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University of Illinois Athletics

2025 Baseball Roster

Kevin Snyder - Illinois Athletics
Kevin Snyder - Illinois Athletics
Kevin Snyder - Illinois Athletics
Kevin Snyder - Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics

12 Payton Hutchings

  • Class Redshirt Senior
  • Height 6-0
  • Weight 190
  • Hometown Coal City, Ill.
  • High School Coal City
  • Instagram paytonhutchings
  • Twitter paytonhutch13

Biography

Graduation Badge University of Illinois Graduate

NIL Opportunities

Career Highs

  • Innings pitched: 6.0, vs. Kansas, Feb. 20, 2022
  • Strikeouts: 6, vs. Bradley, March 19, 2024
  • Walks allowed: 5, vs. Michigan, May 24, 2024
  • Batters faced: 26, vs. Kansas, Feb. 20, 2022
  • Field chances: 2, 4x last: vs. Valparaiso, March 15, 2025 (G1)
  • Putouts: 2, Northwestern, March 27, 2021 
  • Assists: 2, 3x, last: vs. Akron, Feb. 16, 2024
  • Runners CS: 2, vs. Purdue, April 27, 2025

Redshirt Junior - 2025

  • Went 2-2 with a 5.65 ERA (18 ER/28.2 IP), tallying 20 strikeouts and allowing an opponent's average of .272.
  • Worked a season-high 4.0 innings on May 3 at Rutgers...allowed three runs, all earned, on three hits, striking out two.
  • Recorded a season-high three strikeouts three times...March 11 vs. Western Illinois, March 21 at Northwestern (G2), April 15 vs. SIUE.
  • Did not allow an earned run from March 29 to April 20, spanning 7.2 innings (6 G).

Redshirt Sophomore - 2024

  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Went 4-3 with a 7.65 ERA (32 ER/37.2 IP) in 17 games, four starts...amassed 31 strikeouts.
  • Made season debut on Feb. 16 vs. Akron...tossed 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
  • Struck out a career-high six batters over 2.1 frames on March 19 Bradley...yielded just one hit and issued no walks in that outing.
  • Spun 3.2 shutout frames on April 5 at Minnesota.
  • Worked a season-high 5.0 innings on June 1 in the NCAA Lexington Regional at No. 2 Kentucky...allowed three runs on four hits to go along with two strikeouts.

Redshirt Sophomore - 2023

  • Went 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA (1 ER/3.1 IP) in two relief outings.
  • Made his season debut on April 2 vs. Michigan...tossed a scoreless ninth inning to end the contest.
  • Worked 2.1 innings on April 8 at Northwestern...allowed one run on three hits to go along with two strikeouts.

Sophomore - 2022

  • Made one start on the season, tossing a quality start against Kansas on February 20
  • Allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out three

Freshman - 2021

  • Appeared in eight games out of the bullpen
  • 0-0, 8.36 ERA, 14.0 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO
  • Ranked No. 17 impact freshman in the Big Ten by D1Baseball

High School

  • No. 1 left-handed pitcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and No. 5 by Perfect Game
  • No. 45 left-handed pitcher in the nation by Prep Baseball Report and No. 117 by Perfect Game
  • No. 12 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and No. 39 by Perfect Game
  • No. 422 recruit in the nation by Prep Baseball Report
  • Three-year letterwinner
  • Played for head coach Greg Wills at Coal City
  • 25-6, 0.67 ERA, 338 SO, 179.2 IP
  • .388 batting average, four home runs, 50 RBIs, and 121 runs
  • Three-time All-Illinois Central 8 Conference
  • Two-time all-state
  • 2019 Kankakee Player of the Year
  • 2018 Morris Daily Herald Player of the Year
  • 2019 High School Baseball National Championship Team Illinois Selection
  • 2018 Northern Illinois Player of the Year
  • Struck out all 21 batters in a perfect game against Beecher as a sophomore
  • Also played basketball and football in high school
  • Two-time all-conference in both basketball and football
  • Involved with community service through food drives in his community
  • Coalers with Character
  • Link Leaders

Personal

  • Born Nov. 19, 2001
  • Son of Dan and Janet Hutchings
  • Father, Dan, is a high school athletic director
  • One older brother, Chris Hajdu, and one older sister, Leah Hajdu
  • Cousin, John Gockman, played football as a kicker at Illinois
  • Plans to major in communications
  • Plans to work in sports marketing following his playing career
  • Committed to Illinois in December 2017
  • Chose Illinois over Iowa, Illinois State, Louisville, and UIC
  • Chose Illinois because, "I want to represent my home state, and it is my dream school. On my visit it felt like home and I enjoyed it so much."

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 12

    2021Freshman

    LHP
    6'0" 180 lbs
    12
  • 12

    2022Sophomore

    LHP
    6'0" 190 lbs
    12
  • 12

    2023Redshirt Sophomore

    LHP
    6'0" 190 lbs
    12
  • 12

    2024Redshirt Junior

    LHP
    6'0" 190 lbs
    12
  • 12

    2025Redshirt Senior

    LHP
    6'0" 190 lbs
    12