A part of me wants to get back to blogging consistently. I have many thoughts on may things and used to really enjoying sharing insights. But a large part of me is mindful of how much noise is out there, how many Substack writers there are, and question what the actual value, if any, there is to what I like to share. Several times over the last handful of years I've started and stopped, then started and stopped again, either due to time to consistently publish, loss of interest or uncertainty is anyone is actually reading anything.
I figure this time around to give myself a little grace to not have ag goal figured out and if I'm compelled to share, just go ahead and share. Maybe in time I'll have a defined grasp on regular posting, with the time and headspace to do so. Interestingly enough, my blogging/writing peak would have been perfect for today's Substack crowd. Regular, niche content, with credibility and unique insights.
In the meantime, I'll use this space as a space to share, unstructured, just whatever I find, whatever is on my mind and whatever speaks to me.
And so we start with a familiar friend, what's happened of late in the world of Big Ten baseball plus a list of 10 reads I've found fascinating.
B1G Baseball Notes
2027 Conference Slate is Set
One weekend in 2014 I visited Penn State and sitting in Coach Cooper's office I saw future Big Ten schedules. The following season would be the first in the Big Ten for Maryland and Rutgers, so it made sense to lock in several seasons of schedule rotations at once. I thought it was interesting that the regular season slates would be known well in advance but the general public wouldn't know a teams schedule until the preceding fall at the earliest. I thought why not at least announce the conference slate so those who traveled with teams could plan with at much notice as possible.
Fast forward a decade and with another schedule change due to conference expansion and realignment, and the Big Ten does indeed share it's conference slate with good notice. For the second year in a row, the conclusion of college baseball season has timed up with the Big Ten announcing next year's conference schedule. While there strangely isn't a news release on the Big Ten's site, on June 24, the 2027 conference schedule was unveiled by Big Ten programs. You can find the schedules throughout individual Big Ten program's websites and social media pages and if interested (not me right now) make a master composite schedule.
For now, here's links to the half-dozen programs that have publicly shared their 2027 conference opponents.
Red, White and B1G Baseball in Cary
USA Baseball completed it's Collegiate National Team training camp over the Independence Day weekend with it's Stars and Stripes series. Taking place in Cary, N.C., this year's USA Baseball outfit has a Big Ten-hue alongside the red, white and blue of the stars and stripes.
With the training camp used as a tryout for the Collegiate National Team, the CNT will compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15. The CNT will be managed by Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb, with Big Ten peer Michigan's Tracy Smith serving on staff as an assistant coach.
On the 28-man roster are six players from Big Ten programs, the second-most of a conference behind the Southeastern Conference's 15 players.
Making the roster that will compete in Taiwan is:
Indiana Utility Hogan Denny
Oregon RHPs Tanner Bradley and Will Sanford
UCLA RHPs Ethan Hawk and Wyatt Moss
USC's Andrew Johnson
Four other Big Ten standouts participated in the training camp, Illinois' left-handed pitcher Aidan Flinn, Oregon catcher Brayden Jaksa, and UCLA right-handed pitcher Zach Strickland. Nebraska right-handed pitcher J'Shawn Unger also participated in the trials although not listed on the initial roster.
$5 Million Gift Fuels Illinois Field Enhancements
Overseeing Team USA isn't the only significant change to Hartleb's schedule. On June 25, Illinois announced a $5 million anonymous donation to help renovate Illinois Field.
"I am extremely excited about the upgrades to Illinois Field," said Hartleb in the announcement. "The renovations will significantly improve the fan and player experiences while also enhancing home crowd comfort. We have been extremely blessed to have a donor step up to help us to continue to advance Illinois baseball."
Expected to be completed by the 2027 season, the renovations will new and additional seating down each baseline, add permanent seatbacks, and new, expanded dugouts. The new dugouts will include technology upgrades, storage space, and bathrooms.
Opened in 1988, this will be the third round of stadium and training facility enhancements for the Illini since 2020. The stadium's turf was redone in 2020, and the Atkins Baseball Training Center broke ground in 2021 before opening prior to the 2023 season.
Extensions Around for Nebraska Staff
Coming off of the program's best season in more than 15 years, the University of Nebraska extended the contracts of head coach Will Bolt through the 2032 season, as well as his three assistants, Rob Childress, Lance Harvell and Mike Sirianni, through the 2028 season.
Finishing second in the Big Ten with a 23-7 mark, Nebraska went 43-17 for the 2025 season. the program's second 40-win season under Bolt. Reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, the Huskers the No. 13 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament hosted a regional for the first time since 2008.
“I want to thank Athletic Director Troy Dannen and Deputy Athletic Director Dennis Leblanc for their continued trust in our program,” Bolt said in the school's release. “We’ve built strong momentum here, and I’m thankful for our coaching staff’s commitment, our players’ work ethic, and the unwavering support from Husker Nation.”
Wrapping up his seventh season at his alma mater, Bolt has a 213-142-1 record in Lincoln, the sixth most wins by a head coach in program history.
Purdue Extends Goff's Contract
Nathan Baird of the Indianapolis Star has reported the contract of Purdue head coach Greg Goff has been extended through the 2029 season. Under the extension, Goff's annual salary receives a bump in pay to $287,000 from $280,000.
One of the first teams outside of this season NCAA Tournament field of 64, Goff has led the Boilermakers to three consecutive 30-win seasons. Purdue's 37-20 season included a 18-12 conference mark, good for a fifth-place finish, the program's highest standing since a second-place finish in 2018.
Goff has led Purdue baseball since former coach, now Oregon head coach, Mark Wasikowski took the job in Eugue in the summer of 2019. In seven seasons in West Lafayette, Purdue is 177-150 under Goff.
Quick Pitches
D1Baseball's Rogers Reports Kelly to Lead Northwestern Pitchers
USC Baseball Announces Hiring of Keith Zuniga as Pitching Coach
CJ Weinstein flips from LSU baseball, commits to UCLA
Former Scarlet Knight Kuroda-Grauer Called up to Athletics for MLB Debut
Ten Reads
Reverse Engineering the Mets' Bobby Bonilla Deal - Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture
Alphabet’s $2 Trillion Gain Turns ‘Rock Star’ Into Question Mark - Ryan Vlastelica and Rainier Harris, Bloomberg
The US Is Building More Housing Near Transit, But Not Nearly Enough - Linda Poon, CityLab
When Purpose Backfires - Jordan Nielsen, Daniel D. Goering, Kinshuk Sharma and Jason P. Orgill, Harvard Business Review
24 Simple Secrets to a Healthier Life - Amanda Schupak, Illustrations by Simone Noronha, New York Times
Prediction Market Philosophers Got What They Wanted. They’re Not Happy About It - Brian Kahn, Wired
The Draft Top 250 is out! For the 1st time all year, there's a new No. 1 - Jim Callis, MLB.com
Fox is having a strong World Cup. It could be its last - Andrew Marchand, The Athletic
USMNT failed at the World Cup because of the players -- no coach could save them - Ryan O'Hanlon, ESPN
How to See the Most Popular US National Parks, Without the Crowds - Bloomberg Pursuits
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