Summer Baseball Update: Aeilts an All-Star in GLSCL

NORMAL, Ill. – Joe Aeilts made an immediate impact this spring as a member of Illinois State's baseball team. And he's doing it again this summer as a member of the Grand Lake Mariners, of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

Aeilts, a rising sophomore from Champaign, Illinois, was recently named to the GLSCL All-Star Game, where he provided the game's first run by way of a first-inning solo home run. He later provided an RBI single, stole a base and scored another run to pad the South All-Stars' lead.

Aeilts is currently batting .374/.411/.542 with seven doubles, five home runs and 25 RBIs in 33 summer-league games. He's tallied multi-hit games in six-straight contests (and nine of his past 10). He leads his team in batting average and home runs.

Aeilts had a particularly good game July 15 at Galion, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs in Grand Lake's 9-7 win.

The breakout summer season comes after a solid freshman campaign at Illinois State, in which Aeilts hit .226/.297/.311 with 10 doubles, 13 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 49 games played.

Aeilts is one of several Redbirds currently playing in summer collegiate leagues. Others include (listed alphabetically):

Jeffrey Barton | Northwoods League | Rockford Rivets

• Finished the summer season with a 2-4 record and 4.80 ERA over eight starts, spanning 39.1 innings.
• Allowed two runs on five hits and no walks over six innings to earn a victory in his final outing of the summer, July 22 at Lakeshore.

Jack Bellinger | Ohio Valley League | Madisonville Miners

• Currently 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA over 26.2 innings in the OVL.
• Ranks fourth on his team in ERA, among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched.

Jack Butler | Midwest Collegiate League | Bloomington Bobcats

• Slashing .425/.456/.514 with seven doubles, two home runs and 27 RBIs in the MCL.
• Had a 15-game hitting streak snapped July 22.

Joe Butler | Prospect League | Springfield Sliders

• Finished the summer with a .268/.343/.315 batting line in 33 games in the Prospect League.
• Leads Springfield with 15 stolen bases and was caught stealing just twice.

Jacob Gilmore | Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League | Bancroft Bandits

• Currently 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA to date in the PCBL.
• Pitched a complete game shutout with six strikeouts against Sioux Falls July 23.

Ryan Hutchinson | Northwoods League | Rockford Rivets

• Batting .269/.404/.373 with eight doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in 36 games in the NWL.
• Leads Rockford in both stolen bases (12) and walks (27).

Jordan Libman | Ohio Valley League | DuBois County Bombers

• Slashing .299/.404/.455 with eight extra-base hits in 21 games in the OVL.
• Currently leads his team with four triples this summer.

Jeff Lindgren | Northwoods League | Bismarck Larks

• Finished the summer with a 2-1 record, five saves and a 3.03 ERA over 26.2 innings.
• Earned a win with six strong innings in his only start of the summer, allowing just one run and striking out five, July 16 at Thunder Bay.

Owen Miller | Northwoods League | Lakeshore Chinooks

• Slashing .365/.417/.635 with eight extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in 13 games in the NWL.
• Selected for the NWL Major League Dreams showcase event Aug. 8.

Braden Niksich | Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League | Grand Lake Mariners

• Named a GLSCL All-Star for the league's annual showcase event July 18.
• Currently 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23 innings of work this summer.

John Rave | Northwoods League | Rockford Rivets

• Finished the summer season with a .343/.421/.448 batting line.
• Tallied six extra-base hits, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored over 25 games in the NWL.

Noah Sadler | Northwoods League | Bismarck Larks

• Batting .234/.395/.320 with eight doubles, 13 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 40 games in the NWL.
• Ranks 11th in the NWL in walks (34).
   

Anthony Sanchez | Ohio Valley League | DuBois County Bombers

• Slashing .328/.500/.438 with seven doubles and 17 runs scored in 22 games in the OVL.
• Ranks second on his team with a .500 on-base percentage, thanks to his 19:19 walks-to-strikeouts ratio.

Jack Spicer | Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League | Bancroft Bandits

• Currently 0-1 with a 6.46 ERA over 23.2 innings in the PCBL.
• Ranks third on his team with 30 strikeouts to date.

Michael Sebby | Ohio Valley League | Madisonville Miners

• Named an OVL All-Star for the league's annual showcase event July 9.
• Currently 3-3 with a 4.26 ERA and a team-leading 45 strikeouts over 31.2 innings pitched.

Nick Zouras | Northwoods League | Kenosha Kingfish

• Finished the summer campaign with a .290/.350/.364 batting line.
• Tallied six extra-base hits and 11 RBIs over 28 games in the NWL.

Note: Only those currently playing in summer leagues, with updated stats posted on his team's website, are included in this report. Other current Redbird players who have already finished or not yet started their summer campaigns, or do not have updated stats posted, are not included.

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