored.

Also, former firstbaseman (and occasional color man in the booth during Illini games) Mike Rohde displayed some fireworks during the 4th weekend.  He knocked hone the winning run for the Gary Southshore RailCats in their win against the Sioux Falls Pheasants.  The RailCats are in first place in their division thanks in part to Rohde who is hitting a nifty .284 with 4 homeruns.

Good luck to all three!

Indiana never had the huge inning… no more than than three runs in a frame.  Also, Illinois managed to separate their rallies with goose eggs.  Indiana never scored in two successive innings.  Yet, when it all came down to it, Indiana won big time. 

Lee Zerrusen was again hit hard.  He gave up eight hits and five runs in three and 2/3 innings.  A big mystery to me is Big Z.  Everything pointed to Zerrusen being a solid starter this year but for some reason he got knocked around a lot.  He’s got good stuff, there’s no doubt about it.  It just never clicked.

I’ve said before I thought Pete Cappetta was a late starter.  He showing that to an extreme this year.  On Tuesday, Cappetta (right) hit his first homerun of the year against Western Michigan.  Today, he hit his second, an 8th inning 2-run shot.  For the day, he was 3 for 3 with 2 rbis, 2 runs and a stolen base.  DH Aaron Johnson knocked two base hits and scored twice. 

Argo Watch:  Willie got on base three times on two singles and a walk but did not steal a base.  Two of those times, there was a runner on second base.  He needs one more stolen base to tie the team record. 

Random Ramblings

If you know why Mike Giller hasn’t been playing in the past week or two, you know more than I.  I’ve been asking around and no one seems to know.  Giller has had a pretty productive 2010 spelling for the injured Matt Dittman at first base.  Given Giller is a senior and these are his last days an Illini, I’m betting/hoping it’s a good reason.

More news from the minors… former Illini catcher Lars Davis has been promoted to AA ball.  Lars (left) will be reporting to the Tulsa Drillers which is the AA affiliate for the Colorado Rockies.  Congrats, Lars! 

(By the way, thanks to the person who occasionally feeds me these news tips.  I know they want to remain anonymous but I do want to express my appreciation (you know who you are).

  Tomorrow is a 2pm game.  Kevin Johnson is on the mound for the good guys.

Go Illini!!

According to fightingillini.com, Illinois is going with the same starters from last weekend…. Will Strack, Brian de la Torriente, and Kevin Johnson.  Strack will have a tough job going against an East Carolina team that is ranked #21 right now.  Their 4-3 record suggests that they CAN be beaten though.

A bit of trivia… the last time we played Western Carolina (was in the Stetson Tournament in  2006.  That was former catcher Lars Davis’ first appearance for the Illini.  He went 4 for 5 for the weekend with 4 rbis.  A sign of things to come for that particular Illini Canadian catcher. 

Illini closer Lee Zerrusen does another write-up for Diamond Notes #2.  This is his second in a row… I’m sure but maybe he’ll be the team’s designated scribe… he does well at it.  He gives a quick wrap-up of last weekend and a looks forward to this weekend. 

He also introduces freshman reliever Tanner Libby (right):

Being the youngest member of the bullpen, (Tanner) got the distinguished honor of carrying a pink Barbie Princess backpack through the airport and to the games. This bag carries sunflower seeds, gum, and peanuts among other things for guys in the bullpen to have during the game.

Don’t feel too bad, Tanner.  My 9-year old daughter thinks that’s pretty awesome.  Watch out, everyone will want one soon enough. 

Finally, I just want to remind everyone Illinois Baseball Report is on Facebook and on Twitter @illbaseballrpt.  If that makes it easier for you to get updates, feel free to follow IBR in those ways.

Go Illini!!

In front of a home crowd against the Bakersfield Blaze, he went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles.  Davis also drove home a run in the bottom of the ninth with a sacrifice fly to win it for the Nuts. 

That was enough to get his photo front and center in this Modesto Bee article.

For the year, Davis is hitting .237 with one homerun and  25 rbis.

PS looks like Lars has gotten a haircut since his college days.

Right now, Roof is leading the club with a .409 batting average.  Hopefully, management is now starting to take notice.  The Lakeland Flying Tigers Blog, a team fan blog certainly has.

Shawn shot me an email and mentioned that Lars Davis hit a couple homers over the weekend.  The former Illini catcher and Big Ten player of the Year is stationed with the Rockies class A affiliate, the Asheville Tourists.

