2015 Baseball Roster
Jersey Number 7
Reid Roper
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-0 / 205
- Position:
- IF/RHP
- Hometown:
- Harrisburg, Ill.
- High School:
- Harrisburg
Redshirt-Senior - 2015
- Third-team All-Big Ten second baseman
- CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American, First-Team Academic All-District, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and an Academic All-Big Ten selection
- Hit .293 with 49 runs (T-9th in Big Ten), career-high 10 home runs (5th in Big Ten) and 49 RBI (T-6th in Big Ten)
- Ranked first in the Big Ten in walks (42), T-7th in the Big Ten in triples (4), 14th in slugging percentage (.487), and 15th in on-base percentage (.412)
- Scored a school-record six runs plus hit two home runs, including his first grand slam, and totaled a career-best six RBI vs. Rutgers (5/10)
- Went 2-for-3, walking twice, and connecting for his 10th home run of the season against Ohio in the Champaign Regional (5/29)
- Hammered fifth home run vs. Purdue (4/11) & recorded six RBI during the series
- Had career-best hits (5) and had four runs and three RBI vs. Northwestern (4/5)
- Belted two home runs during the USF series, recording a hit in all three games and scoring in all three games
- Had three hits, two runs and two RBI vs. Chicago State (3/10)
- Hit .333 (6-of-18) and recorded second save at the Chanticleer Classic
- Went 3-for-5 at Coastal Carolina (3/2), plus two runs and an RBI
- Recorded career-high in stolen bases (2) vs. Fordham (2/21)
- Hit .389 (7-of-18) with a team-high seven RBI at the season-opening Lamar Cardinal Classic
- Finished first weekend with consecutive three-hit performances with three RBI
- 4.50 ERA in four appearances out of the bullpen (4.0 IP)
- Recorded final three outs vs. Kent State (3/25)
- Posted first save of season vs. West Virginia (3/1), throwing one scoreless inning with a strikeout
- Tossed a scoreless inning in the season opener vs. New Mexico State (2/13)
- Finished eighth in school history with 11 saves, tied with Mike Munson
Redshirt-Junior - 2014
- Tied for the team lead with 33 RBI, including a team-best eight multi-RBI games
- Ranked second on the Illini with a career-high five home runs, which was tied for sixth in the Big Ten
- Started all 53 games, with the first six at third base and the final 47 at second base while hitting .250 with 21 runs scored
- Was hit by a pitch a career-high 15 times, which ranked as the second-most in the Big Ten
- Kept comeback alive against Michigan State (5/4) with an RBI single in the ninth before scoring the game-winning run on Casey Fletcher's walk-off hit
- Equaled a career-high with three hits vs. Indiana State (3/18)
- Opening Day starter at third base against Georgia State (2/14) and homered in the season opener for the second time in his career (also homered in his first career game as an Illini against Notre Dame on Feb. 17, 2012)
- Homered for the second-straight game to start the season and equaled a career-high four RBI along with scoring a career-best three runs at Georgia State (2/16)
- Smacked third home run vs. Xavier (3/21)
- Hit his fourth home run of the season at Northwestern (4/4)
- Fifth home run came against Indiana (4/25)
- Had a triple vs. George Mason (2/21) and Southern Illinois (3/14)
- Also went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and two saves in six appearances
- Only allowed two hits and totaled eight strikeouts with zero walks
- Notched second save with a scoreless inning at Penn State (4/18)
- Picked up only win vs. Xavier (3/23)
- Earned his first save of the season with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning vs. FGCU (2/28)
- Tied for eighth in school history with 10 career saves
- Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League along with Illini teammates Casey Fletcher and Ryne Roper during the summer and was named Honker of the Year
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Redshirt-Sophomore - 2013
- Played in 49 games and hit .266 with three home runs, 21 runs and 22 RBI
- Multi-position player who started 47 games at second base, one at third base and split time as closer with Bryan Roberts
- Had two game-winning hits in the eighth inning, with an RBI single vs. Penn State (5/12) and a two-run home run vs. Purdue (4/13)
- Knocked in game-winning run with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth in Illinois' 5-4 comeback win vs. Penn State (5/12)
- Hit a home run in each game during sweep of Purdue, finishing the series 7-for-14 (.500) with three home runs, five runs & eight RBI while slugging 1.214
- Belted game-winning home run with a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth in the 6-4 win over Purdue (4/13)
- Went 3-for-5 with a career-high four RBI in the series finale vs. Purdue (4/14)
- Matched season high with two runs four times
- Pitched in 11 games, posted a 2.53 ERA, the lowest on the Illini, and had five saves
- Had eight strikeouts in 10.2 IP while only allowing eight hits, three earned runs and two walks
- Saved the final two games against Southern Illinois (3/16, 3/18), giving him five saves in five chances for the season, which was tied for ninth in the Big Ten
- Picked up back-to-back saves during the Baylor series (3/8-9), closing out a pair of one-run victories in Waco
