After Illinois was named the Big Ten team of the decade (2010-19) by D1 Baseball, a feat headlined by the team’s memorable 2015 season that included a super regional finish, they weren’t quite the same at the beginning of the next 10 years, posting just one winning season in 2022 (31-22) in the three seasons following the pandemic. The Illini turned around those fortunes loudly a year ago, finishing 2024 as the regular season champions in the Big Ten Conference – going 35-21 overall and 18-6 in league play – while making their first regional appearance since 2019.
With the retirement of[…]
