ROSEMONT, Ill. – Three members of the Fighting Illini baseball team earned All-Big Ten selections, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Vytas Valincius was named to the Second Team, and Zach Bates and Jacob Schroeder were named to the Third Team. Schroeder was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
Payton Hutchings was selected as Illinois' Sportsmanship Award honoree.
ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
OF - Vytas Valincius
.354/.435/.530, 42 R, 14 2B, 7 HR, 55 RBI, 30 BB, 11 SB
This is the first conference honor of Valincius' career. The Lockport, Ill., native leads the Illini in average, hits (70) and doubles. His .354 average also ranks eighth among Big Ten hitters. Valincius has also stole a career-high 11 bases in 12 attempts, tied for second-most on the team. The senior also leads the team with 21 multi-hit performances, posting 12 two-hit games and eight three-hit games and one four-hit game. He turned in one of the best performances of his Illinois career on April 13 vs. Indiana, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, three doubles and seven RBI. Valincius posted two nine-game hitting streaks during the regular season, first from February 14 to March 1 and then again from April 1-15. During his April hitting streak, he went 20-for-35 (.571) with 10 runs scored, eight doubles, one home run, 18 RBI and four walks.
ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
RP - Zach Bates
1-2, 8 S, 2.84 ERA, 25.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 15 BB, 32 SO, .140 AVG
This is the first conference honor of Bate's career. The Columbia, Mo., native went 1-2 on the season with a 2.84 ERA (8 ER/25.1 IP), totaling eight saves, which ranked tied for fourth among Big Ten arms. Bates picked up the first win of his Illinois career on March 9 vs. Michigan, tossing 2.0 scoreless frames and picking up three strikeouts. He earned his first save on March 28 at Michigan State, working 2.0 shutout innings. Bates turned in the best outing of his season on April 5 vs. Maryland, spinning 2.1 scoreless innings, retiring all seven batters faced, whiffing a career-high four batters. In an 11-game (15.1 IP) span from March 25 to May 6, Bates allowed just one earned run (0.59 ERA) on seven hits, with just one going for extra bases, striking out 19 batters and holding opponents to a .135 average. He also converted all seven of his save chances during that span.
At-Large - Jacob Schroeder
.271/.390/.566, 24 R, 35 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 16 BB, 4 SB
This is the second conference honor of Schroeder's career, as he was also named All-Big Ten First Team in 2024. The Chicago native is one of three Illini batters to reach double-digit homers on the season and has 38 in his Illinois career, which is tied for sixth-most all-time in program history. His current career slugging percentage of .610 would be the eighth-best mark in program history. After driving in six runs during the series at Ohio State from May 15-17, Schroeder eclipsed the 100-RBI mark in his career and currently has 104. He put together his best performance of the season in the series finale in Columbus, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two home runs and four RBI. Schroeder put together a career-long 11-game hitting streak from April 5 - May 2, where he went 14-for-37 (.378) with seven runs scored, five doubles, one home run, six RBI and two walks.
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
C - Jacob Schroeder
278 C, 237 PO, 36 A, 5 E, 13 CSB, 40 SBA, 8 PB
Schroeder earns the nod at catcher on the Big Ten's first-ever all-defensive team. Schroeder caught 13 baserunners in 53 stolen base attempts, a 24.5 percent success rate, which was tied for most in the conference.
2025 BIG TEN BASEBALL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Roch Cholowsky, So., SS, UCLA
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Joseph Dzierwa, Jr., SP, Michigan State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Roch Cholowsky, So., SS, UCLA
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jake Hanley, Fr., 1B, Indiana
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Wasikowski, Oregon
ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
SP — Cade Obermueller, Jr., Iowa
SP — Aaron Savary, Jr., Iowa
SP — Joseph Dzierwa, Jr., Michigan State +
SP — Grayson Grinsell, Jr., Oregon
RP — Will Rogers, Sr., Michigan
RP — Seth Mattox, Sr., Oregon
RP — Isaac Yeager, Jr., Washington
C — Alex Calarco, Sr., Maryland
1B — Jacob Walsh, Sr., Oregon
2B — Mitch Voit, Jr., Michigan
