All-Weekend Team

After spending the weekend scoring runs against each other in bunches, this edition of the All-Weekend Team features plenty of Illini and Gophers hitters. Not surprisingly, when the two best pitching teams in the conference don't perform well, it was a bit more difficult to find stars from the mound. Although, there were a couple of notable exceptions.

Here's this week's squad:

C: Aaron Johnson, Illinois - Another strong weekend for the Canadian backstop. Five-for-twelve with a pair of homers, three walks and a stolen base. Johnson scored three runs and drove in six against the then-ranked Gophers.

1B: Matt Dittman, Illinois - Three runs scored, three RBI, three stolen bases and a triple. Dittman went five-for-eleven (.455) in three games.

2B: Derek McCallum, Minnesota - McCallum moved into the Big Ten batting average lead with an 8-for-14 weekend vs. Illini. The Gophers middle infielder hit two doubles, three homeruns, walked and got hit-by-a-pitch. McCallum scored four times and drove in eight runs.

SS: A.J. Pettersen, Minnesota - A .462 average (6-for-13) against Illinois. The first year infielder doubled, homered, walked twice and went yard twice. Pettersen had three RBI and scored seven runs.

3B: Dominic Altobelli, Illinois - The senior hit .500 (6-for-12) over the weekend. The damage he inflicted included a double, a homer, a sac fly, a walk, an HBP and two stolen bases. Altobelli had seven RBI and scored seven runs.

OF: Casey McMurray, Illinois - The sophomore went seven-for-fifteen (.467) against the Gophers. McMurray touched home five times and drove in four in three games.

OF: Michael Kvasnicka, Minnesota - Five-for-thirteen (.385) vs. the Illini. The sophomore went yard twice and had a pair of sac flies tossed in. He scored three runs and drove in five.

OF: Evan Crawford, Indiana - The Hoosiers outfielder hit .500 (5-for-10) over the weekend. Crawford hit three doubles, stole three bases, walked twice, got hit-by-a-pitch, scored three times and drove in five vs. Penn State. Hey, wait. How did a Hoosier sneak in here?

OF: Joe Bonadonna, Illinois - A mere .538 weekend average (7-for-13). Bonadonna had two doubles, a walk, a stolen base, a RBI and scored six times.

BN: Justin Toole, Iowa - An abbreviated two-game weekend set for the Hawkeyes' shortstop. However, Toole did go 5-for-9 (.555) with a double, two runs scored, two steals and two RBI.

BN: Ryan Durant, Iowa - In his two games, the junior outfielder went 4-for-6 with a double, run scored, sacrifice fly, three walks and three RBI.

BN: Dan Burkhart, Ohio State - The sophomore had four hits in thirteen at-bats (.308) with a double, sac fly and homerun. Burkhart had two runs scored and six RBI.

BN: Michael Stephens, Ohio State - The average won't get you excited (.250), but the junior scored five runs and drove in five more in three games. Stephens tripled twice and walked.

BN: Mike Dufek, Michigan - Another slugger with a less-than-impressive .250 weekend batting average, but the junior 1B scored three times and drove in six vs. MSU. Dufek homered, had a sac fly, got plunked by a pitch and walked.

BN: Justin Gominsky, Minnesota - Hit .500 (7-for-14) with two runs scored, two RBI, two doubles and four stolen bases.

SP: Alex Wimmers, Ohio State - Seven innings of shutout baseball. Wimmers gave up only three hits and three walks while striking out seven. Wimmers is now 7-1 and vying for Pitcher of the Year honors.

SP: Matt Bischoff, Purdue - Went the distance against Wimmers and the Bucks, but couldn't get any run support. The righty gave up just one run on five hits over his nine innings of work. Bischoff fanned six.

SP: Jarred Hippen, Iowa - One run allowed over seven innings vs. NU. Hippen was touched for four hits and three walks, but countered with four K's. The win improved Hippen's record to 2-2.

RP: Jake Hale, Ohio State - Three appearances, three saves. What more can you expect? Worked 5.1 innings giving up four hits, two walks and no runs. He also K'd seven and grabbed the Big Ten's Pitcher of the Week honors.

BP: Matt Bashore, Indiana - The IU sophomore gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in earning his third victory. Bashore struck out five.

As you know, this is a subjective effort. It's also completed by me, which increases the odds of error. If you'd like to make a case for someone not included or correct my math, might I ask that you contact me via email? My address remains in the sidebar.