Illinois baseball 2025 season preview: 3 biggest games, key players and predictions

Illinois baseball had a fairly successful season this year. The Fighting Illini won their first Big Ten regular season title in nine years, finishing the 2024 season with an 18-6 conference record. Although they failed to make the semi-finals of the Big Ten tournament, they made the postseason for the first time since 2019.

They were the third seed in the Lexington Regional, which is where their season ended following successive losses to the Kentucky Wildcats and the Indiana State Sycamores. Their overall record for the 2024 season stood at 35-21.

Dan Hartleb, who won the Big Ten Coach of the Year this season, will enter his 20th season as the head coach of the Fighting Illini next year.

He has a major challenge to improve the roster in the off-season following the loss of key players in the 2024 MLB draft and the transfer portal.

Let's preview Illinois ahead of the 2025 NCAA baseball season.

3 key games for Illinois baseball in the 2025 season

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes are one of the Fighting Illini's primary athletic rivals. They endured a hard season this year, losing a three-game away series to the Fighting Illini and finishing 8th in the Big 12 regular season with a 12-12 conference record.

Following the end of the season, coach Bill Mosiello stepped down as head coach. With a new HC in Justin Haire, the 1966 College World Series winners will look to impress in 2025.

2. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes finished fourth in the Big Ten regular season with a 14-10 conference record. They also lost a three-game away series to the Fighting Illini in the regular season. The Hawkeyes will be keen to get redemption and could push the Fighting Illini all the way in 2025.

1. Indiana Hoosiers

The Hoosiers are another athletic rival of the Fighting Illini. They finished third in the Big Ten regular season with a 15-9 conference record and made the semi-finals of the Big Ten tournament. They also came up short in a three-game home series against the Fighting Illini during the regular season.

They will look to bounce back in the 2025 season and could be a major challenger for the Fighting Illini's defence of their Big Ten regular season crown.

Key players for the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2025

3. Vytas Valincius, INF

Valincius transferred to the Fighting Illini following the end of the 2023 season. He made a solid impact in his junior year at Champaign, hitting 12 home runs and 50 RBIs with an average of .267 in 54 games played.

NCAA Baseball: Lexington Regional-Illinois vs Indiana State - Source: Imagn

He will bring experience and consistency to the Fighting Illini's offense in 2025, which could be his last season in NCAA baseball.

2. Regan Hall, LHP

Hall was one of the Fighting Illini's top freshmen this year. He finished the season 3-1 while striking out 35 batters with an ERA of 5.58 in 40.1 innings pitched. With the Fighting Illini losing their ace, Jack Crowder, in the draft, Hall will be expected to take on a bigger role in their bullpen in the 2025 season.

1. Drake Westcott, INF

Westcott was one of the Fighting Illini's top hitters in his redshirt junior season. This year, he hit 16 home runs and 52 RBIs with an average of .290 in 55 games played.

Entering his final season in NCAA baseball, he could lead the Fighting Illini's offense in 2025 following Ryan Moerman's transfer to the Ole Miss Rebels this off-season.

Predicting Illinois Fighting Illini's 2025 season

The Fighting Illini have lots of work to do in the off-season to strengthen their roster, despite having a talented class of high school talents coming in.

Hartleb and his staff are likely to solve that problem in the fall and should be a top contender for the Big Ten regular season once again.

However, they are unlikely to progress beyond the NCAA Regional stage in the postseason given the competition they are likely to face from other conferences, mainly the SEC and the ACC.