CHAMPAIGN – Brett Weber is determined to atone this week for his rocky pitching performance in the 1996 Big Ten Conference baseball tournament.

The University of Illinois right-hander just wishes guys such as Brian McClure and Josh Klimek and Jason Wollard still were around to benefit from it.

"I felt bad for them," Weber said Sunday, recalling how the 1996 seniors saw their careers end one victory short of the title last May. "After the last game, Jason Wollard was talking to somebody, and he kind of looked at me, and I had to look away because I almost just lost it.

"I went up to him afterward and told him how sorry I was."

Weber, of course, doesn't have it within his power to make it up to Wollard and the others for losing twice in last year's tournament. But the 6-foot-2 junior can exorcise some painful memories when the Illini take another crack at the title starting Thursday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Weber, 4-4, is expected to start one of the tournament games against Michigan.

"Everyone wants to pitch well in big games, and I got the opportunity twice," said Weber, who started Illinois' first and last games in the 1996 tournament. "And both times, I didn't feel like I was on top of my game.

"So there's a lot of incentive to perform well this time. I'm eager to get back and pitch like I can."

Entering last year's tournament, Weber was dominant. In seven regular season Big Ten starts, the Glenview native was 6-1 with a 1.84 earned run average. Two victories were shutouts, and league batters had 32 hits off Weber in 49 innings.

But in the tournament opener, a 6-4 loss to eventual champion Indiana, Weber was uncharacteristically wild. The same guy who walked 10 batters in the Big Ten regular season walked six and hit a batter in eight innings.

In the tournament finale three days later, Weber didn't make it past the fifth inning. He yielded 10 hits and five runs in a 6-4 Indiana victory.

"Brett did a fantastic job throughout the whole season last year and then didn't have the tournament he wanted to have," catcher Aaron Nieckula said. "But he has an opportunity this year to make amends. I'm sure he's looking forward to it."

Weber, who was 9-2 entering last year's tournament, only can speculate about what went wrong. It might have been fatigue. He pitched 832/3 innings during the regular season – in 21/2 months.

"That was probably the most I've ever thrown in this short of time," he said.

It might have been taking the wrong mental approach to those nine-inning tournament games. At that time, Big Ten regular season games were seven innings.

"What I made the mistake of doing was thinking, 'Man, nine-inning games, kind of pace yourself a little bit more so you can go the distance,' instead of going out there and pitching seven strong innings and let a closer come in."

Weber believes he's better prepared this time. He logged about 80 innings over the summer in the Northwoods Collegiate League and put in 89 2/3 this spring without any noticeable physical problem.

"My arm this time is stronger," Weber said.

This time, nine-inning games are old hat to Weber, too. The Big Ten changed its regular season format to include two in every series.

Weber started a nine-inning game every weekend during the conference season. In seven of them, he pitched one complete game and came within one out two other times of going the distance. Only twice did Weber fail to make it into the seventh inning.

Although the Glenbrook South High School graduate hasn't had nearly the season he did a year ago – as reflected in a 5.77 Big Ten ERA – Weber has been strong down the stretch. In his last six appearances covering 27 innings, he allowed 19 hits and had a 2.00 ERA.

And as was the case last season, Nieckula said, Weber's still the pitcher who sets the tone for the rest of the Illini staff.

"He's the first pitcher to take the mound every weekend," Nieckula said, "and so if he can go out there and throw a good game, the other guys can feed off that and say,'Hey, we've got to step up and do our job.' "