Illini Retrospective: The 1990s
May 7, 2010 | Baseball
May 7, 2010
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In anticipation of the Celebration of 130 Years of Illinois Baseball during the Purdue series May 14-16, FightingIllini.com will be showcasing a series of weekly features that look back at the history of the oldest sport on the Illinois campus. Illinois baseball began in the fall of 1879 and is one of the most storied programs on campus. The Fighting Illini have won 28 Big Ten titles and have the seventh-most Major League players all-time among college programs with 70, according to Baseball Almanac. Each week leading up to the celebration weekend, Illini fans will have a chance to learn more about each decade since the 1940s - the teams, the players and the coaches.
With one look into the Illinois baseball record books, anyone can see that the 1990s were home to some of the most outstanding achievements that the Illini baseball program has ever seen. Many of the accomplishments of this decade remain unbeaten, as the players who both came before this decade and followed it have not been able to top such feats.
1990 was the final year of Augie Garrido's coaching tenure and he went out with a bang, leading the Illini to a Big Ten Tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA South I Regional in Starkville, Miss. The Illini won their first game but lost to the host Bulldogs to fall into an elimination game with Brigham Young. Illinois topped the Cougars but lost a 6-4 game to Florida State to see their season end.
1991 marked the start of the Richard "Itch" Jones coaching era. Jones came to Illinois after a very successful career at Southern Illinois and spent 15 years as the head coach of the Illini, compiling a record of 474-373-1. He also won two Big Ten titles and one Big Ten Tournament title, as well as leading the Illini to two NCAA Regional appearances.
The 1996 season was one of the most remarkable offensive years in Illinois history, led by shortstop Josh Klimek leading the country in home runs with 26, which still stands as Illinois' single-season record. Almost more impressively, Klimek hit .400 that year, but was second on the team in batting average to Brian McClure's .418 average. 1996 remains one of only four years in Illinois history in which two players hit .400 or better in a season. Klimek's 94 RBIs and 188 total bases, and McClure's 80 runs from that season remain Illinois' single-season records in those categories.
Jones' first Big Ten Title came in 1998, as Illinois posted a 42-21 overall record and a 19-5 record in the conference. The Illini hosted the Big Ten Tournament and lost their first game before battling back with consecutive wins. But Illinois dropped a 9-8 game to champion Minnesota. The Illini were rewarded with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, though, and traveled to the South I Regional in Gainesville, Fla., where they were the No. 5 seed. Illinois fell, 14-12, to second-seeded Wake Forest, in the first game of the regional, but went on an incredible run to win its next three games while facing elimination - 12-2 over No. 6 Monmouth, 8-7 over No. 3 Baylor and a 13-4 win to end Wake Forest's season.
That set up a matchup with No. 1 seed Florida. The Illini took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 11th when, with runners at the corners and one out, Dusty Rhodes successfully executed a suicide squeeze to score Danny Rhodes. Illinois got within two outs of the College World Series, but the Gators responded in the bottom half with a pair of RBI singles that scored future big-leaguers Mark Ellis and Brad Wilkerson to take a 7-6 win and advance to the CWS.
1998 was the most impressive statistical year on the decade, as the team still holds eight team season records. The team had the best performances ever at Illinois in batting average, at bats, runs, hits, RBIs, doubles, home runs, total bases and pitching strikeouts. The team also holds the record for number of triples and home runs hit in a Big Ten season.
The 1990s produced 16 All-Americans, the most of any decade at Illinois. The '90s also boast 55 All-Big Ten players, 19 of which were named to the first team and 18 to the second team. Thirty Illini also were selected in the Major League Draft throughout the decade, many of whom went on to outstanding professional careers. Among these Illini are Mark Dalesandro and Larry Sutton. Dalesandro had a seven-year career in the American League while Sutton played eight seasons on teams in both the American and National Leagues.
Brett Weber was another notable name from that era, as he remains one of the most remarkable pitchers in Illinois history. Weber is tied for the school record for wins in a Big Ten season with six victories in both 1996 and 1998. He was a Big Ten Winning Percentage Champion as well as Big Ten ERA Champion in 1996 and 1998. Weber is one of five Illini to be the Big Ten ERA champion and is the only one to do it twice. He also holds school records for ERA in a Big Ten season and Big Ten career, innings pitched in a Big Ten career and overall strikeouts.
The players of the '90s still hold at least five of the top 10 records in 11 statistical categories. With their most outstanding achievements in average, hits, run, total bases, RBIs, doubles, home runs, stolen bases, ERA and appearances in a season, it makes it clear that the decade saw some of the most accomplished players in history.
