Of course, Cappetta has really developed since his first season. Illini fans know of his reputation of being a a player who could play just about any position. He is versatile and can play the outfield and all infield positions.  Who knows?  Give him the opportunity, he’ll probably try catcher too.

In 2009, Cappetta began to show that he could hit, too. He is probably the most underrated offensive threat on the Illini team. Batting .384 (tops on the Illini), Pete has been known to really come through in the clutch.

And to top it off, I can vouch that Pete Cappetta is one of nicest guys on the team. Maybe that doesn’t win games but that counts for something in my book.

So without any further ado, here are 8 Questions for Pete Cappetta and his answers.

Illinois Baseball Report:  Pete, you had a breakthrough year in 2009.  The year before (in 2008) you were a backup shortstop.  Then last year, you led the team in hitting with a .384 batting average.  Not only that, you didn’t make an error in the field all season.  I know this question sounds cliche but what contributed to your success last year?

Pete Cappetta:  I put in a lot of hard work going into the year and it paid off. I have some of the best coaches here at U of I that prepared me very well for last season, and they continue to do the same for this upcoming season. I have to say they contributed a lot to my success last season.

IBR:  You are getting a reputation of being a player who can play almost any position in the field.  I’m sure Coach Hartleb probably appreciates a quality like that.  Are you going to continue to be an uber-utility player this year or are you going to settle down to one position in 2010?

PC:  I really don’t know where Coach Hartleb has me penciled in right now, but I am definitely excited for the opportunity to play anywhere. One of my main strengths is my versatility and I just want to help the team wherever possible.

IBR:  What was the most exciting moment for you personally during the 2009 season?  You certainly have a few choices between the exciting LSU series, the opening comeback win against Ohio State not to mention the whole Big Ten Tournament experience.

PC:  The LSU series was the most exciting moment for me as a player and I think our team as a whole. We really showed a lot of people that our program is on the rise and I hope we take the momentum from last year into this year.

IBR:  The Illini are going to open up at home against Bradley on February 20th.  Really??  Dang, that’s going to be cold.

PC: To be honest, we practiced outside for almost a week prior to our first tournament last year, so we will definitely be prepared for the first game no matter what the forecast looks like.

IBR:  The Illini coaching staff has brought a solid core of freshman and transfers to the team last fall.  It looks like some of them will play a big part in Illinois’ 2010 season.  From your standpoint, are they ready?

PC:  I am really excited about this freshman class. They are good ballplayers who all have the potential to be starters on this year’s team. There is a lot of versatility among them, and I have a feeling a number of them will contribute right away.

IBR:  Do you see a repeat performance from last year’s 16-8 conference record?  Do you guys look ahead to postseason games like the Tournament (or even the Regionals) or do you, as they say, take one game at a time?

PC:  Every year we go in with the mindset that we will contend for a Big Ten championship. The best approach in doing that is to take it one game at a time. Once we get ahead of ourselves, that’s when bad things can happen.

IBR:  The schedule says that you guys are going to play the University of Missouri at Busch Stadium in April.  Are players excited?  What about the Cardinal fans on the team?  They gotta be ecstatic.

PC:  We are all very excited about the Busch Stadium game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere to play in. There are quite a few Cardinals fans on the team, especially Lee Zerrusen. I don’t think he has gone a day without talking about the game. I feel bad that Brandon Wikoff is going to miss it, though. He is a huge Cardinals fan, and I’m sure he would have loved to suit up for that game!

IBR:  Finally, tell everyone one thing we don’t already don’t know about Pete Cappetta.

PC:  Being from Chicago and being a huge football fan, you would assume I love the Chicago Bears. But I am about the biggest Green Bay Packers fan there is. I was speechless for about two days after the Packers lost in the playoffs this year. But with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, things are looking very bright for the future. They are the youngest team in the league and I’m expecting big things from them in the next few years.

I would like to thank Pete Cappetta for taking the time during his busy schedule and doing this for us.  Good luck to him and the rest of the Illini!

The Q&A is an effort to “connect fans with the Shorebirds players”.  Fellow Shorebird L.J. Hoes will also be participating in the Q&A process. 

You will be able to hear Hudson’s answers on July 23. There will also be a transcript available.

DeCaussin runs Big Ten Hardball, the “go-to” website for anyone who is interested in Big Ten baseball.  BTH acts as sort of a repository of information on the  topic.

