Three University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball players received All-Big Ten honors following the conclusion of the regular season, according to a May 19 announcement from the conference office.
Aidan Flinn was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and, along with AJ Putty, earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Will Johannes was recognized as Illinois’ Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Flinn completed his first collegiate season with a 2.67 earned run average over 54 innings pitched and struck out 51 batters. He made 14 appearances and started in 12 games during the 2026 season, holding opponents to a .188 batting average. Flinn also received Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
Putty secured a starting role early in his freshman year and posted a .301 batting average with eight home runs and 50 runs batted in while starting all 53 games. His total of 63 hits tied for most on the team, while his RBI count led all teammates. Putty was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Feb. 23.
Johannes contributed with a .275 batting average, hitting ten home runs and driving in forty-two runs during regular-season play. His .944 on-base plus slugging percentage ranked second among team members for this year.
This marks the first time since designated hitter Casey Dodge and second baseman Michael Massey were honored in 2017 that multiple Illini have been selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Illinois is set to begin its participation in the Big Ten Tournament on Tuesday at Charles Schwab Field Omaha against eighth-seeded Iowa at 1 p.m., with national television coverage provided by Big Ten Network.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball program participates in conference and non-conference games as part of NCAA Division I athletics under Big Ten Conference rules, offering student-athletes opportunities for competition, development, academic achievement, and intercollegiate play at their university campus according to the official website.
