On top of the news that Drew Dickinson has officially joined the Illini coaching staff, another former University of Illinois pitcher will be taking his place as volunteer assistant coach. Last week, it was announced that Jason Anderson will take on the position on the heels of the news that he retired from professional baseball as a player.
With Dickinson and Anderson both on board, I’m wondering if this shows a move to right the pitching woes that have somewhat plagued the Illini staff in the past few years. Who better to bring out the best of our capable arms than two of our best pitchers from recent memory?
Coach Hartleb’s comments seem to correlate this:
“I’m excited that Jason will be coming back to help the program. He and (pitching coach) Drew (Dickinson) teaming up to work with the pitching staff will be a special situation and one that I doubt is matched by many college teams across the country. Jason is one of the all-time great players at the University of Illinois and will be a great asset to our program.”
Anderson ranks third among Illini in career wins with 29. He was an All-American and All-Big Ten pitcher in 2000. The Yankees drafted Anderson in the 2000 player draft.