With the last series of games almost upon (and quite a photo-finish it is) and the Big Ten Baseball Tournament taking place next week, DeCaussin was the obvious choice for Illinois Baseball Report’s subject for a Q&A interview this week.  I quizzed him on a variety of topics including this weekend’s final series and the tournament.

Here we go…

Illinois Baseball Report:  The race for first place in the Big Ten is pretty tight this year with Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State, and Indiana all having a realistic shot at it at this point. All things considered, who do you think has the best shot at top spot?

Big Ten Hardball:  I think I’ve proven over the years that I have no ability to predict winners.  This season is no exception.  So, take what I’m about to offer with a grain of salt.

On paper, Ohio State would seem to be in the best position of overtaking Minnesota.  The Gophers (at Penn State), Illinois (at Purdue) and Indiana (hosting Michigan State) all play squads with better conference records than Iowa, the Buckeyes opposition this week.  It’s also a home date for OSU.  

All that stated, I won’t be the least bit surprised regardless of what scenario plays out.  It’s just been that kind of year all around college baseball.

IBR:  At the same time, the last tournament qualifying spot is still up for grabs. That makes for some pretty important matchups going into this weekend. Comments?

BTH:  Purdue really holds all the cards for the final Big Ten Tournament slot.  The Boilermakers need to lose, if Michigan or Penn State hope to land the sixth and final seed.  I suspect a number of Michigan and PSU fans will become Illini fans during these last three games.  

IBR:  The Big Ten Tournament begins May 20. In your opinion, how is that different than the regular season in terms of intensity, rigor, and all around play? Can we make an analogy to MLB playoffs and World Series compared to their regular season? Or is it a totally different ball of wax?

BTH:  If I can borrow the TNT catch-phrase during the NBA Playoffs, the Big Ten Tournament is "Win or Go Home".  That scenario instantly changes the environment.  Unlike professional sports, though, this is a two-and-out (or two-and-BBQ, in Omaha-terms) situation.  This abbreviated format makes your potential exit more immediate, which does increase the pressure and intensity.  The pros have more margin for error.

Do I think you suddenly see better performances because of that?  Probably not, but they appear bigger just because the setting is much more dramatic.

I should also point out that the format the Big Ten uses for the conference tournament does put a strain on pitching staffs.  Most Big Ten sides have three "weekend" starters.  However, to capture the tournament title, you could need five or six starters depending on how many arms get chewed up eating innings trying to survive.

If often turns the conference tournament final into a battle of attrition.  The starters in the championship game might not have started a game in over a week.  It can make for some high-scoring, albeit ugly, baseball at the end.  That also alters the quality of play to some extent.

IBR:  Speaking of the Big Ten Tournament, what’s your take on the issue of the tournament taking place in a neutral baseball stadium? Do you see advantages? Disadvantages? What about the specific location of Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio?

BTH:  I’ve always supported the neutral site concept.  There are several reasons, but I’ll try to hit just two.  First, logistics.  Right now, we’ve got four teams with a shot at winning the Big Ten’s regular season.  If the regular season champ were going to host the tourney this year, not one team would know right now where they would be playing next week.  With the race as tight as it is, we might not know until Sunday.  That’s makes things, like travel arrangements, difficult not only for each baseball program, but their fan base and the media.

My second reason is facilities.  There are just some programs in this conference that are not ready to host the Big Ten Tournament.  Many of the programs around the conference either have made upgrades to their ballparks or intend to, but if baseball is going to be taken seriously, they need to make the tournament as fan-friendly, media-friendly and baseball-friendly, as possible.  That means playing in the best facilities available.

I realize some are upset that the "neutral" site is Columbus.  However, I think some perspective here helps.  There’s a great possibility that Columbus simply offered the best plan.  (Perhaps, they offered the only plan.)  The city is also centerally located in the Big Ten’s footprint.  OSU also draws quite well.  Now, does that make it any less a home series for the Buckeyes?  No, but it’s just one year.

Let’s see if the site rotates in the future.  If it ends up a permanent fixture in C-bus, then, perhaps, we need to have a different discussion.  Which leads me into my next point.

While I support the idea of a neutral site conference tournament, and I love watching baseball all day long for several days, I oppose the concept of conference tournaments, in general.  I also vehemently oppose issuing the conference’s lone automatic NCAA Tournament berth to the conference tournament winner.

Let’s be honest, probably no more than three conferences — the ACC, Big XII and SEC — make money from these conference tournaments.  As a financial loser, why keep them?  Second, handing out automatic NCAA berths to a team that gets hot for one week is silly.  We play an entire season to produce a champion then let a team that gets hot for a week garner the lone automatic tournament spot?  It’s craziness.

