Just a few musings, ramblings and rumblings from around Central Illinois
-- Got a chance to check out the Midwest League's Peoria Chiefs on Saturday night. I went with the intention of checking out the Cubs' first and second-round picks in this year's draft: CF Brett Jackson (Cal) and MIF D.J. LeMaheiu (LSU) and to get another look at MIF/3B Ryan Flaherty, the Cubs' top pick in the 2008 draft. Both Jackson and Flaherty struggled on Saturday night, though they are enjoying excellent overall seasons. LeMaheiu, however, showed signs that he maybe shaking off whatever ailed him at LSU this spring as he went 3-for-4 with a career-high 4 RBIs.
-- Here's a name to remember: Drasen Johnson. The 6-foot-4 RHP from Chillicothe (Ill.) Illinois Valley Central had a junior season to forget. First, he tore his ACL in a football game last October. He was cleared to return to baseball in mid-March, but by mid-April he was out again, this time thanks to a nasty case of mononucleosis. He wasn't cleared to pitch until mid-June and even then didn't return to full strength until the end of July.
The projectable righty is making up for lost time, however. In his last start for the Central Illinois Outlaws, Johnson was up to 88, struck out 9, walked 2 and gave up just 2 earned runs against the Downers Grove Longhots' 2010 squad. Then came a trip to Iowa Western's recent showcase, where he worked 87-89 mph and officially became one of the Midwest's fastest-rising prospects. Once he regains the 15-20 pounds he lost while ill, those numbers could jump higher.
-- The start of the fall semester is usually a quiet time for four-year programs. That's not true at the JUCO level, where the Illinois teams -- usually among the strongest in the nation -- are getting ready for more games.
Illinois is home to some of the country's top JUCO programs like Triton College, Elgin CC, Joliet Junior College, Heartland College, Springfield College, Wabash Valley Community College, Kaskaskia CC, John A. Logan and, of course, 2009 NJCAA Division II national champion, Parkland College.
But there's an upstart in their midst: Illinois Central College. After going 14-37 in 2009, ICC coach Brett Kelley has dramatically revamped his roster thanks to the work of newly hired recruiting coordinator Brock Till, who reached out to his contacts made while working his way to the Triple A level with the Cincinnati Reds. Till's former teammates in Texas and Florida proved to be fertile ground for the Cougars as they sent players like OF Paul Como (Hightower/Missouri City, TX) -- who graded out as a 9 at PG's 2009 World Showcase -- and C Jon Zalud (Cardinal Mooney/Sarasota, FL), who graded out as a 7.5 in PG's system and was an all-state selection in the Sunshine state. The biggest surprise of all for Kelley's Cougars, however, might be 3B/RHP Justin Meek, a walk-on from Riverview HS in Sarasota.
Meek is a 2007 grad who attended an Alabama JUCO after graduation, but dropped out to return home and tend to some family matters. When he found about the local players going north, he contacted Kelley asking for a chance. Kelley has given him that chance and, according to the sixth-year head coach, Meek might be the most talented player the Cougars have had since Josh Bolen left for Louisville.
-- Big news out of Springfield last week -- the University of Illinois at Springfield has officially made the jump to the NCAA Division II level and ADDED baseball. Even better news is that the new coach is a name well known at PG HQ -- Brian Grunzke, a former Northern Iowa assistant and PG employee. Congrats and best wishes to Brian as he attempts to build a successful program in the always tough Great Lakes Valley Conference.
|