Baseball teams readying for stretch drive

CHAMPAIGN — As April fades away and May appears, the baseball teams at Unity and St. Joseph are coming to a stark realization: It's time to cut the soft stuff and start playing ball.

I went to games at Unity and St. Joseph late last week, and both Rockets' coach Dan Cunningham and Spartans' coach Brad Allen talked about their team's focus and desire after the games. It was stunning how similar their thoughts were. Had I not been recording and writing down what they were saying, it would have been hard for me to differentiate between both coaches' quotes. They want their teams to zero in their focus and start ripping off wins. Both coaches think their teams are skilled enough, they just have to want it.

And I know what you're thinking, "Every team wants it," and in a way, you're right. But I've always been under the belief that of the three major sports, baseball has the most even playing field. Over the course of a full season (162 games in the bigs, 30-35 in high school) all teams will eventually play to their skill level, but in an individual game, anything is possible. The Washington Nationals are awful and everybody knows it, but in a one game situation they're just as dangerous as the Red Sox (and they've won 11 in a row).

The same thing is true in high school.

Unity and SJ-O aren't the best teams in Illinois — they have a combined record of 15-24-2 — but if they start playing hard and their kids really want it, you'll see them start gobbling up Ws. Whether it be home runs, stingy pitching or an aggressive base running game, the Spartans and Rockets will find ways to get wins. That's what good teams do, and that's what the coaches want out of their two teams.

“I went on the bulletin board last week and took all of our stats down, put up a 0-0 and a blank stat sheet and said ‘This is a new beginning. This is the beginning of the second half,’” Allen said Saturday after SJ-O won its third straight game. “You can have 5-12 hanging over your head and you can never get rid of it. What’s done is done, and the beauty of baseball is that every day is a new day and we always have a chance to start over.”

Cunningham thought Unity was preparing for its own run after a 23-12 thrashing at Warrensburg-Latham last week, but then the Rockets came home and dropped a 7-2 game he thought they could win against Maroa-Forsyth.

“Maroa is a very good team, they’re one of the better teams in the conference,” Cunningham said Friday. “But today it’s not so much that we lost as how we lost. Individually, our lack of preparation really hurt us. We could have beaten them, and I felt like we beat ourselves.”

He went on, "I think we proved to ourselves over there (at W-L) that we have the talent to compete. It’s decision-time now for them. They know what they need to do, now it’s just a matter of them getting it.”

Will time off help the Spartans?

ST. JOSEPH — When we last left the SJ-O softball team, the No. 4-ranked Spartans where polishing off a double header sweep of Clifton Central and improving their record to 16-0.

The Spartans beat the Comets 8-4 and 3-0 in the double header. Good wins for most teams, but somewhat disappointing for the previously dominant Spartans. Since the wins, the Spartans haven't played, and cold weather and rain have dramatically limited their practices. When they finally get back on the field tomorrow at Watseka, it will have been a full week since the Spartans last played.

What do you think; is that a good thing or bad thing?

Personally, I think it depends on the team. Some teams hate practicing, and the daily monotony of fielding ground balls and working on drag bunts can be maddening. Out of that madness, bad habits can form. On the other hand, some teams can be a product of their routines, and without practice opportunities to hone their skills, a team's in-game play slowly begins to suffer. Both teams can be successful, but both teams can also be prone to skids. I don't know which kind of team the Spartans are, but I think we'll find out in their games this week.

SJ-O wasn't at its best defensively and at the plate against Central, which leads me to believe that if the Spartans kept playing every day, they would have been due for a letdown (and possibly a loss). I have to imagine Coach Wolken has told his team this several times during the past week, so we have to assume they'll come out like gangbusters tomorrow against the Lady Warriors. After beating so many teams so handily during the early part of the season, there's no question the Spartans are due for a wake up call. Winning easy can get stagnant.

I just hope the wake up call came earlier this week, and that it's not still to come. It'd be a shame to see an undefeated season hit the wall due to scheduled time off.