Let’s say, the sixth-seeded club wins the Big Ten Conference Tournament.  They get the Big Ten’s bid.  Now, is the NCAA still going to take three more Big Ten schools?  I don’t think so.  So, if the sixth-seeded team gets in, either Minnesota, OSU or Illinois is out.  If I had to bet, I suspect two of them would find themselves on the outside looking in.  And what if this scenario plays out elsewhere?

If a lower-seeded "bubble" SEC side claims their tournament crown and automatic berth, who do you think is going to stay home?  A higher seeded, and higher RPI, SEC program or one of the Big Ten teams that couldn’t win their conference’s regular or post-season title?

This doesn’t apply just to the Big Ten, either. I would argue that all the mid-majors need to send their best team to the NCAA Tournament.  If I were in charge of college baseball, there would be no more conference tournaments, the regular season would extend into that week and the regular season champion would get the automatic berth.

IBR:  Are you bold enough to make a prediction for winner of the Tournament? On the same note, will we see any Big Ten get past the Regionals? 

BTH:  Two predictions in one Q & A?  Are you trying to get me in trouble with our readers?  I’ll avoid making predictions about the Big Ten Tournament outcome.  However, I will say that I believe that any of the top four teams could make some noise in the regionals, but it will depend on where they get placed.  My first hope is that three teams from the conference make the field of sixty-four.  Right now, that’s questionable.

IBR:  Who are the front runners for the 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year? Pitcher of the Year?

BTH:  I’m thinking the coaches will select Minnesota’s Derek McCallum as the Big Ten Player of the Year.  I’ll also predict that the Pitcher of the Year Award will be split between Indiana’s Eric Arnett and Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers.  One could have a bad outing and the other could finish strong this week, but I still think it will end in a tie.

IBR:  Finally, most readers of Illinois Baseball Report are more than likely familiar with your blog, Big Ten Hardball. But take a couple sentences and tell us about BTH, anyway.

BTH:  Big Ten Hardball, wrapping up its fifth season, is simply my attempt to shine some light on the teams and players in the Big Ten Conference.  What do you know?  I did it in one sentence.

Thanks to Brian who never seems to give himself enough credit for the work he does with Big Ten Hardball.  I think the Big Ten baseball community really owes him a debt of gratitude for networking the different elements of the game the way he does. 

	Game #46	Record: 31-14 (14-4 Big Ten)
	vs Ohio State University Buckeyes	at Illinois Field, Champaign, IL
May 8	6:05pm CT	Bleacher Bum Barbeque
May 9	3:05pm CT
May 10	1:05pm CT	Senior Day

Illinois Baseball Report:  Alex Wimmers (right) pitched a heck of a game last Saturday.  He threw a no-hitter against Michigan.  Last year, he was winless with a 4.46 ERA and this season, he’s got an 8-1 record and a nifty 2.79 ERA.  Did he come out of nowhere or did the Buckeye baseball program have a good idea what kind of arm they had in Wimmers?

Drew Grigsby:  Wimmers had a great summer while leading the Valley league in K’s with 72 and had the 4th best ERA at 1.70. I did not see Alex pitch this past summer in person but it sounded like it was a great start to an awesome 2009 season. When he had 3 awesome games in March vs. Pitt, Indiana and the Miami Hurricanes’, that is when i thought he was going to have a special season. He is 8-1 on the year his only loss being the Friday game vs. the Gophers. He really could be 9-0 this year. That game, he threw Saturday was the best pitching performance i have ever seen at Ohio State. It was awesome for sure and the crowd was into every pitch. It was something i will never forget for the rest of my life and he did it while playing Michigan. Boy that was an awesome day for sure. I don’t think anyone thought Wimmers would be this good as a Sophomore.

IBR:  I assume Illinois won’t get out of seeing Wimmers.  But what other starting pitchers might they see during the three game series?  Can you tell us a bit about them?

DG:  Sophomore Dean Wolosiansky is the #2 pitcher for the Buckeyes. He won 7 games a year ago, and this season is 6-0 in Big Ten games and is 10-1 on the year. In 2 years Dean has won 17 games and has a nice off speed pitch. He is a ground ball pitcher and does not strike out a lot of guys. I guess he is more of a contact pitcher for sure and needs his defense to make plays. He does not throw very hard, but gets the job done. Dean has given up a lot of doubles this year but usually gets out of the inning unharmed.
Junior Left-hander Eric Best is the #3 pitcher for the Buckeyes and is 6-3 on the year. Eric was a reliever last year with 26 appearances and saved 8 games. Eric had a very nice 4.29 ERA (2nd on the team) and did very well last year from the pen. Eric even was the closer for his summer team in Alaska and had 10 saves. Eric also does not throw very hard and has to have good location with all his pitches. He does struggle  when he falls behind in the count and get his curve ball up in the zone. Best also needs the defense to play well behind him and spot the fastball well.

