The temps are dipping into the single digits here in Champaign-Urbana and it doesn’t look like there is much relief in the near future. That’s not preventing the Illinois baseball team from getting some practice in, though. They are enjoying the relative warmth of the Irwin Practice Facility to get there warm-ups in.
During a break, the team had a bit of fun at the expense of the Chicago Bears. Illini infielder Ryan Haff kicked a 43-yard field goal at the Irwin facility which is outfitted with goalposts. And of course, someone got a video of the event.
Nice kick, Ryan! Since then, Haff’s FG has since gone a bit viral and gotten a little attention on Twitter and Facebook in the past day.
That little instance may take some pressure off of Michael Massey. The Illini second baseman was named to D1Baseball’s Preseason All American Third team. This is the second preseason honor bestowed to Massey this offseason. A few weeks ago, College Baseball Newspaper gave him a similar honor.
I’m not a huge fan of preseason “awards” especially when it comes to college athletes though I understand the thought process behind it. Everyone loves lists and the sports media can’t resist making them to help us know who to watch.
That said, Michael Massey hasn’t given us any reason to believe he can’t repeat his past success. In his first two seasons, he has started all 104 games. His defense is unparalleled winning the Rawlings Gold Glove award making just one error last year.
His offense is key to the Illini lineup especially in conference games. He led the Big Ten in hits and came in second in rbis during conference play. For the 2018 season, he batted .326 with six homeruns and 46 rbis.
And from where I stand, I enjoy watching Massey play. He seems to love baseball. So many of my photos of Michael Massey on the field, have a smile on his face.
In other news
Former Illini slugger Bren Spillane (you remember him with all the homers?) is getting noticed in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He has made the Reds Top 30 Prospects Watch.
Michael Massey and the rest of the Illinois baseball players will take to practice for the next couple of weeks before they head to North Carolina in less than three weeks. They will take on Georgetown on February 15th.
Good luck, Illini!