ICA CLASS 2A SOFTBALL POLL (April 19)
1. Olympia
2. Williamsville
3. Piasa Southwestern
4. St. Joseph-Ogden
5. Coal City
6. Pinckneyville
7. IVC
8. Beecher
9. Sherrard
10. Rockridge
11. Morrison
12. Monticello
13. Momence
14. Clinton
15. Manteno
16. Carterville
17. Teutopolis
18. Maroa-Forsyth
19. Anna-Jonesboro
20. Peotone

Baseball teams looking to find right combo

CHAMPAIGN — The Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden baseball teams don't have the best records in the area, and both teams have been slowed by young pitching staffs, but I think the next few weeks could be exciting ones for both clubs. I've seen Unity and St. Joe play enough this spring to know both squads have talent, they just need confidence and a good push to get them moving in the right direction.

The Rockets' are only 6-11 on the season and have lost seven of their past eight games, but four of those losses were to powerhouse programs in Tennessee and one was a Saturday afternoon loss to a very good Marshall team. The Rockets are better than their record, and if they can start stringing together some offense behind ace Daniel Gaither and their pitching staff, they can pick up some wins.

The Rockets' offense hasn't been bad at all, they've actually hit for a high average, the team has just struggled to bring runners home in key situations. Unity has been stranding runners for weeks, and when they're playing teams as good as they have, it doesn't leave the Rockets' staff a lot of room for error.

St. Joseph-Ogden's problem is the opposite. The Spartans' bats have been solid in the games I've seen and SJ-O can put the ball in play, the Spartans' staff just hasn't been able to hold down opponents long enough for them to pick up any wins. They need to get a couple quality starts from their starters when they get back to action next week. Ace Lucas Gones left after three innings in the team's 9-3 loss to PBL last Thursday, and coach Brad Allen had to use a pair of starters out of the pen to finish the game. SJ-O will have had eight days off when they take the field again Friday, so hopefully Gones can be back on his game and work deep into the game. If he can go long, it opens up the Spartans' bullpen and gives everybody else extra time off. That would be key.

Rain gives teams long practice week

CHAMPAIGN — It's been pretty wet around the area for the past couple days, and the rain Monday and Tuesday morning made the holiday and spring breaks for the Rockets and Spartans a little longer than they expected.

The Unity baseball and softball teams haven't had a game since last Thursday while the Spartans haven't played since Saturday. Now if this was mid-May, I think that would be a serious disadvantage, but since it's still April and the season is still young, I don't think missing games it that big of a deal.

All four teams need practice time.

The Rockets' baseball team spent last week in Tennessee taking on some great competition. The team didn't fare very well in the win-loss department, but head coach Dan Cunningham was glad to see his team get some swings in against such great competitors. Playing those games in Tennessee put Unity against quality opponents they could never see here in Illinois, let alone play on a regular basis. Now when the team gets back on the field this week, they'll have a better understanding of what they need to do against great opponents and how to handle playoff-type situations. The Rockets are 5-5 against Illinois competition, so they still know how to play.

The Unity softball team is also 5-5, and has competed very well since starting the season 0-4. The Rockets got a one-hitter from Ana Deters in their last win April 9 at Oakwood, and hung right with Tuscola in a 3-1 loss the night before. The Warriors have been to back-to-back Elite Eights and were 25-3 in 2008, so for Unity to play them so tough is a definite positive entering the Okaw Valley Conference portion of their season.

Over in St. Joe, the No. 4-ranked Spartans' softball team isn't having any trouble scoring runs (they've reached double digits in 11 of 13 games and are averaging 14.2 runs per game) but they've yet to hit their stride defensively and on the mound. Head coach Randy Wolken would like to see his team pick up its defensive intensity and start holding more teams down with shutouts. At some point the Spartans (13-0) are going to face good pitching, Wolken knows his team will have to be able to execute in a close game when that day comes.

As for the Spartans' baseball team, they just need some time to recuperate. The SJ-O boys have been one of the area's busiest teams to this point, playing 16 games and having a handful more rained out. The Spartans are a young team with talent and desire, but they lack experience and have been hampered by minimal pitching depth. Having some time off should give the Spartans the opportunity to rest all of their young arms and get their rotation back in the position they want it for the stretch drive.

It should be a busy — and exciting — next six weeks.

Track season kicks into gear

CHAMPAIGN — The 2009 track season is officially underway at Unity at St. Joseph-Ogden High Schools everyone. The SJ-O boys' team opened its season last week at Clinton, and the SJ-O girls and Unity teams followed suit with races earlier this week. I think all four teams are in for an exciting year.

