Meet Illinois starting pitcher Jack Wenninger…
Jack is a mild-mannered ballplayer from Cary, Illinois. I had the pleasure to sit at his table at the annual Hot Stove Banquet this January. Jack was a very pleasant gentleman and talked to our table about the Illinois baseball program. When I asked him about the prospects of him starting in the 2023 season, he seemed pretty optimistic.
Jaded me thought, “That’s nice, he might get a good chance”.
Wowee, was I underestimating Wenninger’s prospects! At 5-3 with a 4.25 ERA, he is proving to be the most dependable starter on the Illinois roster this year.
And this is the face that opponents see when they face him.
It’s a lot more intimidating than what I saw from across a banquet table.
The Ohio State Buckeyes were none to happy either this Saturday. Jack Wenninger mowed the Buckeyes down as he pitched a complete game shutout winning 7-0.
And it gets better. Wenninger only allowed one baserunner the entire game, a double in the third inning. After that, he retired twenty-one batters in a row.
To put this in perspective, the last complete game pitched by an Illinois pitcher was over five years ago by Ty Weber in 2018.
With this accomplishment, the right-hander earns this week’s Big Ten’s Co-Pitcher of the Week award.
This is the second time Wenninger has taken this honor in 2023. It’s well deserved and couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
With his fifth win, he cements his position on the Big Ten’s top wins leaders at sixth.
Jack even sneaks his way onto the ERA leaders list.
By the way, Jack Wenninger and I message each other on occasion. He is as courteous as ever. I’m just glad I’m not a Big Ten opponent.