Skip to main content
Writing Illini
Fansided

Elite Illinois baseball freshman named to distinguished postseason team

The Illinois baseball team found the face of their program in AJ Putty, and his greatness is being rewarded with this distinguished postseason acknowledgement.
ByKellen Sherman|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Jun 1, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini infielder Drake Westcott (34) tosses the ball to first base to force an out during the ninth inning against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Jun 1, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini infielder Drake Westcott (34) tosses the ball to first base to force an out during the ninth inning against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Illinois baseball program has seen its fair share of ups and downs this season, leading to a positive record of 28-26 on the year

The Illini, led by head coach Dan Hartleb, really bounced around throughout the season when it came to wins and losses. But the team ended up coming together down the stretch, winning six of their final eight games of the regular season.

Illinois' 2026 campaign may not have ended the way that fans wanted, with Hartleb's club being knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament after losses to Iowa and Purdue, but even with the early exit, there were still plenty of positives to come from this season. One such positive was freshman first baseman AJ Putty being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Putty, a product of McHenry, Illinois, was one of the most elite freshmen in the country this season. In 56 games, he recorded nine home runs and 52 RBIs on a .306 batting average.

The phenomenal first baseman joins teammate Aidan Flinn on the All-Freshman team, who finished a monstrous season of his own, recording a 2.67 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 54.0 innings of work. This is the first time since 2017 that Illinois has multiple Big Ten All-Freshman team honorees.

The Illinois baseball program has a bright future with AJ Putty on their roster

Illinois hit a major bullseye, bringing in the No. 1 first baseman in the state to the program. They knew that they had something special in Putty, but they didn't think his greatness would show up this quickly.

Putty has been a bright spot for the Illini, with a freshman season highlighted by a 5-for-6 outing against Coastal Carolina, where he recorded one home run and seven RBIs.

The dream for Illinois is that Putty decides to return to the program, as the team will look to improve on this season while building around their stellar infielder. The unfortunate part is that with NIL being so prevalent, there will always be a chance that Putty will move somewhere else.

Hopefully, that will not be the case, and he stays with Illinois for the long haul. This past season was one for the record books, and I would love to see Putty don the Orange and Blue again in 2027.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Home/Illinois Baseball