SS — Roch Cholowsky, So., UCLA
3B — Ethan Hedges, Jr., USC
OF — Korbyn Dickerson, So., Indiana
OF — Devin Taylor, Jr., Indiana
OF — Mason Neville, Jr., Oregon
UTL — Reese Moore, So., Iowa
At-Large — Ryan Cooney, So., Oregon (2B)
At-Large — Paxton Kling, Jr., Penn State (OF)
+ unanimous selection
ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
SP — Cole Gilley, Sr., Indiana
SP — Reece Beuter, Sr., Iowa
SP — Michael Barnett, Jr., UCLA
SP — Max Banks, Sr., Washington
RP — Luke Broderick, Jr., Nebraska
RP — Michael Vallone, Gr., Purdue
RP — Brodie Purcell, So., USC
C — Daniel Rogers, Gr., Iowa
C — Weber Neels, Jr., Minnesota
1B — Logan Sutter, Sr., Purdue
1B — Mulivai Levu, So., UCLA
2B — Ryan McKay, So., Michigan State
SS — Chris Hacopian, So., Maryland
3B — Roman Martin, So., UCLA
OF — Vytas Valincius, Sr., Illinois
OF — Trevor Cohen, Rutgers
OF — AJ Salgado, Sr., UCLA
UTL — Jack Porter, So., Penn State
At-Large — Jake Hanley, Fr., Indiana (1B)
At-Large — Benny Casillas, Gr., Michigan (SS)
ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
SP — Kyle McCoy, So., Maryland
SP — Jason Reitz, Jr., Oregon
SP — Caden Aoki, Sr., USC
RP — Zach Bates, So., Illinois
2B — Abbrie Covarrubias, So., USC
SS — Maddox Molony, So., Oregon
3B — Owen McElfatrick, Jr., Northwestern
OF — Ben Wilmes, Sr., Iowa
OF — Anson Aroz, Jr., Oregon
OF — AJ Guerrero, Sr., Washington
UTL — Dominic Hellman, Jr., Oregon
At-Large — Jacob Schroeder, Gr., Illinois (C)
(no C, 1B because of second team ties)
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
P — Caden Aoki, Sr., USC
C — Jacob Schroeder, Gr., Illinois
1B — Mulivai Levu, So., UCLA
2B — Mitch Voit, Jr., Michigan
SS — Roch Cholowsky, So., UCLA
3B — Ethan Hedges, Jr., USC
OF — Korbyn Dickerson, So., Indiana
OF — Paxton Kling, Jr., Penn State
OF — Malakhi Knight, Sr., Washington
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jake Hanley, Fr., 1B, Indiana
Cooper Malamazian, Fr., SS, Indiana
Will Moore, Fr., 3B, Indiana
Jaixen Frost, R-Fr., 3B, Iowa
Tate Carey, Fr., SP, Michigan
Brayden Jefferis, Fr., OF, Michigan
Devin Nunez, Fr., UTL, Nebraska
Burke-Lee Mabeus, Fr., C, Oregon
Yomar Carreras, Fr., SS, Rutgers
Landon Mack, Fr., SP, Rutgers
Justin Shadek, R-Fr., SP, Rutgers
Wylan Moss, Fr., RP, UCLA
Andrew Johnson, Fr., RP, USC
Augie Lopez, Fr., UTL, USC
Vytas Valincius was named to the Second Team, and Zach Bates and Jacob Schroeder were named to the Third Team. Schroeder was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
Payton Hutchings was selected as Illinois' Sportsmanship Award honoree.
ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
OF - Vytas Valincius
.354/.435/.530, 42 R, 14 2B, 7 HR, 55 RBI, 30 BB, 11 SB
This is the first conference honor of Valincius' career. The Lockport, Ill., native leads the Illini in average, hits (70) and doubles. His .354 average also ranks eighth among Big Ten hitters. Valincius has also stole a career-high 11 bases in 12 attempts, tied for second-most on the team. The senior also leads the team with 21 multi-hit performances, posting 12 two-hit games and eight three-hit games and one four-hit game. He turned in one of the best performances of his Illinois career on April 13 vs. Indiana, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, three doubles and seven RBI. Valincius posted two nine-game hitting streaks during the regular season, first from February 14 to March 1 and then again from April 1-15. During his April hitting streak, he went 20-for-35 (.571) with 10 runs scored, eight doubles, one home run, 18 RBI and four walks.
ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
RP - Zach Bates
1-2, 8 S, 2.84 ERA, 25.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 15 BB, 32 SO, .140 AVG
This is the first conference honor of Bate's career. The Columbia, Mo., native went 1-2 on the season with a 2.84 ERA (8 ER/25.1 IP), totaling eight saves, which ranked tied for fourth among Big Ten arms. Bates picked up the first win of his Illinois career on March 9 vs. Michigan, tossing 2.0 scoreless frames and picking up three strikeouts. He earned his first save on March 28 at Michigan State, working 2.0 shutout innings. Bates turned in the best outing of his season on April 5 vs. Maryland, spinning 2.1 scoreless innings, retiring all seven batters faced, whiffing a career-high four batters. In an 11-game (15.1 IP) span from March 25 to May 6, Bates allowed just one earned run (0.59 ERA) on seven hits, with just one going for extra bases, striking out 19 batters and holding opponents to a .135 average. He also converted all seven of his save chances during that span.
