| Craig Lutes |
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AT ILLINOIS
2008 - Sophomore: Split time with Nick Stockwell in right field, starting 30 games and playing in 41 ... Started 20 games in right field, eight in left field and two in center field ... Went 4-for-8 with two doubles, three runs and one RBI in two games at Ohio State ... Illinois was 13-7 when he started in right field and 21-9 when he hit in the No. 8 hole ... Fifth on the team with three home runs ... Fifth on the team with 20 walks ... Homered in the series finale against Northwestern to give Illinois an 8-7 lead in the eighth ... Academic All-Big Ten selection ... Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League along with teammates Phil Haig, Aaron Johnson and Kevin Manson.
2007 - Freshman: Played in 21 games, starting nine ... Started seven games at designated hitter and two in center field ... Hit .289 with 12 RBIs and a .556 slugging percentage in 45 at bats ... Hit his first career home run against Yale (March 18), earning the starting DH job for the next seven games ... Homered against Dartmouth (March 19), going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a homer, a double and a run ... Went 3-for-6 with a double, a triple, four RBIs and two runs at Illinois State ... Played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League during the summer.
HIGH SCHOOL
Led Normal Community to a state tournament appearance in 2004 ... Was a unanimous All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2005, as well as an Illinois High School Coaches Association All-State selection ... Four-year letterwinner in baseball and football, and has three letters in basketball ... Hit .355 with 23 RBIs, four home runs and four triples in 2005 ... Slugged .634 with a .450 on-base percentage in 2005 ... Followed the 2005 season up by hitting .377 with a .520 on-base percentage as a senior in 2006 ... Two-time first-team All-Big 12 conference selection as a junior and senior, while being named second-team All-Conference in football in 2005 ... Reached the American Legion state tournament in 2004 with the Bloomington Gold team ... High school team also won the sectional championship in 2006 ... Played in the 2005 IHSCA All-Star game, the 2006 ICA All-Star game and the 2006 Bloomington Pantagraph All-Star game ... Named the 2006 Bloomington Pantagraph Male Athlete of the Year as a senior ... Played quarterback for the Normal Community Class 6A state runner-up football team as a senior ... Also averaged 12.9 points per game on the Normal Community basketball team ... Basketball team captured the sectional crown in 2005.
PERSONAL
Born June 15, 1987 ... Parents are John and Rene Lutes ... Majoring in finance ... Sister, Katie, is on the Illinois softball team ... Lists his biggest thrill in sports as playing quarterback in the 2005 6A football state championship game ... Earliest baseball memory was getting to the park hours before anyone else with his dad to catch fly balls on his 8- and 9-year-old travel team ... Lists Brett Favre as his favorite athlete because he is the ultimate blue-collar, competitive athlete.
