A pair of University of Illinois teams face big weekend matchups as they take on established national powers.
The state’s flagship campus will send the Fighting Illini to Baton Rouge, La. to face top-ranked LSU in a three-game set beginning Friday at 7 p.m. It marks the first time since 1995 – when the Illini traveled to No. 1 Miami and went 1-2 – that Illinois has faced the nation’s top-ranked team.
At 5-1, Illinois is off to its best start since 2003. The Illini were 2-1 at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge on opening weekend and 3-0 at the Al Ogletree Classic in Texas last weekend.
And while the Illini returned a bevy of experience from last year’s squad – including returning all-Big Ten picks Brandon Wikoff (SS) and Joe Bonnadonna (2B/OF) – a freshman has had their hottest bat so far.
Josh Parr, a first-year infielder from Chillicothe, Ill., has hit safely in each of his first six games. (Disclaimer, I am Parr’s former select-team coach. He played for my Central Illinois Outlaws team in 2008). Parr currently leads the Illini in batting average (.476), slugging percentage (.619), and on-base percentage (.542). He shared Big Ten Player of the Week honors with Ohio State catcher Dan Burkhart after hitting .700 in three gams at the Ogletree Classic.
That Parr is off to a hot start should come as no surprise. He prepped at Illinois Valley Central, one of the best teams in Illinois regardless of class thanks to the presence of Hall of Fame coach and 600-game winner Jerry Rashid. In three years as a varsity starter, Parr led the Grey Ghosts to a record of 99-17, one Class A state championship and one Class 2A runner-up finish.
Parr is the oldest son of a baseball-obsessed family. His younger brothers, twins Jordan and Justin, will are currently seniors at IVC and seeking to lead the Grey Ghosts to their third title-game appearance in four years. Jordan, a third baseman, has signed with Illinois State, while Justin, middle infielder, will play at Parkland College, an NJCAA Division II school in Champaign.
The Illini’s sister school, Illinois-Chicago, also faces a stern weekend test. Stern tests have been the norm this season for the Flames.
UIC opened the season with six consecutive losses. Four of those came opening weekend at No. 2 Texas. And last weekend, the Flames dropped a Saturday doubleheader at No. 23 Alabama before the winter storm that walloped the South washed out Sunday’s games.
This weekend, UIC travels to Vanderbilt. On Thursday night, the Flames opened the series with a 3-2 win over the Commodores. Senior right-hander Adam Worthington showed that he is more than capable of transitioning from reliever to starter by surrendering just one run in 72/3 innings of work, striking out six and walking one.
He already earned one Horizon League Pitcher of the Week award after scattering six hits in 72/3 against Texas. That was his first career start.
In 2008, Worthington, a Gurnee native, was the Horizon League Reliever of the Year after appearing in 31 games – finishing 28 – and saving five contests. He has 13 saves in his career.
Finally, I’d like to thank PG President Jerry Ford for allowing me the opportunity to blog for Crosschecker.
As a little introduction, my name – if you hadn’t guessed it by the byline – is Ben Diggle. I’m 30-years old and a sports reporter for the Peoria Journal Star, one of the largest newspapers in Illinois. My main beats are high-school football and baseball at all levels. In my spare time, I serve as a coach for the Central Illinois Outlaws 18-U team.
I look forward to providing you to insight about high-school and college baseball in Illinois and around the Midwest.
See you at the Diamond!