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Illinois Baseball Lands Transfer Pitcher From Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

Fifth-year senior pitcher Liam McKillop announced his commitment to the Illini program on Friday

Jared Shlensky

Jun 1, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Nick Mingione shakes hands with Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Dan Hartleb after the game at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Jun 1, 2024; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Nick Mingione shakes hands with Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Dan Hartleb after the game at Kentucky Proud Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The 2025 season was a tough one for the Illinois baseball program. The Illini finished 30-24 and had to overcome the death of pitching coach Mark Allen in February. Given the circumstances – including the Big Ten additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, all of which finished in the conference's top five – Illinois may have even overachieved. And on Friday, the Illini likely got a little better.

Liam McKillop, a veteran right-handed reliever who previously played at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, signed with Illinois.

In 2025, McKillop led the Cougars' pitching staff with 24 appearances out of the bullpen and was second on the club with two saves. In 47 innings pitched, he went 2-0 with a 2.68 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a .193 batting average and firing 53 strikeouts.

McKillop was nearly as dominant a year ago, tying for the SIUE lead with three saves and again leading the Cougars with 20 appearances.

The confidence a finisher such as McKillop inspires gives coaches flexibility and, at the end of the day, wins games. Exactly how the Illini will utilize McKillop in his final year of eligibility remains to be seen, but on paper he looks like a plus addition for coach Dan Hartleb.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster.

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