Biography
As a senior
Billigen finished his legacy as one of the top offensive players to ever come through the Big Red program, leading the team in batting average (.361), triples (3), stolen bases (13) and RBI (40), leading to another All-Ivy Second Team selection. Billigen had a 16-game hitting streak from March 4-27, helping the Big Red post its first 6-0 start to the season since 1906. He was just as pivotal in the team's postseason run, going 8-for-20 in five games with a team-high five RBI. Billigen hit a two-run home run June 1 in the Big Red's NCAA Chapel Hill Regional opener against North Carolina. ... Billigen's career totals rank in the top 10 in program history in numerous categories, including total bases (295, second), home runs (20, T-third), triples (14, T-third), slugging percentage (.561, fourth), batting average (.337, sixth), stolen bases (38, sixth), hits (177, sixth) and RBI (106, seventh).
As a junior
An honorable mention All-Ivy pick in 2011, Billigen posted a .292 batting average with a team-best 32 runs scored, four triples and eight home runs, while also driving in 24 runs. His home run total ranked second in the Ancient Eight. After missing four games early in the season due to injury, he started a total of 36 contests in center field. His .600 slugging percentage was second in the Ivy League, while his 1.015 ops also led the team by a large margin. He ranked in the top 10 in both ob-base and slugging percentage among Ivy League players. Billigen posted 11 stolen bases, nearly half of the team's total of 28. He recorded eight multi-hit games, including a 4-for-6 effort with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored against Harvard. Billigen also was 3-for-3 with a triple, a home run and four runs scored against Penn.
As a sophomore
Billigen appeared in 37 games as a sophomore, earning the start in each, and posted a .291 batting average for the year. He slugged five home runs, tying him for the team lead, and ranked led the team with 26 runs batted in. Billigen also made nine appearances on the mound, starting three times, and working 18 innings. He finished the season pitching with a 1-0 record and a 5.50 earned-run average, striking out 22 and walking eight. Billigen opened the season with an eight-game hitting streak, hitting .448 over that span. He hit his first home run of the season on April 4 against Harvard, then followed that up with a home run on April 10 at Yale. A week later, he slugged his third on April 18 at Penn, then hit one on April 25 against Columbia and closed out the season with a home run against Ithaca on May 6. He had nine multi-hit games on the season and recorded nine multi-RBI games, including a high of three on April 18 at Penn.
As a freshman
Billigen made a huge impact in his first season, earning second-team All-Ivy League honors. Early in the season, he took over the leadoff spot in the lineup and never looked back, posting a .404 batting average, the fourth-highest single-season batting average in school history. He had 15 multi-hit games, starting with his first career start on March 28 against Brown, in which he went 3-for-3 with a walk, one run, a triple and two runs batted in. He reached base safely in each of his last 19 games and finished the year on a seven-game hitting streak. Billigen finished the year with 25 runs scored and 16 driven in to go along with six doubles, a team-best three triples and one home run. He also stole nine bases in 12 attempts. Billigen closed out the season with a tremendous series against Dartmouth in the Ivy League Championship Series, going 8-for-15 with four runs scored, two driven in and his first career home run. In five games against Dartmouth on the season, he went 13-for-24 with eight runs scored and three driven in. Following the season, Billigen played summer league ball in the Prospect League, finishing sixth in that league in batting average at .313 and earning accolades as the league's fourth-highest rated prospect by Baseball America.
Prior to Cornell
Billigen helped to lead Bishop Canevin to a runner-up finish at the WPIAL AA championship in 2008 while also being named a WPIAL All-Star. He earned three letters in baseball while serving as team captain in 2008 and also served as captain of his school's basketball team, earning three letters in hoops as well. Billigen was also named to the USSSA World Series All-Tournament Team in 2003.
Personal
Brian David Billigen is the son of Gregory and Julia Billigen, and he has an older sister. He is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
