May 23, 2006

One day before the start of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament, All-Big Ten teams were announced with three Illini earning honors. Outfielder Ryan Snowden (Mattoon, Ill.) was named to the second team while second baseman Ryan Hastings (Mattoon, Ill.) and shortstop Shawn Roof (Paducah, Ky.) earned spots on the third team. The honors are the first of all three players' careers.

Snowden leads Illinois with a .352 batting average, 76 hits, 53 runs and 20 doubles. Snowden has been ranked in the top 20 nationally in doubles per game for much of the season, rising as high as top-5. He has starred as Illinois' lead-off hitter since the beginning of Spring Trip on March 18, hitting a team-best .363 with 48 runs, 16 doubles and a .445 on-base percentage. Snowden has also been versatile in the field, starting 40 games in left field, 14 in right and one in center this season.

Hastings has been one of the best second basemen in the league this season, hitting .327 with 33 RBI and 33 runs. He has slugged .450, including six triples - which ranks second in the Big Ten. He hit .368 in Big Ten play, leading all second basemen, slugged .509 in conference play and fielded .970 in Big Ten games, which was third among second basemen. Hastings helped himself in the last three conference weekends, hitting .472 with 10 RBI, a .585 slugging percentage and a .509 on-base percentage. He also hit .541 on Fridays of conference series, driving in a team-high 10 runs and slugging .865.

Roof rounds out Illinois' All-Big Ten selections, and has been one of Illinois' emotional leaders. He is hitting .337 with 39 runs and 22 RBI, including a .429 on-base percentage. He has taken the Big Ten by storm on the base paths, stealing 24-of-32 bases, 16-of-19 in conference play. Roof pushed the Illini into the Big Ten Tournament by hitting .643 with a .929 slugging percentage at Michigan State in the final regular season weekend. Roof never hit below .500 in any game against the Spartans, flashing some power with two doubles and a triple.

The fifth-seeded Illini (29-27 overall, 15-17 in the Big Ten) begin play in the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CT) against fourth-seeded Minnesota (31-24, 17-14) at Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium. The Wolverines earned the right to host the tournament as a result of winning the regular season conference title with a 23-9 record.