Ask Brian Barnhart about Haig here

CHAMPAIGN - Pitcher Phil Haig, who won a team-high seven games last season, was dismissed from the Illinois baseball program.

Illini coach Dan Hartleb announced Wednesday the junior left-hander was removed for a violation of team rules. Hartleb declined to identify the violation and said his only comment would be through a statement released to the media by the UI.

"We place great emphasis on conducting yourself in a way that represents our team and the university in a positive way and Phil did not fulfill his responsibilities," Hartleb said in the statement. "We will move forward as a team in our preparation for the 2010 season."

According to a Champaign police report, Haig, 20, was arrested in the 300 block of West Springfield Avenue on Saturday after police found him with a black iPod and a black Logitech stereo that had been reported stolen from a 20-year-old Champaign woman in the 1000 block of South Second Street in Champaign.

The report said Haig was arrested for theft of property valued at more than $300.

Haig was the No. 1 starter in the Illini rotation in 2009, making a team-high 16 starts. He finished with a 7-3 record and 4.92 ERA.

The native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., was recruited to the UI as a quarterback but switched to baseball as a redshirt freshman. That season, he broke into the Illini starting rotation in the fourth series of the Big Ten schedule and ended up making seven starts. He went 2-3 with a 6.19 ERA in 2008.