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Illini Travel to Al Ogletree Classic
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Shortstop Brandon Wikoff looks to build off an All-Tournament selection from the Big East/Big Ten Challenge when he and the Illini make a trip to the Al Ogletree Classic in Edinburg, Texas, this weekend.
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Feb. 26, 2009
Illinois at Al Ogletree Classic Notes 
Games 4-6 // Al Ogletree Classic // Edinburg Stadium
Feb. 27 // Texas-Pan American // 7 p.m.
Feb. 28 // Stephen F. Austin // 3 p.m.
March 1 // Texas Arlington // 9 a.m.
Al Ogletree Classic Insider
Texas-Pan American (0-4) vs. ILLINOIS (2-1)
ILL Probable: Phil Haig (LHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
UTPA Probable: Scott Wingo (RHP, 0-0, 13.50 ERA)
Live Stats: Gametracker on fightingillini.com
Series: Texas-Pan American leads 17-14
Last Meeting: UTPA won 5-3 (3/3/07)
Streak: L1
Stephen F. Austin (1-3) vs. ILLINOIS (2-1)
ILL Probable: Aaron Martin (RHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SFA Probable: Erich Lehmann (RHP, 0-1, 27.00 ERA)
Live Stats: Gametracker on fightingillini.com
Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Stephen F. Austin won 8-7 (3/1/08)
Streak: L1
Texas-Arlington (3-2) vs. ILLINOIS (2-1)
ILL Probable: Ben Reeser (RHP, 0-0, 6.00 ERA)
UTA Probable: TBA
Live Stats: Gametracker on fightingillini.com
Series: Texas-Arlington leads 4-2
Last Meeting: Texas-Arlington won 12-5 (3/11/07)
Streak: L3
Probable Lineup
Pos Name Avg Ht B/T Yr Note C Aaron Johnson .333 6-1 R/R Jr. Drove in 5 runs and scored 4 at Big East/Big Ten Challenge 1B Matt Dittman .429 6-1 L/R So. Reached base at .600 clip in 2 games at Big East/Big Ten Challenge 2B Josh Parr .273 5-11 R/R Fr. Stole 3-of-3 bases in first collegiate weekend SS Brandon Wikoff .417 5-8 L/R Jr. Leads team with 5 walks, tied for team lead with 5 hits, 6 runs 3B Dominic Altobelli .385 6-1 R/R Sr. Currently has career-best 9-game hitting streak dating back to 2008 LF Casey McMurray .300 5-8 R/R So. .533 on-base percentage is second-best on team CF Joe Bonadonna .308 5-8 R/R Sr. Drove in 5 runs in season's first weekend; also stole 2 bases RF Craig Lutes .182 6-0 L/L Jr. Has 32 career starts in the outfield - 20 in RF, 8 in LF, 4 in CF DH Pete Cappetta .455 6-2 R/R So. Went 3-for-6 with a double, 3 RBIs and 2 runs in BE/BT finale
Illini Travel to Al Ogletree Classic
Illinois travels to Edinburg, Texas, for the Al Ogletree Classic hosted by Texas-Pan American, in what has become nearly an annual trip for the Fighting Illini. Illinois has played in the tournament in each of the last two seasons and four of the last six.
The Illini will face the host Broncs on Friday at 7 p.m., Stephen F. Austin Saturday at 3 p.m. and Texas-Arlington Sunday at 9 a.m. The Orange and Blue went 2-1 in the tournament each of the past two seasons and are 8-3-1 in the event in their last four appearances, going 3-0 in 2003 and 1-1-1 in 2005.
Illinois Against Al Ogletree Classic Field
Texas-Pan American holds a 17-14 lead in the all-time series with Illinois and won the teams' last meeting in 2007, but the Illini had won eight of the last nine in the series before that game.
Illinois is 1-1 all-time against Stephen F. Austin, defeating the Lumberjacks 11-6 in 2007 and dropping an 8-7 game in 2008. Both games have been part of past Al Ogletree Classics.
The Fighting Illini trail the all-time series with Texas-Arlington by a 4-2 margin with UTA holding a three-game winning streak. The Mavericks swept a three-game set in 2007 but Illinois won two out of three in 2005, the only other time the teams have faced each other.
