2026 Baseball Roster
Roster
Vytas Valincius
- Position:
- OF
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-4 / 230
- B/T:
- L/R
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Lockport, Ill.
- High School/Previous School:
- Baylor School [TN] / Illinois
2025 (Senior) - Illinois
Selected second team All-Big Ten as an outfielder ... Started and played in 53 games, all at left field ... Led the Illini in average, hits and doubles ... Slashed .348/.434/.520 to go along with 42 runs, 71 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs, 58 RBI, 33 walks and 11 stolen bases ... Led Illinois with 21 multi-hit performances ... Had 12 two-hit games (led team), eight three-hit games (led team), one four-hit game ... Ranked third on the Fighting Illini with 14 multi-RBI games ... Produced eight games with two RBIs, four games with three RBIs, one game with four RBIs, one game with five or more RBIs ... Went 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts on the season ... Entered the campaign with no stolen base attempts in his Illinois career ... Set career-best marks in hits, doubles, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and stolen bases ... His .348 average ranked 10th among all Big Ten batters ... After going 3-for-5 vs. Abilene Christian (2/14) to open the season, his average never dipped below .300 ... Started season with a nine-game hitting streak (Feb. 14 - March 1) going 13-for-37 (.351) with three doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI while driving in at least one run in eight of those contests, including five games with at least two RBIs ... Bookended that hitting streak with three-hit games ... Had a second nine-game hitting streak from April 1-15 where he went 20-for-35 (.571) with eight doubles, a home run and 18 RBI ... He at least two hits in seven of those ballgames, including three, three-hit games with the streak highlighted by a 3-for-5, three run, three double, seven RBI performance vs. Indiana (4/13), setting career-best marks for double and RBI in a single game ... Swiped a career-high three bags vs. Bradley (5/6) ... Had first-career four-hit game vs. No. 18 UCLA (5/9), going 4-for-5 with two runs, a double, home run and an RBI ... Drew a career-high three walks vs. Michigan (5/20) in the Fighting Illini's opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.
2024 (Junior) - Illinois
Started 54 games in his debut season at Illinois ... Slashed .267/.396/.513 to go along with 10 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 50 RBIs .... Made his Illini debut on vs. Akron (2/16) going 2-for-3 with a run, home run and RBI ... Had season-long nine-game hitting streak from April 27 - May 12 when he went 12-for-32 (.375) with two doubles, a triple and five home runs ...Tallied a season-high six RBIs vs. Western Illinois (4/23) by posting his first multi-home run game of the season ... Drove in 18 RBIs over a seven-game span from April 23 - May 4 ... His three-run home run vs. Iowa (5/11) was the team's 92nd of the season, which broke the program's previous all-time single-season home run record.
2023 (Sophomore) - John A. Logan CC
Slashed .403/.540/.639 to go along with nine home runs and 58 RBIs over 59 games ... His OBP ranked 19th nationally among NJCAA DI qualifiers ... Ranked among team leaders in walks (1st, 61), hits (2nd, 77), RBIs (2nd) and runs (4th, 66) ... Had 23 multi-hit performances during the season ... Had a stretch of seven-straight multi-hit games from April 4-11 ... Had season-high six RBI vs. Chattahoochee Valley (2/17) ... Slugged a season-high two home runs vs. Chattahoochee Valley (2/17) and at Shawnee (4/30).
2022 (Freshman) - South Carolina
Played in five games for the Gamecocks his freshman season ... Was 1-for-6 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored ... Went 1-for-3 with an RBI vs. Appalachian State (3/1) ... Scored a run in a win over North Carolina (4/6).
High School
Attended the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee ... Helped the Baylor School to a state title as a senior in 2021 ... Hit .400 with eight home runs his senior season ... Ranked the No. 4 first basemen in the country by Perfect Game in the class of 2021 ... Ranked the No. 1 first baseman and No. 6 overall player in the state of Tennessee by Perfect Game in the class of 2021 ... Perfect Game Preseason All-Southeast Region first team (2021) ... Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-Southeast Region second team (2020) ... Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American high honorable mention (2019) ... Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American honorable mention (2018) ... Also played center on the basketball team.
Personal
Born on Jan. 11, 2003 to Joseph Wolyniec and Vaida Valincius ... Younger brother, Tomas, is a sophomore pitcher for MSU ... Earned degree in sports management ... Enjoys playing golf.