The Illinois baseball team faced their most daunting test of the season, but a monstrous game by their freshman first baseman helped put the program over the top against the Chanticleers.
AJ Putty, a highly-touted prospect from Huntley, Illinois, put together a game for the ages on Sunday against Coastal Carolina. The No. 1 first baseman in Illinois in Perfect Game's Class of 2025 was poised to become the face of a program out of high school, and he proved just that against the No. 6 team in the country.
This was a performance for the ages for the Huntley High School product, as he went 5-for-6 at the plate with two doubles, a home run, and seven RBIs. Putty was the most pivotal part of the Illini offense on Sunday in South Carolina, as he was responsible for seven of his team's runs in their 14-5 win against the Chanticleers.
Putty was masterful with the bat, regardless of who Coastal Carolina sent to the mound. The freshman could do no wrong, with his biggest swing coming in the form of a first-inning grand slam that made the game 6-0.
GRAND SLAM, AJ PUTTY.
— Illinois Baseball (@IlliniBaseball) February 22, 2026
The freshman sends one out to right to add to our lead!
T1 | Illinois 6, Coastal Carolina 0 pic.twitter.com/o2itSPTGBr
Putty put everyone on notice as he almost single-handedly vanquished one of the best teams in the country. He would go on to add another three RBIs to his line for the day, with two in the second off of a double to left, and one in the seventh off of another double to left.
What does this mean for Putty and the Illinois baseball team for the rest of the season
The Illini have been very spotty to start the season, posting a 2-4 record against the USF Bulls, Butler Bulldogs, and VCU Rams prior to this game. They are still trying to find their identity in this young season, but it looks like their promising underclassmen are already starting to find their groove.
Putty put on a show against a very formidable Coastal Carolina squad that was ranked No. 11 in Baseball America's Preseason Top 25 rankings. He crushed five hits off a pitching staff that recorded a 3.22 ERA, which also finished 56-13 and took a trip to the College World Series.
Granted, Coastal Carolina's pitching staff did experience a major turnover with the loss of pitchers Caden Bodine, Jacob Morrison, Matthew Potok, and Riley Elkhoff. But regardless, the Chanticleers were still able to bring in a nice mix of transfers to fill those voids.
Simply put, Coastal Carolina is still one of the premier programs in the country, and there's no denying that. The fact that Putty was able to take over in his seventh career game against last year's runner-up is something special and shows that he has a chance to become the face of this program in a very short amount of time.
The future looks bright for Putty and the Illini. They just need to find a bit of consistency and not take a step back after what they were able to accomplish on Sunday.