The Rockets' boys and girls teams have depth up and down their lineups and are stacked in relay races and sprints. Coaches Tim Gateley and Dave Bass have a bevy of talented student athletes to choose from for relays every meet, and both coaches appear poised to run as many kids in as many events as they can. Ideally, both coaches are hoping they'll discover which races their kids are best in so they know where to put them come sectionals.

The Rockets are also deep in field events -- especially jumping events -- and I expect Unity to score points in those categories all year. So much emphasis is put on running events during a track and field season that field events can sometimes be overlooked, so I think it's important to remember and recognize talented field event participants when they succeed and I'll try to do that this season.

Over in St. Joseph, the Spartans' teams are once again expectedly strong. Boys' coach Jon Jamison has been thrilled with his team's depth and versatility all season, and girls' coach Jerry Hewerdine has raved about how well his young girls have performed. The Spartan girls won a state title at the Illinois Prep Top Times meet last month, while the boys took second in a race of their own. Both teams hope to duplicate that success come May, but in all sports.

I think the Spartans' biggest strength, like Unity, is in their relay depth. SJ-O has six runners or more capable of performing at the varsity level in each race, and both coaches expect to use a lot of runners in relays this year. The Spartans' field events aren't quite as strong as their running events, but are still among the strongest and most consistent the school has seen in a long time. Jamison and Hewerdine both expect to score consistent points in field events this season.

Sun and Snow

CHAMPAIGN — This is the kind of stuff that could only happen here.

I get up Saturday and head to Unity for a baseball and softball game. Both contests start at 11 a.m., so I figure I can take photos at each game for a few innings and talk to everyone I need to talk to when they are over. The weather is nice, with temperatures in the upper 50s and the sun high in the sky, but it's not perfect out, as a breeze from the northeast brings a cool chill to the air.

I hang out at the baseball game for about three innings and watch the Rockets battle a very good Marshall team, then head to the softball field to see Unity girls finish up against Fisher. The girls fall behind 4-3 in the sixth, but score single runs with two outs in their last two innings to claim a dramatic 5-4 win.

When I get back to the baseball field, the Lions are polishing off a 9-1 win and the Unity JV is preparing to take the field for its game. The time is only around 1:30 p.m. when I get in my car to leave.

Ten minutes later I get home, only to find out I'm red as a tomato from spending two hours in the sun. Despite being just 58 degrees, I've found a way to get sun burned. And if that's not enough, when I wake up Monday morning less that 48 hours later, the ground is covered in white snow. SNOW! Now if weather like that isn't a scheduling conundrum for high school coaches, I don't know what is.

Only in Illinois man, only in Illinois.

In other news: The Unity track teams opens their seasons tonight with a meet at Clinton, while the SJ-O track teams' host a meet in St. Joseph. I will be catching the Spartans in action tonight and the Rockets Thursday, so make sure to pick up papers next Thursday for photos of all the teams. I've tried as best as I can to get photos during indoor season, but my camera doesn't cooperate well with the Armory. It will do much better now that we're outside.

Spartans clean house at Clinton

ST. JOSEPH — So when I posted last, the SJ-O track team was actually on the bus heading to Clinton, completely unaware of whether or not the rain would stop long enough to run their track meet.

Turns out it did, and they did.

The Spartans dominated the season-opening meet, bringing in numerous first place and near-top finishes. The Spartans were dominant in field and races, and several competitors improved on events they had participated in during indoor season.

I for one hope the Spartans can continue to be successful this season; because I know the more success they have (and Unity, as well) the more interesting my coverage will be. See, that's the thing about track, it's a tricky sport to cover. If I only write about race results and meet finishes, stories get pretty boring pretty fast. I don't want to have to do that and I imagine you don't want to read that. Nope, what I want to do this spring is look at the nuts and bolts of track. Who chooses where people go in a relay? How much strategy is there in the long jump? What does a kid actually think about during lap six of the two-mile?

Hopefully, with the help of coaches and athletes, I can investigate this and get to the bottom of it. I plan to get started on these stories in the next few weeks (say, April 16), so make sure to pick up copies of The Leader and County Star when the stories come out. Also be sure to pick up a copy of today's Leader for all the times from Tuesday's race.