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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jake Goebbert, Northwestern
Jr., LF, Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire
Goebbert led Northwestern to a series split with Purdue over the weekend, hitting .625 and slugging 1.000 while reaching base at a .700 clip to combine for an OPS of 1.700. In the Wildcats’ Big Ten opener on Friday, the junior went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run-scoring double in a narrow 4-3 loss. Goebbert led the NU offense on Saturday, going 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI on two doubles and a walk as the Wildcats exploded for a 13-4 victory. Northwestern scored in each of the five innings that Goebbert came to the plate in Saturday’s game, and his weekend performance raised his batting average 40 points. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, Big Ten Player of the Week, Illinois, Northwestern

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I will occasionally check in throughout the season on some random thoughts on the college baseball action that has taken place over the last few days.

What is the problem with Florida State? They have lost five out of their last six games with losses to North Florida, Jacksonville, Auburn, and Boston College (twice). None of those teams are going to be contenders for a College World Series title. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ACC, Atlantic 10, Big South, Big Ten, Boston College, CBB Column, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Horizon League, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, LSU, Miami (FL), Rhode Island, SEC, Stony Brook, Vanderbilt

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Aaron Johnson, Illinois
Jr., C, Sussex Corner, New Brunswick/Sussex Regional
Johnson led the Illini to a series victory over No. 1 LSU over the weekend, batting .500 with a .750 slugging percentage over the three-game set. In Game 1 on Friday, the catcher hit the game-winning two-run home run in the top of the ninth to give Illinois the 3-1 victory. On Saturday, the junior went 2-for-4 with three RBI in a losing effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, Big Ten Player of the Week, Illinois, Michigan

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There was two substantial upsets on Sunday with Illinois knocking off LSU for the second time on the weekend and Oral Roberts picking up a victory over Rice. The Illinois squad picked up a great pitching performance from senior RHP Ben Reeser who pitched 8.2 shutout innings against the number 1 ranked LSU Tigers as Illinois won the rubber game 6-2. Oral Roberts used a ninth inning double by Kyle Price to break a 3-3 tie against Rice and eventually walk away with a 5-3 victory over Rice. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, Conference USA, Illinois, LSU, Oral Roberts, Rice, SEC, Summit League

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The Illinois Fighting Illini picked up a stunning 3-1 victory over the number 1 ranked LSU Tigers on Friday evening. The game was tied at 1 in the top of the ninth inning when Aaron Johnson hit a two out two run homer to give the Fighting Illini a 3-1 lead which they held onto. We talked with Coach Hartleb during the preseason about his expectations for the squad which is available by clicking here. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, Illinois, LSU, SEC

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Due to the recent unavailability of Progress Energy Park, the schedule for the inaugural BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge has been adjusted to include games at McKechnie Field in Bradenton and Red McEwen Field at the University of South Florida. The BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, begins on Friday, Feb. 20.
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Tags: Big East, Big Ten, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Florida, St. John's, UConn, West Virginia

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Illinois 2008 overall record: 30-23, Big Ten record 16-15

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini are coming off of a 4th place finish in the 2008 Big Ten regular season, qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament where the top six finishers play, before falling to Indiana 14-7 in the double elimination tournament.

It’s no surprise Illinois’ season ended in a high scoring game, as they finished second in the conference in batting with a .335 team average in 56 games. In fact, Illinois was quite the offensive team, finishing in the top 4 in numerous offensive categories including 3rd in runs at 405, 3rd in hits at 630, 3rd in doubles with 111, 3rd in RBI with 366, t-3rd in BB with 251, 1st in OBP at .412, 2nd in stolen bases with 101, while finishing 3rd in stolen base attempts with 133. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2009 Season Preview, Big Ten, CBB Column, Illinois

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The College Baseball Blog recently had a chance to talk to Dan Hartleb of Illinois. He is entering his fourth season with the Fighting Illini after spending 15 years as an assistant coach at Illinois under Richard “Itch” Jones. Coach Hartleb talks about his expectations for the 2009 squad and some of the hottest topics in College Baseball today. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, CBB Column, CBB Interview, Illinois, Interviews with Coaches

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network will nationally televise up to 30 Big Ten baseball games, including the entire Big Ten Baseball Tournament, and 25 Big Ten softball games this spring. Every game will be produced in high definition.

“With the network now available to more than 70 million people nationwide, the Big Ten Network is thrilled to give increased national exposure to Big Ten baseball and softball,” network president Mark Silverman said. ”We know that fans will especially enjoy watching these games in HD.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Ten, Big Ten Network, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The home and away team designations for the inaugural BIG EAST-Big TEN Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, have been determined by the participating conference offices, it was announced today. Each team has been designated the home side for at least one of its three games in this first-ever NCAA Division I college baseball challenge. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big East, Big Ten, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Florida, St. John's, UConn, West Virginia

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois coach Dan Hartleb announced that Scott Sommerfeld, an outfielder from Manchester, Mo., will join the Fighting Illini baseball team in the fall of 2009, becoming the seventh member of the 2009 signing class. Sommerfeld was a first-team All-State outfielder and was the Player of the Year runner-up in the Suburban West Conference in 2008 after hitting .475 and leading Parkway South High School to the Missouri State High School Athletic Association quarterfinals.
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Tags: 2010 Recruits, Big Ten, Illinois

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois head baseball coach Dan Hartleb announced his team’s 2009 schedule Wednesday, with the slate headlined by the first-ever Big East/Big Ten Challenge on Feb. 20-22 and a three-game series at 2008 College World Series participant Louisiana State on March 6-8. The Fighting Illini will face three NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago in LSU, Michigan and Eastern Illinois. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2009 Schedules, Big Ten, Illinois