Youth and transfer portal look to boost renewed Illinois baseball season

As Spring nears closer and closer, the Illinois Baseball season is starting to get underway with the program looking to win its 32nd Big Ten Championship.

With a roster combining new transfers, exciting young talent, and veterans looking to lead, it should make for an intriguing 2026 season for the Illini.

New Faces in New Places

The transfer portal has always been a staple of Illinois rosters, with players like Drake Westcott and Jacob Schroeder, and this year is no different.

SS Michael Farina and RF Cole Warehime act as immediate plug-and-play guys who have proved their worth early on in this season. While both bring with them an offensive prowess to their game, their real value comes in their defensive playmaking.

One of the biggest struggles for the Illini last season was the defense and keeping runs off the board. With Farina coming in to shore up the infield and Warehime already showcasing his athleticism alongside CF Collin Jennings in the outfield, Illinois should see a boost in its defensive numbers.

Co-starring with them is C Daniel Contreras, who comes in as a graduate transfer from nearby Illinois State. He serves to bring some experience behind the plate, filling in after Schroeder’s departure.

The move will likely result in a tandem with the young and inexperienced Luke Landrus, who will look to Contreras for guidance. Filling the gap Schroeder leaves will be difficult, but Contreras is a good get to provide some stability.

Young Bucks Looking to make their Mark

Along with new transfer talent, some solid young pieces will look to make their marks on the coaching staff and program.

True freshman A.J. Putty comes to the Illini as the top first baseman in Illinois and the No. 22 player overall for the class of 2025. Putty is a quick hitter with a solid 6-foot-4 frame that makes him a big target for infielders to throw to.

He looks to provide stability at the position throughout his Illini career and certainly has the potential to do so. Fellow true freshman Ike Young will also look to get some meaningful innings.

Young comes to Illinois as the No. 14 right-handed pitcher in Illinois in the class of 2025 with some other decent offers from Missouri and Kentucky. He was drafted this past summer by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 20th round.

With some solid speed for a young pitcher, the Illini will look to him in relief early on in his career, working to build a clutch trait to his skillset. Look to see him get more opportunities as the season progresses.

A final major young piece on this year's roster is the previously-mentioned Landrus. The sophomore saw limited action behind the plate and batting last season but should get more of an opportunity given the roster departures that have transpired. 

Landrus’s growth this season would be incredibly impactful for the Illini for seasons to come.

Returners Ready to Steer the Ship

Despite the plethora of new faces for the Illini, some veterans will look to continue developing their legacies at Illinois.

Arguably, the most notable returner is Jennings. The Preseason All-Conference outfielder brings some defensive stability back to the position, along with a few highlights already this season.

Add in the offensive upside he holds, and Jennings is undoubtedly a key cog for the Illini, especially when it comes to keeping runs off the board.

Rounding out the defensive infield are 3B Kyle Schupman and 2B Jack Zebig. Both come back as highly ranked players at their position per D1 Baseball and will look to build off of last season's success.

Their efficiency at the plate will provide a needed spark for the offense, and their stout defensive prowess should help the team improve defensively compared to last season.

The last impactful player the team gets back is 1B/C/DH Will Johannes. As is apparent from his position description, Johannes acts as a Swiss Army Knife for Illinois.

With experience at both 1B and C, he can easily be slotted in if injuries pop up throughout the season. However, the real value he brings to the team is his strong hitting ability.

Hitting .333 to start the season, Johannes can be a spark for the Illinois offense to provide some big hits when they need them the most.

Arms Ready to Fire

All of these returners and new transfers will be all for naught if the pitching staff is not up to snuff. In order for the Illini to improve, they will need to have a lot of growth from important pitchers. 

Ben Plumley and Regan Hall appear to be the two weekend starters, with the third game being dictated by the bullpen. 

Both starters will need to get their ERAs below the 6.00 area they saw last year. Given the time they have spent in the program, they should be able to take a step forward and provide some quality innings for the team. 

Just as impactful is the bullpen, most notably led by a combination of Reed Ganon, Mitch Dye, Zach Bates, and Ryan Ohm. All four will be leaned on heavily to close games, get the starters out of jams, and win a crucial third game of a weekend series. 

One of the more pressing issues of last season's roster was the pitching being less than stellar, and although they did not make any big additions to their room, that may not be a bad thing.

There is something to be said about developing in-house talent, and given the quality staff of coaches the program holds, it is somewhat of a safe gamble to assume that these players should see some real improvement. 

This year's roster shows a lot of promise and should be much improved from last season. Given the dogfight the Big Ten is set up to be, it will be critical that these players step up to help the Illini stay competitive.