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Former Illini outfielder Brady Ballard returns for his second season as the volunteer assistant coach for the 2003 season. Ballard, who transferred to Illinois as a junior and was a two-year starter in the outfield, assists with hitting and outfield instruction.
Ballard got his start in coaching in the fall of 2001 as he served as an assistant coach with the Parkland College program. Ballard assisted head coach Dave Seifert with hitting and outfield instruction.
Ballard was an everyday presence in the Illinois outfield during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. He is a career .325 hitter at Illinois (.355 in the Big Ten) who earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in each of his two seasons playing for the Orange and Blue.
Ballard started all 57 games in either center or right field his senior season, hitting from the lead-off slot and leading the team in both stolen bases and runs scored. The Marion, Ill., native also led the team and ranked eighth all-time in Illinois single-season history with 20 doubles on the season. He also led the Illini in game-winning runs scored (seven) and tied for the team lead with six game-winning RBI. Ballard earned his second-consecutive third-team All-Big Ten honor after hitting .354, almost 20 points higher than his season average, against Big Ten competition.
Prior to signing at Illinois, Ballard was a two-year letterwinner at Southeastern Illinois Junior College where he hit over .400 with 19 home runs and 100+ RBI and runs scored in two seasons. Ballard earned all-conference recognition as a freshman and sophomore and was an all-region pick as a sophomore.
A graduate of Marion High School, Ballard earned seven varsity letters there, four in baseball and three in basketball. He was a four-year starter in baseball who posted a .500 average as a senior to earn first-team all-state honors as a first baseman.
Ballard is a 2001 graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in economics.