At-Large - Jacob Schroeder
.271/.390/.566, 24 R, 35 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 16 BB, 4 SB
This is the second conference honor of Schroeder's career, as he was also named All-Big Ten First Team in 2024. The Chicago native is one of three Illini batters to reach double-digit homers on the season and has 38 in his Illinois career, which is tied for sixth-most all-time in program history. His current career slugging percentage of .610 would be the eighth-best mark in program history. After driving in six runs during the series at Ohio State from May 15-17, Schroeder eclipsed the 100-RBI mark in his career and currently has 104. He put together his best performance of the season in the series finale in Columbus, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two home runs and four RBI. Schroeder put together a career-long 11-game hitting streak from April 5 - May 2, where he went 14-for-37 (.378) with seven runs scored, five doubles, one home run, six RBI and two walks.
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
C - Jacob Schroeder
278 C, 237 PO, 36 A, 5 E, 13 CSB, 40 SBA, 8 PB
Schroeder earns the nod at catcher on the Big Ten's first-ever all-defensive team. Schroeder caught 13 baserunners in 53 stolen base attempts, a 24.5 percent success rate, which was tied for most in the conference.
2025 BIG TEN BASEBALL AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Roch Cholowsky, So., SS, UCLA
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Joseph Dzierwa, Jr., SP, Michigan State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Roch Cholowsky, So., SS, UCLA
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jake Hanley, Fr., 1B, Indiana
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Wasikowski, Oregon
ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
SP — Cade Obermueller, Jr., Iowa
SP — Aaron Savary, Jr., Iowa
SP — Joseph Dzierwa, Jr., Michigan State +
SP — Grayson Grinsell, Jr., Oregon
RP — Will Rogers, Sr., Michigan
RP — Seth Mattox, Sr., Oregon
RP — Isaac Yeager, Jr., Washington
C — Alex Calarco, Sr., Maryland
1B — Jacob Walsh, Sr., Oregon
2B — Mitch Voit, Jr., Michigan
SS — Roch Cholowsky, So., UCLA
3B — Ethan Hedges, Jr., USC
OF — Korbyn Dickerson, So., Indiana
OF — Devin Taylor, Jr., Indiana
OF — Mason Neville, Jr., Oregon
UTL — Reese Moore, So., Iowa
At-Large — Ryan Cooney, So., Oregon (2B)
At-Large — Paxton Kling, Jr., Penn State (OF)
+ unanimous selection
ALL-BIG TEN SECOND TEAM
SP — Cole Gilley, Sr., Indiana
SP — Reece Beuter, Sr., Iowa
SP — Michael Barnett, Jr., UCLA
SP — Max Banks, Sr., Washington
RP — Luke Broderick, Jr., Nebraska
RP — Michael Vallone, Gr., Purdue
RP — Brodie Purcell, So., USC
C — Daniel Rogers, Gr., Iowa
C — Weber Neels, Jr., Minnesota
1B — Logan Sutter, Sr., Purdue
1B — Mulivai Levu, So., UCLA
2B — Ryan McKay, So., Michigan State
SS — Chris Hacopian, So., Maryland
3B — Roman Martin, So., UCLA
OF — Vytas Valincius, Sr., Illinois
OF — Trevor Cohen, Rutgers
OF — AJ Salgado, Sr., UCLA
UTL — Jack Porter, So., Penn State
At-Large — Jake Hanley, Fr., Indiana (1B)
At-Large — Benny Casillas, Gr., Michigan (SS)
ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM
SP — Kyle McCoy, So., Maryland
SP — Jason Reitz, Jr., Oregon
SP — Caden Aoki, Sr., USC
RP — Zach Bates, So., Illinois
2B — Abbrie Covarrubias, So., USC
SS — Maddox Molony, So., Oregon
3B — Owen McElfatrick, Jr., Northwestern
OF — Ben Wilmes, Sr., Iowa
OF — Anson Aroz, Jr., Oregon
OF — AJ Guerrero, Sr., Washington
UTL — Dominic Hellman, Jr., Oregon
At-Large — Jacob Schroeder, Gr., Illinois (C)
(no C, 1B because of second team ties)
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
P — Caden Aoki, Sr., USC
C — Jacob Schroeder, Gr., Illinois
1B — Mulivai Levu, So., UCLA
2B — Mitch Voit, Jr., Michigan
SS — Roch Cholowsky, So., UCLA
3B — Ethan Hedges, Jr., USC
OF — Korbyn Dickerson, So., Indiana
OF — Paxton Kling, Jr., Penn State
OF — Malakhi Knight, Sr., Washington
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jake Hanley, Fr., 1B, Indiana
Cooper Malamazian, Fr., SS, Indiana
Will Moore, Fr., 3B, Indiana
Jaixen Frost, R-Fr., 3B, Iowa
Tate Carey, Fr., SP, Michigan
Brayden Jefferis, Fr., OF, Michigan
Devin Nunez, Fr., UTL, Nebraska
Burke-Lee Mabeus, Fr., C, Oregon
Yomar Carreras, Fr., SS, Rutgers
Landon Mack, Fr., SP, Rutgers
Justin Shadek, R-Fr., SP, Rutgers
Wylan Moss, Fr., RP, UCLA
Andrew Johnson, Fr., RP, USC
Augie Lopez, Fr., UTL, USC
