Ryan Rogowski leads the Illini with 15 stolen bases this season.

April 14, 2005

Ryan Rogowski leads the Illini with 15 stolen bases this season.

Illinois-Michigan Baseball Notes in PDF Format
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Illinois (18-8-1, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. Michigan (18-10, 1-7 Big Ten)
Week 7 • April 15-17, 2005 • Illinois Field • Champaign, Ill.

Series Probables
Friday, April 15 vs. Michigan (18-10/1-7), 6:05 p.m.
ILL: Brian Blomquist (Jr., RHP, 6-1, 1.62 ERA, 50 IP, 41 H, 32 K, 7 BB)
UM: Jim Brauer (Sr., RHP, 4-1, 2.11 ERA, 47 IP, 38 H, 44 K, 11 BB)

Saturday, April 16 vs. Michigan (18-10/1-7), 4:05 p.m.
ILL: Jimmy Conroy (Sr., RHP, 5-0, 2.28 ERA, 43.1 IP, 33 H, 36 K, 10 BB)
UM: Michael Penn (Sr., RHP, 3-1, 3.12 ERA, 40.1 IP, 30 H, 34 K, 10 BB)

Saturday, April 16 vs. Michigan (18-10/1-7), 7:05 p.m.
ILL: Matt Whitmore (Jr., RHP, 2-1, 6.10 ERA, 31 IP, 45 H, 13 K, 9 BB)
UM: TBA

Sunday, April 17 vs. Michigan (18-10/1-7), 1:05 p.m.
ILL: TBA
UM: Derek Feldkamp (Jr., RHP, 4-2, 4.89 ERA, 35 Ip, 29 H, 22 K, 13 BB)

On the Air (all games)
Radio: WDWS AM-1400 (Dave Loane, Steve Layman, Eric Loy)
Internet: fightingillini.com live audio and Gametracker

Probable Starters in the Field

Pos.    Player    Yr.    Ht.    Wt.    B/T    BA    HR    RBI

C    Chris Robinson    Jr.    6-0    190    R/R    .278    1    13

 or    Aaron Ifft    Fr.    6-0    175    R/R    .273    0    6

1B    Dusty Bensko    Sr.    6-4    210    R/R    .396    8    36

2B    J.R. Kyes    Sr.    6-0    180    R/R    .402    2    14

SS    Toby Gardenhire    Sr.    6-1    175    R/R      .229    1    19

3B    Chad Frk    Sr.    6-4    210    R/R    .299    1    8

LF    Drew Davidson    Sr.    6-1    190    R/R    .367    6    26

CF    Ryan Rogowski    Jr.    6-2    206    L/L    .373    1    12

RF    Trevor Huisinga    Jr.    5-7    150    L/L    .325    2    18

DH    Mike Rohde    So.    6-3    200    L/R    .309    2    16

 or    Shawn Roof    So.    6-0    180    R/R    .240    0    6

Come "Party in the Park" at Friday's Series Opener
In addition to some great baseball, Friday's opening game vs. Michigan will feature:
- Free admission for everyone
- a Student cookout sponsored by Illini Pride and DIA
- a Bean Bag Tournament before the game starting at 4:15pm
- a $100 Gameday Giveaway Promotion
- 7th Inning Stretch Fireworks
- Baseball T-shirt Tosses
- Horse race promotion
- Several Groups on hand to join the fun including Illini Pride, Girl and Boy Scouts, Camper Reunion, Little Leaguers, Donors in Champaign-Urbana area, and Greeks.

Leading Off...
• Hot Start: Illinois' 7-0 Big Ten start was the best for a UI team since 1990, when the eventual conference champs also started 7-0 en route to a 19-9 Big Ten record.

• Back-to-Back: By sweeping Ohio State and taking three of four from Michigan State, Illinois won back-to-back Big Ten series' for the first time since 2002 when they beat Michigan State and Penn State in consecutive weeks.

• Hats Off to Bensko: First baseman Dusty Bensko picked-up NCBWA Pro-Line Caps National Hitter of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week honors after batting .478, with a .957 slugging percentage, three home runs, and a mind-boggling 17 RBI in six games last week. He leads the Big Ten in home runs (8) and slugging (.740) and ranks second in the conference and 19th in the nation in RBI (36).

• Illinois Trends: The year the Fighting Illini are...
...8-0 on Saturday
...12-0-1 when holding opponents to three runs or less
...15-1-1 when scoring first
...15-1-1 when ahead after 7 innings (or 5 during DH)
...13-2 when the UI starter gets the decision
...13-2 when committing fewer errors than opponent
...12-3 when scoring in the first inning
...13-4 when collecting at least 10 hits
...8-3 in April

Scouting the Wolverines
Illinois hosts a Michigan team that has struggled through its first two series, falling victim to a sweep by Minnesota and losing three of four to Iowa at home. But don't be fooled by that 1-7 Big Ten record. The Wolverines were one of the league favorites entering the season and got off to a hot start, even creeping into the Top-20 of some national rankings.