IBR:  OSU leads the Big Ten in hitting with a .329 batting average and in homers with 48 and in runs with 362.  Needless to say, you have been a very offensive team this season.  I find it interesting that the Buckeyes don’t have anyone among the leaders in homeruns in the conference.  To me, that points to a deep lineup where everyone is contributing.  Comments? 

DG:  Yes the offense has really surprised me this year too. I knew we would score runs but i did not think we would have this much power as a team. JUCO transfer Michael Stephens has been a great addition to the team. He is hitting .354 with 44 RBI and 22 extra base hits. He does tend to strike a little, but is a great defensive OF. 1B Matt Streng has been quite a surprise with 7 HR. He has hit very well in the bottom of the lineup. He was not even going to start this year until 3B Dan DeLucia got hurt in Florida. Dan Burkhart is solid as they come and is going to be the next great Ohio State catcher. He is hitting .391 with 8 HR and 51 RBI. He has been very solid in the 4-spot of the lineup all year. He also has been doing an awesome job behind the plate and has a great arm. 3B Justin Miller has kind of struggled with his batting average but is a great leader as a Senior and has driven in 40 runs along with 6 HR. He got moved to 3B in March and has played very well there too. I guess my point is it has been a team effort all year to drive in runs and win ball games. At one point, LF Zack Hurley was leading the team in RBI and average hitting in the lead off spot. Zack also has 20 extra base hits and is a speedy OF with great range. DH Ryan Dew is leading OSU with a .400 average and has 6 HR and 28 RBI. Dew has only K’d 8 times in 155 at bats. He does an awesome job of putting the ball in play every time up. Coach Todd does except every guy in the lineup to bunt a runner over if needed. It does not matter if you are the 9 hole or the clean up hitter. The Buckeyes also have 23 triples that lead the league. The one thing the Bucks don’t do much (unlike Illinois) is steal bases although OSU is 38-48 this year. Coach Todd will hit and run more than anything. The guys this year also have done a good job of working pitchers and drawing walks.

IBR:  With OSU being so offensive-minded and Illinois’ focus on speed, pitching and defense, how do you see this dynamic playing out for the upcoming series this weekend? 

DG:  Well i hope OSU can take 2 out of 3 but i don’t know. I wish that one of the games is on the BTN. I always feel good when Wimmers is on the hill but your Sophomore lefty Phil Haig has been good this season too. I think for Ohio State it all starts with the Friday game and Wimmers setting the tone on the hill. It is very hard to play well on the road in the league and this weekend is no different. You guys will have a packed house and be pumped up for sure. Wolosiansky has been good in (game #2) this season and i hope this weekend is no different. Sunday’s for the Buckeyes have been ugly with a 1-4 Big Ten record and to be honest Eric Best has struggled a little in the 1st couple of innings in his starts. If he can pitch well early on then OSU can feel very good about him pitching deep into the game. I would bet a lot of money that the guys are ready to play Friday night cause they realize this is a HUGE series. I hope the weather is nice and does not cause any havoc. We have a huge mid-week trip to Louisville on Tuesday and Wednesday. A split there is a must but Coach Todd can’t blow the league title for 2 non conference game wins either.

IBR:  How do you see Ohio State’s future in Big Ten baseball?  Will they see this kind of success next year and beyond?

DG:  Coach Todd is in his 22nd season as the head coach and he will be at Ohio State until he decides to retire, or step down. He has earned that right too and has always done things his way. I have been following this team since 2003 and sometimes he makes me scratch my head. But 9 times out of 10, he makes the right decisions and gets the job done. I really feel that this is our year to make some noise in the NCAA tourny cause we lose 3 great Seniors and have some Junior players that are on the MLB draft radar. The last couple of years have been tough but the guys also have been very young. We have lost some great Junior players to the MLB draft in recent years. I don’t know if the coaching staff had counted on some of the guys leaving early. That puts you in a bad spot. The one thing that bothers me is the mid-week losses in the last couple of years are becoming more frequent. That is not a good sign and will always bite you at the end of the season. The great teams Coach Todd had in the ’90s never played down to their competition level

IBR:  I assume you will be at the Big Ten Tournament since it will be in your home territory?? 

