CHAMPAIGN — A text message to an acquaintance on the Illinois baseball team was the start of Andy Fisher building the connection that led to him transferring to the Illini.
After two tough seasons at Eastern Illinois, Fisher wanted out.
He knew Mark Skonieczny, Illinois' backup catcher at the time, and reached out to ask if the Illini had any interest in adding a pitcher. Before Fisher knew it, he was auditioning in front of Illinois pitching coach Drew Dickinson, who later offered the Bowling Green, Ohio, native a scholarship to play for the Illini.
"I got lucky," said Fisher, whose only Division I scholarship offer out of high school came from Eastern Illinois coach Jason Anderson, a former player under Dan Hartleb at Illinois.