University of Illinois Graduate

2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award

NIL Opportunities

Career Highs

• Hits: 4, vs. Northwestern, April 20, 2024
• Doubles: 1, 9x, last: at Purdue, May 18, 2024
• Triples: --
• Home runs: 2, vs. Northwestern, April 20, 2024
• Total bases: 11, vs. Northwestern, April 20, 2024
• RBI: 4, vs. Northwestern, April 20, 2024
• Runs scored: 3, vs. Northwestern, April 20, 2024
• Walks: 2, 6x, last: vs. Indiana State, May 31, 2024
• At bats: 5, 4x, last: at Purdue, April 18, 2024
• Stolen Bases: 1, 6x, last: at Maryland, April 26, 2024
• Field chances: 6, vs. Ohio State, May 4, 2024
• Putouts: 6, vs. Ohio State, May 4, 2024
• Assists: 1, 3x, last: at #2 Kentucky, June 1, 2024

Senior - 2024

• Big Ten Player of the Week - April 22
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
• Academic All-Big Ten.
• Appeared in a career-high 51 games, making a career-high 31 starts...slashed .309/.433/.573 to go along with five doubles, eight home runs and 17 RBI.
• Set career-best marks in average, at-bats (110), runs (30), hits (34), doubles (5), home runs, RBI, walks (21), on-base percentage, slugging and OPS (1.006).
• Earned his first-career Big Ten Player of the Week honor after going 9-for-12 (.750) with three home runs and eight RBI during the Illini's three-game sweep of Northwestern...fell just a triple shy of the cycle on April 20 and April 21...had a whopping 2.417 OPS during the three games with multi-hit efforts in each contest.
• Crushed the first home run of his career on April 13 vs. Northern Illinois...then homered three more times the following weekend vs. Northwestern...all eight of his home runs came over a span of 46 at-bats from April 13 - May 11...had no home runs in the first 101 at-bats of his career.
• Had breakout day at the plate on April 20 vs. Northwestern, going 4-for-4 with three runs, a double, two home runs and four RBI.
• Slugged the first walk-off home run of his career on April 30 vs. No. 24 Indiana State...a solo blast to center to give the Illini the run-rule victory in seven innings.
• Ended his Illini tenure with a career-best 23-game on base streak from April 19 - June 2.
• Hit safely in all three games at the NCAA Lexington Regional.

Junior - 2023

• Academic All-Big Ten
• Slashed .140/.271/.200/.471 over 31 games, 14 starts...had three doubles and two RBI.
• Made his first-career start on March 19 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Picked up a career-high two RBI on March 24 at Nebraska.
• Posted first-career two-hit game on May 14 at Rutgers.

Sophomore - 2022

• Academic All-Big Ten
• Appeared in 15 games, going 2-for-9 at the plate
• Collected his first extra-base hit on April 5 at Illinois State, a double

Freshman - 2021

• Appeared in 15 games off the bench 
• First career hit was a single at Iowa on May 15

High School

• No. 4 outfielder in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 74 outfielder in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 14 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report
• No. 441 recruit in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
• Three-year letterwinner
• Played for head coach John Staab at Champaign Central
• 2019 IHSA All-State
• 2019 PBR All-State first team
• 2019 All-Big 12 Conference first team
• .411 batting average, six homers, 42 RBIs, 43 runs, 22 steals, 98 total bases, 17 doubles, and six triples as a junior
• National Honor Society
• Involved with community service through FCA
• Also played football at Champaign Central and was a four-year letterwinner
• All-Area and All-Big 12 Conference in football
• Former Illini Davis Hendrickson was his former batting coach
• Former youth wrestling teammate of Illini Kellen Sarver

Personal

• Born May 4, 2002
• Son of Howard and Barclay Milton
• Father, Howard, is the Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Development at the University of Illinois
• Two younger sisters, Claire and Callie
• Played summer ball for the Illinois Braves
• Committed to Illinois in the fall of 2018 after receiving a scholarship offer
• Chose Illinois because, "it has always been a dream to be an Illini."