Feb. 20, 2006

After winning its first Big Ten title in seven years, the first item on the minds of the 2006 Illinois Baseball team is defending that crown and making a return trip to the Big Ten Tournament for the eighth time in the last 11 years.

In order to get there, Illinois will have to mature rapidly, generate offense consistently and perform solidly in the field. A strong pitching nucleus returns, with three starters and the team's top two relievers back from 2005. After spending a summer in the top collegiate leagues across the country, the Illini's young guns are primed to explode onto the Big Ten and NCAA scene in 2006. Leading the crew is Dan Hartleb, who begins his first year as head coach after refining his philosophy for 17 years under Hall of Fame head coach Richard "Itch" Jones. Veteran pitching coach Ken Westray also joins the Illini, looking to continually improve what has traditionally been one of the top pitching staffs in the Big Ten.

The first thing many people see when looking at the 2006 Illinois Baseball team is first-year head coach Dan Hartleb. And while it may be his first year leading the program, Hartleb has spent his entire career learning from one of the best in the game, Hall of Fame head coach Richard "Itch" Jones.

Hartleb earned the head job when Jones retired after leading the 2005 team to its first Big Ten championship in seven years. The transition has been nearly seamless, as assistant coach Eric Snider has also stayed with the Illini. Joining the Illinois staff is Ken Westray, a veteran of the Philadelphia Phillies' developmental system. Volunteer assistant Brett Herbison is also back in the Orange and Blue for his second season.

"There hasn't been a lot of turnover, so there has been a lot of consistency in the things we've done. You have a few changes, but it's not an overhaul," Hartleb said. "Itch always gave us a lot of input and we felt things were very solid, so we're still doing a lot of the same things."

Hartleb's first team will be much different from his last one as associate head coach, as the Illini lost 13 of 22 letterwinners to graduation or the Major League Baseball draft. Only two position starters return - rightfielder Trevor Huisinga and designated hitter Mike Rohde - leaving seven spots up for grabs during preseason camp.

"We've got a lot of good athletes and we're strong from the left side of the plate, which is always a plus," Hartleb said. "I'm not sure that we're a real powerful team, so we'll have to move runners and be an intelligent offensive club."

While youth is an issue, 24 of the 36 players on the roster were with the team in 2005 and learned the necessary ingredients for a Big Ten title run. "They know what they need to do to win in the Big Ten," Hartleb said. "Also, when we struggled a little bit last year, I think guys learned how to handle tough situations that the whole group had not been through. And I think the fact that our players got a taste of winning has been important for the attitude of the team this year."

And while stolen bases leader Ryan Rogowski is gone after swiping 31 bases in 2005, the Illini still have plenty of team speed. While freshman outfielder Kyle Hudson and redshirt-freshman shortstop Joe Bonadonna will likely be Illinois' top base-stealing threats, a handful of other players also have the ability to swipe a base in certain spots.

"Hudson and Bonadonna are very, very quick, and we have another group of guys like Hastings, Huisinga, Roof and even Ifft who run well enough that we won't be afraid to start them on the basepaths. I think we can create an exciting offense that our fans will enjoy watching."

Starting Pitchers
Without a doubt, Illinois' strength will be in its arms, as the Illini return three pitchers who started five or more games and two who made at least 10 starts. Brian Blomquist leads the way, returning after a breakout 10-3 season in which he posted a 3.53 ERA and went 6-2 in Big Ten play to earn first team All-Big Ten honors.

"Blomquist came back from injury and really developed into a very consistent starter for us," Hartleb said. "He went out on Friday nights, which some guys can't handle mentally, and just handled the pressure perfectly. A 10-win season in college is a very good season."

Along with Blomquist are Jake Stewart, who served as a valuable Sunday starter late in the Big Ten season, and Matt Whitmore, who started 10 games in 2005, including a comple-game win against Michigan on April 16.

With three starters back, Illinois must find only one more front-line pitcher from a number of candidates. Newcomer Omar Kadir, a junior from Surrey, British Columbia, will challenge for the spot, as will senior Andy Sigerich. "We brought in Omar Kadir because of his experience. He is definitely an athlete who could fit in the rotation," Hartleb said. "Hopefully Sigerich can regain some form and push himself as a possible starter."

Other candidates for the starting rotation are redshirt-freshmen Scott Shaw, Blake Hopkins and Luke Obukowicz, and junior Jake Toohey.

Bullpen
The bullpen looks be another highlight for Illinois, as the top two relievers from 2005 return in Aaron Saving and Jake Toohey. Saving was 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA and two saves in 19 relief appearances, and Toohey notched five saves in 35 innings of work, posting a 3.60 ERA.

"I'm excited about the depth we have in the bullpen," Hartleb said. "Any time you have two of your main guys back I think it's something you can be excited about. I also think there is depth with our young arms. We have a number of pitchers who can work some innings and relieve some of the pressure from both Aaron and Jake and not put them in a situation that they'll get overworked."

