The players have pretty much wrapped up their trip to the Dominican Republic. They played their last game yesterday. And while wins, losses and stats are not the important thing in the grand picture, the Illini have done well. They won five, lost two and tied once.
What is important though is that our players who are acting as representatives of the University of Illinois, have given the people of the Dominican Republic a glimpse of who we are as a people while at the same time learning a thing or two about the priorities of those in a different culture. This was made evident with the players’ trip of the Escuela Hogar Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos orphanage after a pair of split squad games on Tuesday. Looking at the photos, I can both the kids of orphanage and our boys had a lot of fun. The players also had a visit with US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Wally Brewster on the same day.
But this is a baseball blog and I just can’t help but look at stats. I kept reading Pat McInerney’s name in the highlights every day. Sure enough, if you look at the final stats, it bears out. In five games, Pat “the Bat” (seriously, I’m trying to get that nickname to stick), went 6 for 17 with 2 homeruns (the only homers hit by an Illini for the week). Both Ropers did well at the plate, too. Ryne Roper batted .375 and Reid Roper batted .313 with four runs scored.
Overall though, it was a pitchers’ week. The Dominican teams kept the Illini to a .219 batting average. Our pitchers did well with a 2.65 team ERA. The coaches gave all the hurlers an equal chance and they performed well.
The Illinois baseball players will certainly come back to the US will a different outlook. Fortunately for us, there was great coverage of the week. You can find a good summary of the week here at FightingIllini.com with photos, videos and links to box scores.
Something tells me that those who attend the upcoming Illinois Baseball Hot Stove Banquet will hear some good stories about their trip. I attended the banquet last year when the idea of the players and coaches taking the trip to the D-R was first announced. It would only make sense that this coming banquet would wind down with a summarization of the trip.
Details of the upcoming Hot Stove Banquet has not been officially announced but I’ve heard from a reliable source that it will take place on January 24, 2015. Mark your calendars! More details on the banquet when they become available.
Welcome home, guys!!