Feb. 12, 2003

Champaign, Ill. - The 2003 season of Illinois Baseball will try to restore the program to the level of success it has enjoyed for the majority of the past decade. After missing out on the postseason for the first time in six years last season, Illinois is determined to not only return to the Big Ten Tournament but make some noise along the way.

Senior Andy Schutzenhofer will be the focal point of the offense. The Swansea, Ill., native is a three-time All-Big Ten pick who has a chance to finish his career as one of the top two hitters in school history, joining only former Major League All-Star Darrin Fletcher among the all-time Illinois elite.

Other top returners to the offense include sophomore Drew Davidson, who as a freshman led the team in almost every major offensive category en route to earning freshman All-America honors, and senior Brandon Cashman, who had six home runs of his own last year to go along with 18 stolen bases.

Other returning starters include shortstop T.F. Meagher, who will enter his third year as a starter in the middle infield this year, right fielder Joe Parenti and second baseman Brian Raymond.

The pitching staff has its work cut out for it to replace two-time All-American Andy Dickinson, who graduated following the 2002 campaign before being drafted by the Oakland A's in the June Major League Baseball draft. The 2001 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year tied Illinois' career wins record and was the last of three Illini to earn Pitcher of the Year honors in the past five years.

Likely successors to Dickinson's role of staff ace include senior Josh Lane, juniors Tim Gorski, Ted Rowe, Reilly Smith and Joe Ziemba and sophomores Brian Blomquist and Jimmy Conroy.

Whoever does step into Dickinson's role will have his job made easier by the presence of Dave Mazurek, the second-team All-Big Ten closer a year ago. Mazurek, who didn't take over the closing role into midway through last season, posted seven saves on the year to place himself among Illinois' single season and career saves leaders.

First Base Senior Andy Schutzenhofer returns for his fourth and final season at first base this year. One of the most prolific offensive players in the history of the Illinois program, Schutzenhofer needs only 21 starts, five hits, eight runs scored, two doubles, 61 total bases and 13 RBI to enter the Illinois career top 10 in those categories.

Junior Trevor Frederickson, who hit .250 out of the DH hole a year ago, will back up Schutzenhofer. Freshman Brendon Cody will also be in the mix behind Schutzenhofer at first.

Middle Infield Third-year starter T.F. Meagher returns at shortstop for his senior season. The Naperville, Ill., native has been a fixture at short since taking over the reins as a sophomore. Last year he started all 51 of Illinois' games, collecting 13 stolen bases.

Freshman Eric Eymann, who led the team in hitting during fall practice, will compete for time at short with Meagher. If Eymann shows promise hitting in the spring, the coaching staff may consider moving Meagher back to his natural position at second base and give Eymann a shot at short. Junior Brian Raymond, who started the majority of games at second for Illinois last year, enters the season in the drivers seat at second provided Meagher does not move back. Junior Vince DiMaria, who has played both outfield and second during his career, will also compete for time at second base, while freshmen Drew Smith and Brian Obendorf will serve as back-ups at both middle infield spots.

Third Base Sophomore Dusty Bensko and Chad Frk, along with freshman Chris Robinson, will compete to replace graduated senior Luke Simmons. Bensko, who saw some time at DH and second as a freshman a year ago, was named a summer All-American by Baseball America after earning co-Player of the Year honors for the Central Illinois Collegiate League.

Frk, who missed most of last year with a back injury, appeared in 43 games and started 37 as a freshman, hitting .220 with 10 RBI.

Robinson, who will also compete for the starting catchers job, played third base for Team Canada at the Junior World Championships last summer, hitting .450 at the tournament.

Catcher Sean Patrick, the back-up catcher last year, is poised to take over starting duties behind the plate to fill the job that opened when Patrick Arlis was drafted and signed with the Florida Marlins following the Major League Baseball draft last summer. Patrick hit .253 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 79 at bats a year ago.

Frederickson and Robinson will also compete for the starting catchers job, while redshirt freshmen Jon Miller and Jim Weck, along with true freshmen Danny Fletcher and Jim Sharwarko, will also compete for time behind the plate.

Left Field Sophomore Drew Davidson, a freshman All-American and third-team All-Big Ten pick a year ago, returns to left field. Davidson hit a team-leading .341 with a team-leading 10 home runs to go along with 26 RBI last season. He also led the team with 104 total bases and a .601 slugging percentage en route to being named the University's top male newcomer.

Junior Ted Rowe, who should factor into the starting rotation, could also see some time in left field. A part-time outfielder a year ago, Rowe hit .304 in 23 at bats that included 15 games played and three starts. Freshman Josh Baker, a Colorado native, could also see time in left.

Center Field Brandon Cashman will return for his second season patrolling center field for the Illini. The senior, who transferred from Iowa State last year after ISU dropped its baseball program, started in center from day one of his time at Illinois and led the team in stolen bases while saving two games for the Illini with late inning home run robbing catches.

Freshman Trevor Huisinga and Davidson will back up Cashman in center.

Right Field Junior Joe Parenti, a two-year starter in right, returns for his third year. Parenti, who returned to right last season after missing the 2001 campaign with a broken foot, hit .259 a year ago with three home runs and 28 RBI.

Redshirt freshman Nate Wetters will back up Parenti in right.

Starting Pitching The starting pitching will have to recover from the loss of Dickinson, but there are plenty of talented arms to take up the slack. Senior Josh Lane and juniors Tim Gorski, Ted Rowe, Reilly Smith and Joe Ziemba all figure to be in the mix for spots in the Conference rotation. Lane, who was 2-3 a year ago with a 4.82 ERA, spent the majority of the year in the rotation, while Gorski went 3-2 with a 4.06 ERA. Smith posted a 1-0 record with a 3.96 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen. Ziemba, meanwhile, did not post a record in 15 1/3 innings of work as he threw out of the bullpen the majority of last season.

A pair of sophomores, Brian Blomquist and Jimmy Conroy, also figure to be in the hunt for a spot in the rotation. Blomquist and Conroy both went 2-0 last year with a 3.21 and 3.57 ERA, respectively. Conroy has one shutout under his belt, having thrown a seven inning blanking against Blackburn in his first collegiate start.

Bullpen Dave Mazurek, the second-team All-Big Ten closer a year ago, returns to anchor the Illini bullpen in 2003. He became the closer midway through last season and ended up second in the Big Ten in saves in both all games (seven) and League games (six).

Senior Casey Hahn and sophomores Jeff Paarlberg and James Morris will provide middle relief depth for the team.

New Pitchers The Illinois coaches will look for the team's new pitchers to help this year. They include sophomore transfer Andy Sigerich, junior transfer Jake Stewart and freshmen Jay Kelty and Jake Toohey.