Let’s talk about the fun stuff first.
Matt Dittman was awarded the co-Big Ten Player of the Week yesterday! He hit .615 
for the weekend with five rbis and scored seven. Ditt’s timing was impeccable as his big game came in the 11-10 win against #12 Coastal Carolina when he went 4 for 5 with two doubles and three runs and two rbis.
Dittman has been an offensive machine and has only gotten better as the season wears on. He sits atop the conference with a .563 batting average, .781 slugging average and a .674 on-base percentage. Please tell if I’m jumping the gun but is Matt Dittman an early candidate for the Big Ten Player of the Year?
Micah Johnson from Indiana was also named the co-Big Ten Player of the Week and Matt Bischoff was honored as Big Ten Pitcher of the Week.
Congrats Ditt!
Ok, now we can take a look at the Big Ten standings:
| Team | Record | Pct. | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0-0 | .000 | 9-4 | .692 |
| Michigan State | 0-0 | .000 | 8-4 | .667 |
| Michigan | 0-0 | .000 | 6-9 | .400 |
| Minnesota | 0-0 | .000 | 5-9 | .357 |
| Indiana | 0-0 | .000 | 5-9 | .357 |
| Penn State | 0-0 | .000 | 4-8 | .333 |
| Iowa | 0-0 | .000 | 4-9 | .308 |
| Purdue | 0-0 | .000 | 3-7 | .300 |
| Illinois | 0-0 | .000 | 3-7 | .300 |
| Northwestern | 0-0 | .000 | 4-10 | .286 |
Illinois moved up a tad in the standings. They’re now tied for eighth with Purdue. More importantly, the Illini are only a half game behind Iowa and a full game behind Penn State. Suffice to say, it’s a tight race in the second division right now. I realize that the non-conference standings are not as important save for bragging rights and perhaps, perception. The more crucial thing now is who you beat.
Speaking of, here are the Big Ten standings sorted by RPI thanks to Happy Valley Hardball.
Stat Stuff
Willie Argo has seen his batting average improve over the weekend. In the four games, Argo went 7 for 12 and he’s now hitting .355. Argo was sat out in Friday’s game against Lipscomb but came in as a pinch hitter. He responded with a base hit and continued to hit for the weekend.
You can thank the opponents in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge who walked Argo eight times for his current .512 on-base percentage. And don’t look now but he’s leading the Illini with six steals.
Mike Giller is hitting “only” .289 but he’s really making the most of it. He’s already scored 10 runs (second on the team) and has driven in eight (third). He is one of two players who has hit the longball twice (Casey McMurray is the other).
The Illini will be on their way to Winter Haven, Florida in a couple days. It’s Spring Break time!
Go Illini!