On the season, the Wolverines are hitting .310, but have managed only a .256 batting average in Big Ten play. Middle infielder Chris Getz leads Michigan with a .408 average, and seven Wolverines boast a season average of .290 or better. Michigan also has two of the best starters in the Big Ten in senior righthanders Jim Brauer and Michael Penn. Brauer is 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 47 innings, and Penn holds a 3-1 mark with 3.12 ERA in 40 1/3 innings.

Last Time Out
Illinois took three of four games at Michigan State last weekend, improving its Big Ten record to 7-1. The Illini hit an amazing .360 as a team in the series, raising their season batting average .009, a huge jump this far into the season. Starters Brian Blomquist and Jimmy Conroy continued their solid pitching, combining to allow only three earned runs on 14 hits in 13 1/3 innings while striking out 10 and walking one. Then on Wednesday night, the Illini routed Robert Morris 16-3 at Illinois field, behind a big day from DH Mike Rohde, who was 3-5, with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored.

Back-To-Back Big Ten Players of the Week
Senior first baseman Dusty Bensko used a power surge last week to take Big Ten Player of the Week honors, the second consecutive honor taken by an Illini player. Bensko hit .478 for the week, with a .957 slugging percentage and .536 on-base percentage. Senior centerfielder Drew Davidson was last week's Big Ten Player of the Week after going 6-for-9 in the Ohio State series. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native smacked a two-run walk-off homer to win the series finale 6-4 and was 4-for-4 on Sunday with four RBI and two runs. Davidson drove in six runs and scored five times in the series, and was hit by three pitches in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Illini Sweep Ohio State for First Time
Illinois brought out the brooms against Ohio State in the Big Ten opening weekend, downing the Buckeyes in four straight games. Brian Blomquist and Jimmy Conroy each threw complete games for the Illini, and Drew Davidson earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors by going 6-for-9 with six RBI, five runs and a two-run walk-off home run to win Sunday's game 6-4. It was Illinois' first-ever four-game series sweep against the Buckeyes, and first Big Ten sweep since the Illini took all four at Northwestern March 31-April 2, 2000. The win over Ohio State was Illinois' first home Big Ten sweep since the Orange and Blue won four from Purdue May 14-17, 1999. The weekend was the first time Ohio State had been swept since Minnesota did the job April 21-22, 1990, and the Buckeyes' first four-game losing streak since April 7-13, 1996. Davidson's walk-off was the first by an Illini since March 25, 2000.

Rogo Cop
Junior leftfielder Ryan Rogowski been a consistent force for the Illini offense this season. Batting in the No. 2 hole all year, "Rogo" leads the Illini in hits (41), triples (4) and stolen bases (15). The Livonia, Mich. native had a stellar spring trip, going 12-22 from the plate (.545) with 11 runs, five steals, an .864 slugging percentage and a .643 on-base percentage as the Illini went 4-2.

Kyes Stepping In
Senior J.R. Kyes has shown some versatility early this season, but appears to have found a position where he feels comfortable. The Springfield, Ill., native has played in six games in right field and three at designated hitter. But where the Illini have gotten the most production from Kyes is at second base. He is 25-for-59 (.424) in 13 games at the position, getting his first start in the last game of the spring trip against Cornell. Kyes has scored 21 runs, driven in 10 and has the first two home runs of his career, six doubles and three triples since taking over at second. He has recorded eight multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games while putting together a career-best 16-game hitting streak to emerge as Illinois' lead-off hitter and most consistent bat at the beginning of the conference season.

Bronco Buster
Senior first baseman Dusty Bensko feasted on Western Michigan pitching during the Illini's two-game set with the Broncos. The native of Pleasant Plains, Ill., finished the series 5-for-9 with eight RBI and five runs. Bensko starred in the first inning of the teams' second game, hitting a three run home run in his first at-bat and then hitting a grand slam in his second plate appearance as Illinois sent 14 men to the plate in an 11-run inning. It was the first time that an Illini has hit two homers in an inning since Jon Anderson accomplished the feat in 1999. Bensko currently leads the Illini in home runs (8), RBI (36), total bases (71) and slugging percentage (.740)..

Blooming Ace
Junior Brian Blomquist began 2005 on a mission, tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout against Texas-Pan Am on March 5 after throwing six innings of three-hit ball against Wagner. The Carol Stream, Ill., native struck out seven and walked only one Bronc hitter while facing 30 batters, three more than the minimum. Blomquist came back with another complete game in the conference opener against Ohio State, scattering seven hits and allowing one run while striking out six and walking two. He has been the Illini's ace thus far, owning a 6-1 record and a 1.62 ERA in 50 innings. He has struck out 32, walked only seven and allowed opponents to hit a scant .228.

Ifft Robinson Sits, Aaron Produces
With All-Big Ten catcher Chris Robinson in the dugout nursing a bruised wrist for the last six games, back-up Aaron Ifft has filled in nicely. Beginning with the second Western Michigan game last week, Ifft has started all six games and has batted .300 (6-20) with six runs, five RBI and a double. He has also gunned down two would-be base stealers and sports a .982 fielding percentage on the season.