July 27, 2006

With just over two weeks left in most summer collegiate leagues, a number of Illini players have their eyes on the playoffs as many of their teams are fighting for postseason positions. Shawn Roof has been on fire since earning a nod on the Coastal Plain League All-Star team, raising his average 36 points in two weeks. Meanwhile, Joe Bonadonna and Lars Davis have helped propel Duluth to a 15-1 start in the second half of the season, including a club-record 10-game winning streak.

Roof currently holds a .284 average for the 30-9 Fayetteville Swampdogs, who hold a two-game lead in their division after winning the first-half championship. He leads the team in runs, hits, walks, hit-by-pitches and on-base percentage among players meeting the statistical minimums. Dominic Altobelli is also contributing to the Fayetteville charge, hitting .256 with a .350 on-base percentage, third on the squad among regulars. Ryan Snowden has been slowed recently by a leg injury, but Aaron Marton has come on strong on the mound of late, currently holding a 3-1 record and 2.25 ERA in 32 innings while allowing opponents to hit .195.

Up north, Bonadonna and Davis have been a key part of Duluth's fiery start to the second half of the season, both raising their batting averages 15 points or more in the last two weeks. Bonadonna's average has jumped 24 points since July 12 to .274, and Davis has increased his average 15 points to .227 since earning more playing time in the last week. Meanwhile, the Huskies have won 15 of 16 and hold a three-game lead over Mankato in the Northwoods League North Division.

Jake Toohey has continued his dominance for Rochester, helping the Honkers to a 13-3 record in the second-half and a 3.5-game lead over Mike Rohde's Madison squad in the NWL South. Toohey currently is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 18 saves in 23 1/3 innings while allowing opponents to hit .175. However, Rohde's Mallards have stayed within striking distance of the first-half champion Honkers with the Illini third baseman posting a .229 average with a team-best 28 walks, 19 RBI (second on the team) and a .349 OBP, which is third on Madison.

Closer to Champaign, Tanner Roark and Blake Hopkins continue to push the Danville Dans toward the postseason of the Central Illinois Collegiate League, as the Dans hold a 1.5-game lead over Ben Reeser's Twin City Stars. Roark is 2-5 with a 7.02 ERA in a team-high 42 1/3 innings, but is coming off a strong start in which he got a hard-luck loss despite throwing seven innings and giving up seven hits, two runs - one earned - and two walks while striking out three. Hopkins has an 0-1 record and 4.32 ERA in 25 innings. Reeser is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA in 10 1/3 innings for Twin City.

Not all the teams featuring Illinois players have fared as well as those six squads. The Waterloo Bucks, featuring Ryan Hastings and Scott Shaw, are six games behind Rochester in the NWL South despite Hastings' recent hot streak. Just after the All-Star Break, Hastings rattled off a 16-for-29 (.552) streak with nine RBI, seven runs and four steals. He has since cooled, but still holds a .248 average, fourth on the team. Shaw is 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA in a team-best 55 2/3 innings.

The two Illini student-athletes in the Great Lakes League have also found themselves on struggling teams, with Luke Obukowicz holding an 0-3 record and a 4.13 in 32 2/3 innings for the Granville Settlers. Daniel Webb has had a much better summer, leading the Delaware Cows with a .317 average and eight doubles, but the Cows have managed just a 17-19 record.

The Great Lakes championship is Aug. 2-5, while both the CICL championship series and the CPL Pettit Cup tournament run Aug. 11-13. The NWL championship series wraps up the summer collegiate season Aug. 17-19.