Included in that list are lefthanders Jonathan Smiley (1-0, .226 opp. BA in 2005) and Blake Hopkins (redshirted 2005 season), as well as righthanders Joel Barickman (2-3, 6.38 ERA in 2005) and Brian Long (2-3, 6.25 at Eastern Illinois in 2005).

Catcher
One of the biggest holes the Illini have to fill is behind the plate. Canadian Chris Robinson became the highest-drafted position player in Illinois history when he was selected in the third round of the 2005 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. Taking over behind the plate will be Aaron Ifft (.214, 6 runs, 6 RBI in 28 AB in 2005) or newcomer Lars Davis, who hails from Grande Prairie, Alberta.

"I think Lars and Aaron are in a situation where they will help us out tremendously behind the plate," Hartleb said. "We have a right-handed hitter (Ifft) and a left-handed hitter (Davis), which gives us some options. I think they both understand the game and will relate to the pitchers well."

Also in the mix will be redshirt sophomore Jeff Meyer, with freshmen Chris Montgomery and Jake Mathis rounding out the catching corps.

Infield
Despite losing starters at all the infield positions, Hartleb is upbeat about his projected infield starters. Shawn Roof (.320, 16 runs in 103 ABs in 2005), who earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Tournament team at third base after starting 10 of Illinois' last 11 games in 2005, will be in the mix at both second and third base along with Mike Rohde and Ryan Hastings. Rohde led the Illini with a .385 batting average in Big Ten play in 2005 while in the designated hitter spot, and Hastings sat out last season with a wrist injury after hitting .315 and scoring 25 runs as Illinois' starting second baseman in 2004.

"One thing I like about that group is its versatility. If someone is swinging the bat well and isn't one of the starters, we could move him to the outfield because all of the infielders are very good athletes," Hartleb said. "That would allow us to get the hottest hitters on the field at the same time."

At shortstop, it's a two-way race between redshirt-freshman Joe Bonadonna and true-freshman Dominic Altobelli. Bonadonna spent the summer with the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League, leading the team in walks and finishing second in runs and stolen bases.

First base base will likely be manned by Dave Schultz, a senior who transferred from Creighton after the 2005 season. Schultz hit .423 with 16 RBI and 16 runs in 71 at bats last season, and has played the last three summers for the LaCrosse Loggers of the Northwoods League.

"The addition of Dave Schultz will be a plus," Hartleb said. "He's very good offensive player and handles himself well around the bag."

Outfield
With Huisinga returning in right field, that leaves two open slots with a number of possibilities. Four leading candidates for those jobs are Kyle Hudson, Ryan Snowden, Chase Kliment and Nick Stockwell.

Kliment is the only returning player from 2005, notching three hits in mostly pinch-hitting duty last season. Hudson, who lettered for Ron Zook's football team in the fall, is looking to be the first Illini baseball and football player since Tim Lavery in 1997. Snowden transferred to Illinois from Kaskaskia Community College following the 2005 season, and Stockwell redshirted the 2005 campaign.

"We have several good options in the outfield," Hartleb said. "A lot of it is going to depend on who is the most consistent at the plate.

"There are some question marks just as there are in the infield just because we don't have people with a lot of experience. But I do think that when game time comes, we will be solid at all the positions."

Schedule
Illinois plays one of its toughest schedules in recent memory, with 13 games against seven NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including the season-opener against Stetson, the Atlantic Sun tournament champion. The Illini also play in the Baseball Express Collegiate Baseball Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The four-day event features NCAA qualifiers Notre Dame, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas-San Antonio, as well as perennial power Texas A&M.

In addition, Illinois faces Big Ten foes Ohio State and Michigan, who both reached the NCAA tournament, and travels to O'Fallon, Mo., for the second straight year to face 2005 NCAA participant Missouri in a wooden-bat game.

Experience
On the surface, the Illini are much younger than a year ago, but many of the Illinois players have been a part of successful teams. In addition to the Big Ten title a year ago, a number of Illini played with successful teams over the summer and had multiple individual accomplishments.

Rohde and Sigerich were part of the Madison Mallards team that won the 2004 Northwoods League title, and Rohde nearly repeated with the Mallards in 2005, falling one game short of the championship. Rohde holds seven club records, including career RBI, runs and doubles marks.

Roof and Huisinga won the Coastal Plain League first-half title with the Fayetteville SwampDogs in 2005, leading the Dogs to a 20-8 record at the midway point. Roof led the squad in hitting with a .315 mark and in on-base percentage (.446), while Huisinga's perfect fielding percentage was tops for the Dogs.

In addition, Blomquist led the Prairie Gravel squad to an NBC World Series title in the summer of 2005.

"Winning breeds winning," Hartleb said. "All these players have gone out and had success in summer leagues. We have a lot of players who had success in high school. They are used to winning. They like to win and they expect to win."

That expectation to win will be a key for the Illini as they embark on the difficult task of defending their Big Ten title in a league that doesn't provide any breaks.

"The fact that we won last year and guys got a taste of that will be important for the attitude this year. Just to say `Hey, this is what it's like and we like that taste in our mouth."