Sure enough, Davis homered in consecutive days on April 12-13.

Good luck to both!!

Former Illinois catcher Lars Davis has been assigned to the roster of Class A Asheville Tourists.

Davis, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2007 with the Illini, will join Asheville, which a farm team of the Colorado Rockies.  They are managed by Joe Mikulik.

By the way, if Mikulik’s name sounds familiar, this is why.

Good luck, Lars!

Wikoff and Altobelli at the ready against Indiana State

Next Game:

Note:  Before I get started, Illini fans should know that Friday’s game at Oldsmobile Park has been postponed due to snow.  They will play a doubleheader on Sunday to make up for this.

This weekend, barring anymore bad weather, will be Illinois’ first Big Ten encounter.  They will be taking on the Spartans of Michigan State at Oldsmobile Park.  Minor league aficionados will know that is the home of the Lansing Lugnuts who are the farm team of Toronto Blue Jays.

The Spartans who are obviously having their own battles with the weather like Illinois, are 7-9 for 2008.  Illinois is on a roll winning six of their last seven games.  A Big Ten matchup may be more of challenge especially on the road but I have a feeling they are up for it.

MSU Looking for Revenge?

The Spartans may be looking for some payback.  The last time these two teams faced each other both teams was the last series of 2007 and both teams were fighting for Big Ten tournament qualification.

MSU had it wrapped up in the last game, with a 7-0 lead with two outs in the 5th.  What happened next was probably the best comeback I’ve ever witnessed.  It started with a Nick Stockwell homerun over the left field fence and was later bolstered by two homeruns by Lars Davis.

End result:  Illinois came back to win that game 8-7 and went on to the Big Ten Tournament and Spartans went home.  You can read my account on the whole thing here (plus see some photos).  It’s one of those games I know I will never forget.  I’m sure neither will the Spartans.

Here’s the rundown on MSU.

On a related matter, the local paper, the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette had a nice feature article on Illinois CF Kyle Hudson.  It was mostly highlighting his move from the 9th spot in the order last year to leadoff this year and how he has responded so well to it.  Hudson’s current batting average??  .456.

The first two worked out so well I’m not surprised the Illini went north again.  Both Chris Robinson and Lars Davis were All-Big Ten selections and were drafted by the majors. 

“He’s along the lines of our former Canadian catchers,” said Illinois assistant coach Eric Snider, who was the lead recruiter on Johnson. “He can catch and throw, and he handles the bat very well.”

Johnson is currently playing for the first place Lethbridge Bulls in the Western Major Baseball League.

From Lower Hudson Online:

For much of their childhood, Joe Mercurio and Myckie Lugbauer were the best catchers their age in Putnam County. Their skill eventually extended far beyond the county’s borders; as seniors they were two of the best players in Section 1 period.

Back then Mercurio and Lugbauer were friendly rivals. Now they are teammates as Mercurio, a Kennedy graduate from Brewster, has signed with the University of Maine, completing a transfer from the University of Illinois.

I wonder about Mercurio’s timing. Long time backup catcher Aaron Ifft has graduated and of course, Big Ten Player of the Year and last year’s full-time catcher Lars Davis was snatched up in the First Year Player Draft. From my perspective, he would have had a shot at the #1 spot behind the plate. But Joe had his reasons:

Mercurio said he was promised playing time alongside junior catcher Lars Davis but the rotation never unfolded the way he hoped. Mercurio played in just 11 games (three starts) and Davis, an all-American, won the Big Ten player of the year and was drafted in the third round by Colorado.

“I wanted to go there and get better,” Mercurio said. “I felt I got worse when I got there.”

With the record season that Lars Davis was having, I don’t think Mercurio’s mother would have advocated a platoon situation.

Seriously, it’s too bad Joe will be gone. I enjoyed watching him play. In his rare starts, he always seemed to make a difference. I wish him the best at U of Maine.

ll

According to the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies signed 27 of the draft picks including catcher Lars Davis who they called an “intriguing catcher from Illinois”.

And from what I read in the local News-Gazette, shortstop Shawn Roof has signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers.

As far as Casey Crosby, the top pitcher who had originally committed to the University of Illinois and was drafted by the Tigers, they still working on an agreement. Says Crosby in the Elburn Herald, “They said that they have every intention of signing me.”