DG:  Yes the Big Ten tourney should be fun. I have gone up to Ann Arbor the last couple of years to watch the tourney and it has been cool. I have not been over to the new ballpark so the tourney will be my 1st time there. I have seen pictures and heard that Huntington Park is awesome and there is not a bad seat in the house. I am happy the Big Ten did chose Columbus to host the tourney but i think it should move around to other Minor League stadiums in the Big Ten surrounding states. 
 

Thanks to Drew for taking the time to give us insight into the Buckeye baseball program! 

Go Illini!

IBR:  I see your dad out there every home game cheering you and rest of the team.  What kind of influence did he and the rest of your family have on you in your playing career?

BW:  My family has had a huge impact on my sports career.  My mom comes to most of the games as well and they have supported me throughout my career.  They got me into the game as a child and have made many sacrifices with their lives in order for  me to go to tournaments and games around the country.  They both have supported me more than I could ask for and am thankful for it.

BW:  Coach Hartleb is more of a player’s coach than a disciplinarian.  He will get on us every once in a while, but most of the time it is well deserved.  He is an easy coach to play for and allows you to play the game and have fun.

IBR:  What University of Illinois game sticks out as one that you’ll never forget?

BW:  There is no question that it was the Friday night game at LSU.  It was the single greatest sports moment I have had in my life and something I will never forget.  I have never experienced a crowd like that.  They were so energetic and had such a passion for the game.  When Aaron Johnson hit that home run I will never forget the excitement you saw in our dugout and to see their fans go silent.  It was an amazing experience and something I will never forget.

BW:  I think that this team is extremely confident in making the Big Ten Tournament.  We are in a position right now where we are tied for first and still play the team we’re tied with.  We have two games this week before a big conference series this weekend against Northwestern.  We can put ourselves in a good position in the Big Ten following this weekend and I think that we are confident we can do so.

BW:  I try not to think too far ahead and just focus on the current season that we have going.  I am excited for this year and what this team is capable of doing.  We have a chance to win the Big Ten this year and I am excited about that.  I will see what happens after the year and take it from there.  As for now, I am excited about this our team’s chances for the Big Ten as well as beyond that.

Thanks again to Brandon Wikoff for his valuable time!!

We decided that the Q&A with the Indiana baseball blog Behind the Plate went so well, we decided to do it again.  This time we interviewed FormerlyAnonymous, who blogs for Varsity Blue, a University of Michigan sports blog. 

I asked him a few questions about the Michigan baseball team who are currently 18-10 and 3-3 in Big Ten.

	Games #27, 28, 30	Record: 19-7 (4-2 Big Ten)
	vs University of Michigan Wolverines	at Ray Fisher Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
April 10	6:05pm CT	Big Ten Network
April 11	2:05pm CT
April 12	12:05pm CT

Illinois Baseball Report:  Michigan is 18-10 so far this season, putting together a five game win streak and two four-game win streaks.  However, in the Big Ten, you are 3-3 so far.  I know it’s early but shouldn’t we expect more from powerhouse Michigan?

Varsity Blue:  Its safe to say Michigan is definitely in a down year despite the 18-10  season.  Most Michigan fans have become used to the recent string of 40+ win seasons, but those have been with a drastically different team.  Last year’s team might be the greatest Michigan team since the World Series appearances in the 80s.   The team lost its top slugger in Nate Recknagel, its top pitcher (supposedly) in Zach Putnam, its closer in Michael Powers.  On top of that it lost team leader Jason Christian and his partner in the infield Leif Mahler, AND Adam Abraham.  That’s some mighty big shoes to fill right there, and it just hasn’t clicked yet.

Add in that we’ve struck out 65 more times this year than at the same point last year, and you’ve got some troubles… not to mention the double plays.  This season has been rough to cover, but I think our future looks bright.

IBR:  Nine homeruns for Ryan LaMarre and nine for Mike Dufek.  Pretty impressive.  If I wanted to look past that, who else is really contributing in the Wolverines’ lineup?

VB:  While homeruns are flashy, some of the top hitters for Michigan are actually in the 9/1/2 spots of the lineup.  Kevin Cislo is the key catalyst for Michigan.  He started the season somewhat slow, but the first half of March saw his average climb rapidly.  Center fielder Kenny Fellows follows in the two spot.  He and shortstop Anthony Toth (now in the 9 hole) switched during the Jacksonville tournament in the second weekend of the season with great results.  Fellows has seen both his run and RBI numbers increase mightily since the switch.  His 20 RBI is third on the team behind LaMarre (40) and Dufek (30).  Toth has seen his average raise from .250 to .323, and his strikeouts have become less of a problem.

