What a day to be at the ballpark! Yesterday, it was about perfect. I had been going through baseball withdrawal. Normally at this time, it would have been a few months without baseball but this year, I haven’t seen (or photographed) an Illini baseball game since the first home game.…
Joey Gerber is going up to the Show! The former Illini reliever was invited to Seattle’s 60-man training roster and is one of 22 invitees joining the team. He posted a very thoughtful Tweet today… Gerber played for the Illini from 2016 to 2018. Aside from multiple Academic Big Ten…
This summer, Illinois baseball is installing new Field Turf at Illinois Field and the installation has now commenced! I had the day off today so I took some time to stop by Illinois Field and see how the progress is coming along. It was very strange to walk into the…
The Rockford Rivets’ season is now “indefinitely on hold” as there was concerns of exposure to the Covid-19 virus by a staff member. Why is important to Illini fans? The Rivets, a Northwoods League team, has three Illini on their roster. I found this out the hard way this as…
Last week, FightingIllini.com announced that Illinois pitcher Aidan Maldonado was ranked #77 among draft prospects by Baseball America. Add that to another honor for the sophomore right-hander. Maldonado’s 2020 season was cut short by Covid-19, of course. He showed signs of continuing his success. In his 2019 season with the…
Summer collegiate league ball is in full swing! While the Illini 2020 season was shelved, the Northwoods League is going ahead with their season. The Illinois Baseball program has a long history with the NWL and this year is no exception. Sixteen Illinois baseball players will be playing on seven…
When we heard about the new Field Turf being laid out this summer, I thought about the previously-announced baseball training center and what the plans were for that. We hadn’t heard much about that recently. Sure enough, there was an announcement about that last week along with a architectural rendering…
Two former Illini relievers are making their way up towards better things! Joey Gerber Joey Gerber (2016-2018) has been called up by the Seattle Mariners to their 60-player training camp. Workouts begin July 3 for Gerber. One of top bullpen aces in the Big Ten, Joey Gerber was drafted as…
This summer, Illinois Field will be getting a makeover. It’s been over twelve years since the field received its first installment of Field Turf in February 2008. You can see some photos of the 2008 installation here. Before that, Illinois was covered in grass and dirt. Now, it will be…
One of Illinois’ most consistent starters in recent memory will be going on to greener pastures. According to FightingIllini.com, righthander Ty Weber has been signed by the San Francisco Giants organization this week! This has been a roller-coaster year for senior Ty Weber. He was off to a great start…