- Recorded first save of the season vs. New Mexico State (2/23), pitching a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts
- Named to NCBWA Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List
- Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League during the summer
- Academic All-Big Ten
Redshirt-Freshman - 2012
- Named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball as a multiple-position player
- Named to the John Olerud Award watch list, which is given to the nation's top two-way player
- Played in and started 52 games on the season: 48 at second base, three at shortstop and one at pitcher
- Ranked seventh in the Big Ten in fielding double plays with 43
- His 0.98 WHIP led all Illini pitchers with more than five innings pitched
- Allowed only two base runners in 5 1/3 innings during Big Ten play
- Opposing batters hit only .196 against him, .154 as a reliever
- He didn't allow a hit with two outs on the season
- He allowed only 2-of-13 leadoff hitters he faced to reach base
- The only earned run he allowed as a reliever came at Bradley (3/28)
- Made only three errors in Illinois' last 31 games
- Doubled and homered in his first two career at bats, respectively, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs and two walks in the season-opener against Notre Dame (2/17)
- Pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts against No. 27 St. John's (2/19), his first collegiate pitching appearance
- Earned the win at Lamar (2/26) with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief
- Went 6-for-14 (.429) on Spring Trip with one RBI and four runs
- Was 4-for-8 with two RBIs and four runs in the two games he played of the Mississippi Valley State series
- Named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on 4/9 after hitting .467 (7-for-15) over previous four games
- Went 4-for-7 in the first two games of the Purdue series
- Recorded his first career three-hit game against Illinois State (4/17), going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run
- Notched his first collegiate save against Michigan State (5/6) with a perfect ninth inning
- Struck out one in a perfect ninth inning against Minnesota (5/17) to earn a save
- Notched a save against Minnesota (5/18), keeping Illinois' postseason hopes alive
- Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League along with former Illini teammates Kevin Johnson, Jordan Parr and Justin Parr during the summer
- Academic All-Big Ten
Freshman - 2011
- Redshirted the 2011 season following a knee injury suffered during 2010 fall practice
- Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League along with former Illini teammate Kevin Johnson during the summer.
High School
- Drafted in the 29th round as a catcher by the Atlanta Braves in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft
- Ranked the No. 5 overall prospect in the state by Prep Baseball Report
- PBR lists him as the No. 2 defensive infielder and No. 6 hitter in the state
- Four-year starter hit .504 with 10 home runs in 2010 while going 12-0 on the mound with a 0.84 ERA
- Led Harrisburg to an IHSA Class 2A state runner-up finish in 2010
- Named a Louisville Slugger All-American in 2010
- Earned first-team All-State honors from the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association, the Chicago Tribune and Prep Baseball Report
- Hit .412 in 2007, .478 with six home runs and 13 doubles in 2008, and .425 with 46 walks in 2009
- Four-time All-Southern Illinois selection by the Southern Illinois Baseball Coaches Association
- Four-time All-Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference selection
- Led Harrisburg to three consecutive SIRR conference championships from 2008-10
- Member of Team Illinois
- In football, quarterbacked Harrisburg to SIRR (Ohio) conference championships and playoff appearances in 2008 and 2009
- Led the Harrisburg basketball team to a regional title in 2008 as he made 73 three-pointers that season
- Also guided the Bulldogs to a basketball regional title in 2010
- Earned 10 high school letters - four in baseball and three each in basketball and football.
Personal
- Born Feb. 14, 1992
- Parents are Jeff and Diana Roper
- Has one younger brother, Ryne, who is his teammate on the Illini
- Majoring in elementary education
- Father, Jeff, played baseball at Southeastern Illinois Junior College in 1984
- Lists playing in the 2013 NCAA Nashville Regional as his biggest thrill in sports
- Honor roll student at Harrisburg H.S.
- Great-uncle Larry "Moose" Calufetti played baseball at Southern Illinois from 1970-73 for former SIU and Illinois head coach Richard "Itch" Jones
- Earned first place in the chemistry division at the WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering) competition
- Was an academic peer tutor for math, chemistry and physics at Harrisburg
- Led Benton Junior High School to a state championship in eighth grade, striking out 17 in the title game
- Finished in the top five in the nation in the Elks "Hoops Shoot" free throw contest in 2005
- Favorite athlete is Derek Jeter
Illini Baseball | 03.18.25 Cinematic Recap vs. Indiana State
Wednesday, March 19
ILLINI BASE | Head Coach Dan Hartleb Availability (2/12/25)
Thursday, February 13
Illini Athletics | Week of Appreciation Coaches Video Dan Hartleb
Monday, December 09
Illini Baseball | Team IMPACT Signing
Friday, September 22