After those four, things start to get rather hazy.  Designated hitter Jake McLouth started the season in a frenzy but has cooled off a little since his bout with "flu-like symptoms."  Alan Oaks missed the first half of the season due to illness, but has been flexing his muscles with 4 home runs.  However, he does have a high strikeout rate, as does much of the team.  John Lorenz, the freshman third basemen from Illinois, and Mike Dufek are our strikeout leaders currently with 26 on the year.  if there’s one thing that’s been consistent this season, its strikeouts.

IBR:  Chris Fetter seems to be pitching lights out for you (4-1, 2.42).  I assume the Illini will probably see him this weekend.  Who else might we see on the mound?  Can you tell us a little about them?

VB:  Fetter has been pretty dominating, but he has had one rough inning per outing the last few times out.  Unfortunately for him, the offense hasn’t helped. He’s still pitching very well though, and he’ll bring a lot of arm angles to the Illini lineup.  He mixes everything from over the top to pure side arm action.  Behind him is lefty Eric Katzman.  Katzman has been a little sporadic in his first year as a starter.  He’s pitched a couple of 7+ inning gems, but he’s also had some 3 inning duds this season.  He has some nasty off speed pitches in his curve and change up.  His fastball isn’t overpowering, but it does induce plenty of ground balls when it is spotted right.

The Sunday starter has been bouncing between sophomore Travis Smith and senior Mike Wilson.  Smith has your typical starter build (tall and thin) and can blow the fastball right past batters.  His slider and change up are also decent, but he’s had trouble locating them.  Wilson has been disappointing the last two seasons.  After such a strong 2007, he’s fallen to the wayside the last two years, giving up a ton of runs.  You never know what you’ll get from these two starters week to week, but they seem to be the only two in the equation to start right now.

The bullpen for Michigan is in a bit of a scramble after losing part time closer Tyler Burgoon to a shoulder injury.  Matt Miller has been impressive with a fastball/slider combination, and so has Mike Dufek who shares closer duties this season.  Dufek has a cannon, reaching the mid 90s on his fastball.  After that, things get sketchy.  Matt Gerbe has been less than stellar lately, as has Jeff DeCarlo.  We were desperate enough last weekend to even throw Alan Oaks for the first time since 2007.

IBR:  Illinois leads the conference in stolen bases..  However, Michigan catchers seem to have done pretty well throwing baserunners out so far this season and probably more importantly, teams just aren’t attempting to steal on them in the first place.

     How do you see this dynamic playing out this weekend?

VB:  To start the season, Chris Berset was pretty solid behind the plate.  He’s not the best defensive catcher around, but he got the job done.  The problem is he was lost to a thumb injury (I believe he broke it).  Since then senior captain Tim Kalczynski has taken over most of the catching duties.  He’s only thrown out 6 of the 15 stolen base attempts on the year.  Illinois may test him early, but Fetter has a good slide step and pickoff move, so it may come after the relief corps comes in.  Coley Crank is another freshman that will see time behind the plate this weekend.  He hasn’t thrown out a runner yet, and I expect Illinois to try and exploit him often.

Other than Fetter, not many pitchers have that good of record with stolen base attempts.  Only Burgoon was able to keep opposing teams at 50% success rates

IBR:  I should know better than to ask a Michigan fan for a season prediction for their team.  But I’ll go ahead anyway.  What will Michigan do in 2009?

VB:  We win every game the rest of the season, sweep the Big Ten Tourney, go to Omaha just to lose to Southern Cal!  No, but seriously… I think we scrape out a fourth place finish, win our first game of the tourney, make a run through the losers bracket, but come short of making it to the finals.  No NCAA tournament bid this year.  We should be much much better next year.

IBR:  Finally, take a few sentences and tell us something about Varsity Blue I wouldn’t find out by going to your website. 

VB:  Paul owns both Tim and myself (Paul and Tim being our non-baseball writers) in our NCAA Football ’09 online dynasty, but I broke his regular season 150+ game win streak this weekend.  I’m on top of the world.  Yeah, we’re fairly transparent minus my pen name.

I also answered some questions from FormerlyAnonymous about the Illini.  If you’re interested in the results, they’re posted on Varsity Blue. 

Thanks to FormerlyAnonymous and Varsity Blue! 

Let go Illini!

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!