The
history of college baseball in the state of Illinois cannot be told
without mention of Richard “Itch” Jones. In 15 years as Head
Coach at the University of Illinois, Itch led the Illini to 474 wins,
two Big Ten regular season titles, a Big Ten tournament title and two
NCAA tournament appearances.
But
before taking the job with Illinois in 1991, Itch was the winningest
coach in school history at Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale, where he led the Salukis to 10 NCAA tournaments, three
College World Series and a 738-345-5 record in 21 seasons.
After
the 1990 campaign in which Itch's Salukis went 49-14 to earn a top-15
national ranking, the legendary coach was named Head Coach at
Illinois. Going with him to Champaign was the then-24-year-old Dan
Hartleb, who played two seasons for Itch and was his graduate
assistant for two more at Southern Illinois. At Illinois, Hartleb
would serve as Itch's associate head coach and pitching coach for the
next 15 years.
When
Itch retired after the 2005 season, Coach Hartleb was promoted to
head coach – the 10th in 136 years of Illinois baseball
– and has continued his predecessor's winning tradition ever since.
In nine seasons, Coach Hartleb has led the Illini to as many NCAA
Tournament appearances (two) as Itch did in his 15 years at Illinois.
The
program reached new heights under Coach Hartleb in 2014, going 17-7
in Big Ten play to secure the school's best record during the
conference's 24-game schedule era. Coach Hartleb's pitching staff led
the way, posting a school record 3.25 ERA.
Returning
nearly all key pieces from last year's squad, the 2015 Illini are
flying high. Much like their sweep of the nationally-ranked Gators
early last year in Gainesville, Fla., Illinois stole two of three
games from the nationally-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in
Stillwater, Okla. two weeks ago to stake their claim as one of the
country's top programs.
“From
a recognition standpoint, it was a big series against a very good
Oklahoma State team,” Coach Hartleb told Perfect Game over the
phone last week. “But our guys went in there with the idea
that we were going to win games.”
In
their Friday night matchup, lefthander Kevin Duchene tossed seven
innings of three-hit ball. Perfect Game Second-Team All-American,
Tyler Jay, recorded the final five outs to nail down his fourth save
and set the tone for a thrilling series. Shortstop Adam Walton led
the offense from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-5 with three runs
scored, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base.
Redshirt
senior Drasen Johnson (1.75 ERA in five starts) took the series-tying
loss in game two on Saturday. Junior catcher Jason Goldstein homered,
but defensive miscues cost Illinois, setting the stage for the Sunday
rubber match.
Senior
righthander John Kravetz (1.83 ERA in five starts) continued his dominance in game three with seven strong innings. He turned
the mound over in a tie game to Jay, who tossed 3.0 scoreless
innings. Jay was eventually credited with the win – his third of
the season – after David Kerian's two-run home run in the 10th inning sealed the game – and the series – for the Illini.
Jay's
dominance vs. Oklahoma State – in addition to the three scoreless
innings he tossed March 2 at Coastal Carolina – earned him the
Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Award. But Jay deflects the recognition,
however deserving, to his teammates.
“I'd
rather have one of my teammates win that award instead of me,” Jay
said. “Duchene threw one hell of a game on Friday. But it's cool.
It's something I'll look back on when I'm older. But right now I'm
just focused on playing.”
While
Jay serves primarily as the team's closer, he earned a win in his
first career start on February 15 at Lamar, striking out six in five
scoreless innings.
“I
like starting, but it's two different games for me,” Jay said.
“Closing, you're the big bad guy coming in to shut things down. And
when you're starting, you get to toy around and use more of your
pitches. I enjoy doing both. But with the way our starters have been
throwing, there should be no adjustments. I have no problem doing
whatever the coaches ask me to do.”
“That's
the thing that impresses me so much about Tyler,” Coach Hartleb
said. “He has the desire to do whatever it takes for our team to be
successful.”
