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Illini Baseball Signs Eight

The Illinois baseball program announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent Wednesday. 

 

Coach Dan Hartlieb, who signed an extension on Monday, calledthe class physical and athletic.

 

Liam Anderson is a 6-foot right-handed pitcher from London, Ontario. He played in the Canadian Premier Baseball League and was a member of three league champion teams. Additionally, Anderson is a member of Great Lake Canadians and has competed with the Canadian U-18 National Team in 2021 and 2022. He is a three-time CPBL All-Star (2020, '21, '22) and two-time Great Lake Canadians Pitcher of the Year (2019, '20) and was a 2022 CPBL and Perfect Game WWBA roster selection.

 

The Illini also crossed the border to sign 6-foot-4 right handed pitcher Parker Burgess from Douro-Dummer, Ontario.  Burgess was a m ember of Canada's WBSC U-18 World Cup team, played for Canada in The Friendship Series against the United States in 2021, and recorded a 1.90 ERA and 17.9 strikeouts per nine innings ratio for the Canadian Premier Baseball League's Toronto Mets U-17 in 2021. He also played AAA hockey for six years and high school basketball for two.

The Illini also went into Ontario for 5-foot-11 outfielder Cameron Chee-Aloy. Chee-Aloy was a Canadian Premier League Baseball MVP and All-Star in 2020
PBR Future Games 2021, has played for Team Canada in 2021 and 2022, and was a member of Canada's WBSC U-18 World Cup team.

 

Regan Hall, a 6-foot Albuquerque, New Mexico left-handed pitcher, comes to Illinois as a First-Team All-State and All-District in 2022, a second-Team All-State and All-District in 2021, a First-Team All-Academic in 2022, a Second-Team All-Academic in 2021.

 

Illinois did not have to go far for 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher Aden O'Donnell from Bettendorf, Iowa. O'Donnell helped lead Pleasant Valley High School to a 2021 4A Iowa State Champion and was named to the 2022 Perfect Game Iowa Spring League. He also played in the 2022 Perfect Game Midwest Top Prospects games a is a three-year letterwinner in football. 

 

Reagan Reader is a 6-foot-5 two-way right hander from Anoka, Minnesota. He is a 2022 Class 4A All-State, All-Conference and All-Section selection and holds the school home run and RBI record. Reader is a three-year varsity started in basketball.

 

Lockport, Illinois native Vytas Valinsius transers from South Carolina. The 6-foot-4 infielder Played in five games at South Carolina during the 2022 season, going 1-for-6 with an RBI at the plate. He was ranked the No. 1 first baseman and No. 6 overall player in the state of Tennessee by Perfect Game in the class of 2021, ranked the No. 4 first basemen in the country by Perfect Game in the class of 2021. Additionally, Valinsius was a Perfect Game Preseason All-Southeast Region first team (2021), a Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-Southeast Region second team (2020), a Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American high honorable mention (2019), a Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American honorable mention (2018), and was a four-year all-state selection at Baylor High School in Tennessee.

 

The only Illinois prep talent for Illinois comes from St. Charles East High School in Chicago in 5-foot-11 infielder Jake Zitella. He is a two-time DuKane All-Conference, one-time all-area, one-time all-area captain. Zitella  was a team MVP in 2022 helping his team win the DuKane Conference that season as well.

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