Last Week: Big East/Big Ten Challenge
Illinois held its own at the inaugural Big East/Big Ten Challenge, splitting its games against Big East competitors and going 2-1 on the weekend. The Illini took care of Iowa in a non-conference game, 8-3, on opening night, with Phil Haig and Aaron Martin combining to stifle the Hawkeye offense and rack up nine strikeouts. At the plate, Joe Bonadonna, Brandon Wikoff and Dominic Altobelli each collected two hits and Wikoff cranked his third career home run.
On Saturday, the Illini dropped a 14-7 game to Notre Dame despite scoring three runs each in the first and fifth innings and leading or being tied for the first six-and-a-half frames. Altobelli led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs. In Illinois' final game of the Challenge, the Orange and Blue dispatched West Virginia by a 17-10 score. Aaron Johnson was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and three runs, and Pete Cappetta went 3-for-6 with a double, three RBIs and two runs. Wikoff was named to the All-Tournament team by CollegeBaseball360.com and Cappetta was named honorable mention all-tournament.
Illini Take Hitting Shoes on First Trip
For those who wondered who would fill the shoes of departed center fielder Kyle Hudson, DH Daniel Webb and first baseman Ryan Hastings from the 2008 squad, the new version of the Fighting Illini looked to be in midseason form during the first weekend of 2009. Illinois scored 32 runs in three games, the most on a season's first weekend since 2000 when it scored 47, and had seven extra-base hits.
The Illini reached base at an incredible .445 clip, drawing 22 walks while striking out only 13 times. The Illini were especially strong with runners on base, hitting .421, and hit .400 with runners in scoring position. Illinois also brought home a runner from third with less than two outs 15 of 20 times (75 percent) and advanced runners at a rate of 68.9 percent.
Haig, Martin Baffle Hawkeyes
Pitchers Phil Haig and Aaron Martin kept Iowa hitters off-balance all night in the teams' season-opener, not allowing an earned run the entire game while striking out nine. Haig didn't allow a hit to a left-handed batter and he combined with Martin to give up only five hits in nine innings. The pair were especially effective with runners on base, both forcing Iowa into 1-for-9 (.111) hitting in that situation, and neither pitcher allowed a hit with two outs.
Illini Strong in the Middle
Illinois was especially effective during the middle innings last weekend, outscoring its opponents 24-4 combined in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. That helped offset their opponents' 13-2 advantage in the late innings.
Consistency Counts
Five Fighting Illini hitters have collected hits in each game they've played this season, with Dominic Altobelli, Brandon Wikoff, Pete Cappetta and Josh Parr getting a hit in all three games and Matt Dittman getting hits in the final two games of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. Dittman didn't play in the season-opener against Iowa.
Veterans Provide Strong Core of Lineup...
Illinois has its strongest group of veteran players in years, returning 61 percent (246 of 405) of its runs from 2008, with only Kyle Hudson (61 R), Ryan Hastings (46), Daniel Webb (34) and John Schlichter (18) not returning this season. In addition, the Illini return 62 percent (389 of 630) of their hits from a year ago. However, the most impressive stat may be the number of innings Illinois returns, with 88 percent returning as only Scott Shaw (56 1/3 IP) departed from the 2008 staff.
...But Youngsters Challenge for Lineup Spots
While the Illini return much of their offensive production and nearly off of their innings on the mound from 2008, a number of freshmen and sophomores will push their veteran counterparts for lineup spots. Sophomore Casey McMurray, a Freshman All-American in 2008, has left field locked up, while sophomore Phil Haig will start the season-opener against Iowa. In addition, sophomore Nick Chmielewski is expected to be one of the Illini's relief aces in 2009. Meanwhile, sophomore Pete Cappetta could earn a spot at second base, first base, right field or designated hitter this season.
In the freshman class, Josh Parr - a two-time All-State selection - could win the job at second base and four-sport high school star Willie Argo is expected to see time in the outfield. Rookie right-hander Bryan Roberts also will likely contribute on the mound after being named the No. 19 prospect in the state of Illinois.
Illini Have Earliest Home Opener Since 1986
After playing their first 23 games on the road in 2008, the Fighting Illini will host Akron on March 13-15, Illinois' earliest home opener since hosting Indiana on March 13, 1986. The series will mark the third time that the Illini have opened at home on March 13, matching the early starts in 1985 and 1986.
*Complete notes available in above PDF file.
