Illinois football rocked the house at Wrigley Tuesday night during the Cubs game

Bret Bielema knows how to make a statement, and he did just that on Tuesday night during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

Bielema, who was joined by Joe Barna and Matthew Bailey for the festivities, made the trip up to the Friendly Confines as part of the Chicago Cubs' 'Illini Night' promotion. It was a special event for the Illini, as the trio took part in the ceremonial first pitch and the seventh-inning stretch.

Illinois did a great job helping to expand the reach of the program with this promotion, with the evening highlighted by Bielema and Bailey's rousing rendition of 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' for the Cubs' seventh-inning stretch.

This was the sixth time that Bielema has sang the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field during a Cubs game, with his last rendition happening on June 17, 2025, when the Milwaukee Brewers were in town.

But the same couldn't be said for Bailey, as this was not only his first time singing the stretch, but also the first MLB game that he's ever attended. When asked about this moment by WCIA 3's Tristan Thomas, Bailey replied;

"I'm super excited. I mean getting the opportunity to sing with Coach B is super awesome. But this is my first MLB game, so I'm super excited to see what the experience is like here at Wrigley."

Joe Barna left Chicago with a memorable moment when he threw the ceremonial first pitch

Bielema and Bailey weren't the only Illini on display in Chicago on Tuesday, as Barna was also creating a buzz for the program on the north side.

Barna, a product of Wheaton, Illinois, and a lifelong Cubs fan, was tasked with throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the ballgame. The throw itself was something you would expect in that moment, but it was Barna's moment with Clark the Bear that really had fans in attendance laughing.

It was a comedic scene between the pitcher's mound and home plate, as both Barna and Clark ran towards each other after the pitch was thrown. The junior lineman and the mascot attempted to side-bump each other, but Barna ended up knocking Clark right on his backside.

When asked about the bump after the fact, Barna told Illinois football's social media team;

"I don't know if that was a strike right there, but I decked Clark the Bear, and I'm pretty happy about that."

It may seem like a small moment on the calendar compared to the rest of Illinois' year, but moments like these can really help change a program for the better. The Illinois football program is continuing to step out into the community, and display the talent that they have on a big stage.

Bielema and Co. are giving their players a shot to show their stuff, and to add to the image that they've built in Champaign during this very lucrative NIL era. It is something that shows how much Bielema cares about his players and how he wants to give them a spotlight as much as possible.

The Illini have a lot of momentum heading into the 2026 season, with CBS Sports ranking Bielema's squad as the No. 28 team in their preseason poll. This program is building something special in Champaign, and if they can continue to do what they're doing, they may be a premier powerhouse sooner than we think.

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