FightingIllini.com
The Official Home of University of Illinois Athletics
- Men's Sports
- MEN'S SPORTS
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Golf
- WOMEN'S SPORTS
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
|
Brett Herbison enters his fourth year with the Illini as a volunteer assistant, serving as assistant pitching coach and first base coach.
Herbison helped coach Tanner Roark to a selection to the 2007 All-Big Ten second team after Roark finished among the conference leaders in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.
He also helped direct an Illinois staff that was one of the best in the Big Ten in 2005. Brian Blomquist led the league with 10 wins and was second with 102 innings pitched, and Jimmy Conroy was fifth in ERA with a 3.10 mark and fifth in innings pitched with 93. Illinois was the only staff to have two hurlers in the conference top-five in innings pitched and wins.
Herbison has two major league draft picks on his résumé, as Conroy was selected in the 19th round of the 2005 MLB draft, and James Morris was taken in the 23rd round.
Before joining the Illini staff, Herbison was a starting pitcher for eight years in the New York Mets minor league organization and was named a top prospect in both the Mets organization and the minor leagues by many baseball publications.
In the fall of 1994, Herbison signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Illinois, but was drafted 48th overall as the Mets' second pick in the 1995 draft. Herbison, a Gatorade/USA Today All-American, joined the Mets after graduating from Burlington Central High School in 1995, where he was a three-sport athlete playing football, basketball and baseball. For his achievements, Herbison was the inaugural inductee to the Burlington Central Athletic Hall of Fame.
Herbison was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team in 1996, only his second year as a professional. He also finished the 1998 season with 26 consecutive scoreless innings, leading his team to a Florida State League championship. In all, he was a part of three minor league championships. But Herbison's career was cut short by two reconstructive arm surgeries and he was forced out of the game.
Born on June 13, 1977, the Elgin, Ill., native currently is enrolled in the College of Business at Illinois. He resides in Champaign.
