Hawk Item – Holds school record for triples in a season, with nine in 2011… Played summer ball in the Prospect League for the Springfield Sliders (2010)… played summer ball in the Coastal Plains League for the Wilmington Sharks (2009)… played summer ball in the Great Lakes league for the Grand Lake Mariners (2008).
2011 Honors – Named third team All-Big Ten. 2011 – Started all 52 games in center… hit a career-high .271 in a career-high 207 at-bats… recorded a career-best 56 hits… led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation with a career-high nine triples, which established a new school single season record… in back-to-back contests against Mississippi State (March 4-5), he tallied consecutive four-hit games, which earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors… ranked second on the team with seven multiple RBI games and 26 total RBI… tallied 15 multi-hit games to rank third on the team… had an eight-game hit streak… led team with 12 stolen bases… batted .321 against lefties… hit .500 with the bases loaded and .384 as a leadoff hitter… tied for team lead with 12 two-out RBI… led team with 32 runs scored… tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 10 sacrifice bunts… recorded three three-hit games… had a .994 fielding percentage… tied for second on the team with a .415 slugging percentage… led team with 86 total bases… started all 24 league games… had 13 outfield assists to lead team.
2010 – Appeared in 54 games with 41 starts…played in 23 Big Ten contests, missing only one… started 40 in left field and one in right… tied a school record, legging out two triples against Ohio State (May 16)… hit in the eight spot of the lineup… had a .523 slugging percentage in conference, the second-highest on the team… led the outfield with eight runners gunned out… was perfect defensively in the Big Ten, with two assists…finished with the second-best .479 slugging percentage… legged out four triples, the second-most of any Hawkeye… led Iowa in home runs (5)… tied for third in sac bunts (5)… was a perfect 6-for-6 with a runner on third and less than two outs… recorded nine multi-hit contests… collected three multi-RBI games… longest hit streak was seven games… connected with two homers in a doubleheader vs. Purdue, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI (May 21)… scored three runs in three games.
2009 – Played in 42 games with 27 starts… played second base, third base, left field, center field and right field… started 15 games in right… was predominately used as a nine-hole hitter… laid down a team-best seven sacrifice bunts… stole five bases… laced a team-best three triples… hit three home runs… recorded two multi-hit games… had one multi-RBI game… longest hitting streak was seven games… 7-of-12 RBI on the year came with two-outs… went 2-for-6 with four RBI, two runs scored and two home runs at Austin Peay State (Mar. 6).
2008 — Appeared in 21 games, with 10 starts… started nine games as the DH… was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double in his college debut at Missouri State (Mar. 9)… recorded two multi-hit games… had a three-game hitting streak… played DH or left field… batted .333 against left handed pitchers with a .667 slugging percentage… was most successful in the eighth inning with a .333 batting average… had one game-winning RBI.
High School — Posted a .319 batting average and was an all-conference selection his senior season… earned three varsity letters in baseball… was part of two Lockport High School conference champion teams… played for the Illinois Traveling Sparks… earned two letters in football and was a team captain his senior season.
Personal — Born 6/19/89… parents are Jeff and Bonnie Willis… art major.
| Year | BA | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI |
| 2008 | .211 | 21 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009 | .178 | 42 | 90 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 2010 | .261 | 54 | 142 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 21 |
| 2011 | .271 | 52 | 207 | 56 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 26 |
| Career | .245 | 169 | 477 | 117 | 23 | 17 | 9 | 62 |