May 30, 2006

After the conclusion of their regular season on May 26, 15 Illinois baseball players will begin the summer season as early as May 31. Nearly half of the Illini squad will be participating in NCAA-sanctioned wooden-bat collegiate summer leagues during the summer break, competing for championships on seven different teams in four leagues.

Infielders Shawn Roof and Dominic Altobelli, outfielder Ryan Snowden and pitcher Aaron Martin begin their summer season May 31 as part of the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the Coastal Plain League. Snowden led Illinois in batting average (.342), hits (76), runs (53), doubles (20) total bases (103), slugging percentage (.464) and on-base percentage (.435) while making just one error all season and playing a perfect outfield in Big Ten games. He was named second team All-Big Ten after the completion of the regular season.

Roof was named third team All-Big Ten after finishing the year with a team-high 25 steals in 33 attempts and ranking second on the squad with a .333 batting average. His 17 HBPs was a team-best and ranks second on Illinois' single-season record list. Altobelli started 15 games as a freshman and played in 32, hitting .289 with 10 runs scored. Martin made 11 appearances and had four starts, compiling a 1-2 record and a 6.85 ERA.

As usual, Illinois will have a large presence in the Northwoods League as seven Illini will be calling different sites in Wisconsin and Minnesota home over the summer with the season starting June 1. Joe Bonadonna, Lars Davis and Ben Reeser will play for the Duluth Huskies, Ryan Hastings and Scott Shaw will be part of the Waterloo Bucks, Mike Rohde returns to the Madison Mallards for his fourth season and Jake Toohey will be part of the Rochester Honkers.

Bonadonna started 41 games as a redshirt-freshman, hitting .287 and reaching base at a .401 clip. Davis was one of six Illini to hit better than .300, posting a .307 average with a .434 slugging percentage. Reeser became one of Illinois' Saturday starters, putting up a 3-3 record with a 6.42 ERA in 14 appearances and five starts.

Rohde hit .315 with 38 RBI and 48 runs, slugging .431 and reaching base at a .395 rate. Toohey began the year as a starter but became the Illini's closer, converting five saves while recording a 3-5 record with a 5.89 ERA. Hastings hit .319, third-best on the team, with 35 RBI and 8-of-10 steals. Shaw went 2-2 with a 5.71 ERA while starting seven games and making three relief appearances.

In addition, Luke Obukowicz will be playing for the Granville Settlers of the Great Lakes League beginning June 10, while Blake Hopkins and Tanner Roark will play for the Danville Dans of the Central Illinois Collegiate League with a league start date of June 8. Nick Stockwell will be playing for the Lombard Orioles of the Wisconsin State League beginning June 4.

Obukowicz finished the season 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA, starting twice and making six relief appearances. Hopkins saw limited action, recording one inning of work in two appearances for the Illini. Roark was one of Illinois' top starters in Big Ten play, finishing the year 4-0 with a 4.99 ERA, second-best on the team. Roark threw 52 1/3 innings, allowing opponents to hit just .269. Stockwell hit .286 in limited action in 2006, seeing most of his time as a late-inning defensive replacement.

Check fightingillini.com throughout the summer for updates on Illini playing across the country.