Gophers face Illinois in B1G Tournament opener: Windle vs. Duchene

The Big Ten baseball tournament starts today at Target Field, with the Gophers taking on Illinois at 12:05 p.m., on Big Ten Network.

The first pitching matchup is excellent, as Illinois sends the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Kevin Duchene, to the mound, opposite Gophers ace Tom Windle. Here's a profile on Windle from today's paper.

On Tuesday, the All-Big Ten teams were announced, with Illinois' senior Justin Parr taking home conference player of the year honors after batting .415 with a .472 OBP and .610 SLG. Here are the all-conference selections from this game:

FIRST TEAM: 1B – David Kerian, ILL; SS – Thomas Lindauer, ILL; OF – Justin Parr, ILL; SP – DJ Snelten, MINN; SP – Tom Windle, MINN.

SECOND TEAM: C – Kurt Schlangen, MINN; OF – Jordan Parr, ILL; SP – Kevin Duchene, ILL.

THIRD TEAM: 2B – Connor Schaefbauer, MINN; OF – Andy Henkemeyer, MINN.

FRESHMAN TEAM: C – Jason Goldstein, ILL; SP – Kevin Duchene, ILL.

And here are today's starting lineups:

ILLINOIS (14-10 Big Ten)
1. Thomas Lindauer, SS
2. Michael Hurwitz, DH
3. Justin Parr, CF
4. Jordan Parr, LF
5. Brandon Hohl, 3B
6. David Kerian, 1B
7. Reid Roper, 2B
8. Davis Hendrickson, RF
9. J Goldstein, C

Starting pitcher: LH K Duchene (8-1, 2.67 ERA)

GOPHERS (13-8 Big Ten)
1. Connor Schaefbauer, 2B
2. Kurt Schlangen, RF
3. Andy Henkemeyer, LF
4. Ryan Abrahamson, 3B
5. Dan Olinger, 1B
6. Alex LaShomb, DH
7. Michael Handel, SS
8. Matt Halloran, C
9. Troy Larson, CF

Starting pitcher: LH Tom Windle (6-4, 2.05 ERA)

Target Field. First pitch: 12:05 p.m. TV: BTN