Ranked
as the No. 19 college junior on Allan
Simpson's Top 100 College Juniors list, Jay is considered
Illinois' top prospect. The 6-foot-1 lefthander gained national
attention after his dazzling sophomore season, being named to the USA
Baseball Collegiate National Team. On the same roster as Vanderbilt's
Carson Fulmer, among others, Jay worked under pitching coach Rob
Childress, a former lefthanded pitcher and current head coach at
Texas A&M. Jay worked with another lefty, coach Kyle Hallock, in
the Cape Cod League last summer. He credits much of his success this
year to Childress and Hallock for helping him develop and refine his
changeup, a pitch that his catcher at Illinois, Jason Goldstein now
calls Jay's best secondary pitch.
“Our
other pitchers laugh,” Goldstein said. “Because most of them
don't throw their fastball as hard as Tyler's 87 mph changeup. And it
moves like a sinker.”
A
short, unknown lefthander throwing in the high-80s as a freshman, Jay
now works in the mid-90s with what Goldstein calls “three plus
secondary pitches.”
“Tyler
has matured greatly over his three years here,” Goldstein said. “He
wasn't so sure about himself at first. He wasn't a top recruit and
came in as a short kid that nobody had heard of. But he has an
unbelievable work ethic and the mentality of, 'I really don't care
who's hitting, I am better than them.'”
That
level of confidence is easy to possess when you're one of the top
closers in the country. But for Goldstein – a self-described “non
prospect” out of high school – confidence comes from owning
perhaps the most underappreciated job on the diamond.
Catching
for the Reds Scout Team during his junior season in high school,
Goldstein's coach got him an invite to the 2011 Perfect Game National
Showcase in Minneapolis. After a solid showing, he was invited to the
Perfect Game All-American Classic, where he caught top prospects such
as Mitchell Traver (now
at TCU), Ryan Burr (Arizona State) and Hunter Virant (UCLA).
“That
was, so far, the highlight of my baseball career,” Goldstein said
of playing in the PG All-American Classic. “The event was first
class. It was neat getting to meet and play with the best in the
country, and even the best in the world with Carlos Correa.”
That
exposure led Goldstein to Illinois, where he's been a three-year
starter and now leads a loaded pitching staff that includes Jay,
Duchene, Kravetz, Johnson and Rob McDonnell, who boast a composite
1.29 ERA in 139 1/3 innings this season.
“He
calls his own games,” Jay said of his catcher Goldstein. “Behind
the plate, when it comes to calling pitches based on his pitchers, I
think he understands all of them. And when it comes to knowing what
he wants to do in a certain situation, he's so flawless. I can have a
pitch grip in my hand, and he's got the finger down already. We just
have that connection. And it's not just like that between me and him,
that's with everybody. He's like a wizard back there, that's the best
way I can put it. He just knows a ton about the game.”
Goldstein's
wizardry behind the dish led the Illini to an 11-3-1 record to start the season. After winning their home opener against Chicago State last Tuesday, the Illini took two of three last weekend from Coach Hartleb's former team, Southern Illinois.
Now 14-4-1 in his 10th year as head coach at Illinois, Hartleb is
proud of his Illinois baseball program. With success on the field and
in the classroom, the athletic department has helped install new turf
and built a $1 million clubhouse expansion, a “major upgrade”
according to Coach Hartleb. They're currently in the process of
erecting a new video board and even have drawings on the table to
construct a new complex. With good support, Illinois is becoming one
of the top baseball programs in the country.
“I
think it's because we've had success,” Coach Hartleb said. “But
in the bigger picture, it's because all of our kids graduate.”
On
the diamond, the Illini are setting their sights high. Feeling they
were snubbed out of the NCAA Regionals last season, Goldstein says he
and his teammates know they're capable of doing what it takes to
reach the next level this year.
“Realistically,
we're swinging for Omaha,” he said. “Right now, some people look
at us and are realizing that we're pretty decent. But I think we've
known that since last year. Our pitchers are pretty damn consistent
in what they do. And there are no automatic outs in our lineup. We
need to find a way to be as consistent as possible and do the little
things like getting guys in from third base with less than two outs.
When we get the job done in those situations, I have a hard time
believing anyone is going to beat us in a three-game series.”
“I
think the biggest thing is knowing that we have other teams targeting
us now,” Jay added. “Last year, we had a series against Florida
where we wanted to come out and let them know that we could play.
We're those guys to other teams now. So we just have to come out with
energy for every game and be ready to go.
“We
want to go to Omaha. And I want this team to be known as one of the
best ever to play at Illinois.”