Big 10 Tournament Over for Illinois

Purdue eliminated Illinois from the Big Ten Tournament today defeating them in a hard fought extra inning contest 4-3.

Starter Jimmy Conroy kept the Illini in it for most of the game.

One can hardly fault starting pitcher Jimmy Conroy who pitched a heck of a game. He pitched a 10 inning complete game allowing only 3 earned runs.

Shawn Roof hurrying to his post at the hot corner.

Shawn Roof did his best, too. He went 3-4 with an rbi. For the tournament, Roof was 6 for 7.

A word about Shawn Roof. His bio informs us that he was named “Mr Hustle” by his high school in Paducah, KY. If you watch him during the game, you can see why. When the inning is over, he runs out to his position at third base. Then when his team is up, he runs back to the dugout. He does nothing at half-pace.

Chris Robinson heading to third on a run-scoring triple. Coach Itch Jones is in the foreground.

I enjoyed watching Robbie play thoughout the spring. It seemed he could do everything. He’s a good hitter (.353 with 8 HR), has great instincts behind the plate and a great arm.

And they don’t give out Big Ten Sportman awards for being a jerk.

So that’s it for the Illini in the tournament. With them and Iowa eliminated that leaves #3 Purdue as the only team left seeded in the top half of the bracket.