Kyle Hudson landed in the lap of Illinois baseball coach Dan Hartleb free of charge. Having been recruited to the school to play football in  2005, he didn’t cost the Illini any baseball scholarship money. He was a gift from former football coach Ron Turner.

The two-sport athlete won the starting job in center field as a freshman and has become invaluable in three seasons as a walk-on.

Hudson is expected to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the June draft with some predictions landing him between the fourth and eighth rounds. He has achieved that status without focusing on the game year round like most of his teammates. Scouts have to be wondering what he can do if he dedicates his efforts completely to baseball.

This is the first season that the junior from Mattoon skipped spring football drills. The decision has paid dividends.

He is fourth in the country in stolen bases with 37 (first in steals per game at .80), 16th in on-base percentage at .515, 31st in runs per game at 1.24 and 34th in batting average at .409. He even hit his first career collegiate home run recently, pulling a pitch over the fence in right field against Northwestern.

And his defense has been equally impressive. Hudson has yet to commit an error in 85 chances and has three assists.

In three seasons, Hudson has hit .378, the second-highest career average in school history behind Darrin Fletcher. He has stolen 63 bases in 78 attempts. He has committed five errors in 296 chances.

Some fans might forget that Hudson led Illinois in receptions in 2005 and ‘06. His role in the offense was diminished last season and he made just 12 catches with one touchdown.

Hudson’s spot in the draft will help determine if he returns to football in August or decides to stick with baseball full time.