Vols’ Thompson signs with Illinois State

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By JOHN D. HOMAN, Logan Media Services

John A. Logan College sophomore pitcher/outfielder Derek Thompson has signed a letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship next fall for Illinois State University.

JALC sophomore Derek Thompson signs a letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship at Illinois State University next fall. A native of Teutopolis, Thompson was recruited as a lefthanded pitcher. He also plays outfield for the Volunteers. (Photo courtesy Jonathan LeBlond)

A native of Teutopolis, the former prep All-Stater turned in an amazing freshman season for the Volunteers last spring, going 8-2 with a 1.92 earned-run-average and four shutouts. The lefthander struck out 103 and walked only 29.

Thompson was also a force to be reckoned with limited playing time on offense, batting .299 with two home runs and six runs batted in. He had 20 hits in 67 at bats and scored 11 runs. And defensively, he was nothing short of outstanding with several diving catches in the postseason.

Thompson was instrumental in Logan winning the Great Rivers Athletic Conference with a mark of 23-5 and posting a 41-22 overall record, which included a second straight Region 24 championship and advancement to the Northern District championship game against Iowa Western, also for the second straight year.

“Derek is a definite impact player,” said Vols head coach Jerry Halstead. “I expect him to be our No. 1 starter next spring and will start in the outfield when not pitching.”

Halstead said Thompson possesses an above-average fastball and sharp curve. He is still working on developing a better change up.

“Simply put, he’s a special player. It’s quite a coup for Illinois State to keep him here in the state considering Derek was being recruited by some schools in the Southeastern Conference. When he fills out and matures at 6-foot-4 and 220 to 230 pounds, he’s going to be something out. Probably the only reason we got him was because he was about 180 when he got here and needed time to mature.”

Thompson said coming to Logan was the right choice for him.

“Last spring was great and I’m very much looking forward to next spring,” he said. “I think we have a lot of depth on this team and am excited about our chances within the conference and then again at the regional at the end of the season.”

Thompson said that while he enjoys playing multiple positions, he realizes that pitching is probably his strong suit.

“I just need to keep focused and make sure my mechanics are OK. As long as I can do that, as well as add a few miles-per-hour to my fastball and locate my pitches, I should be fine.”

Thompson said he also looks forward to competing at Illinois State next fall.

“Believe me, I’m excited about it. Just one step at a time, though. We have some unfinished business here at Logan first.”

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Five RLC Warriors sign with universities in early signing period

December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Rend Lake College Warriors baseball coach Tony Etnier (STANDING) recently joined five of his sophomore student-athletes on campus as they signed to play at four-year programs after RLC. FROM LEFT are; Cory Farrow of Elizabethtown, Ky. (Lipscomb University), Nick Andros of Goreville, Ill. (Lipscomb University), Brandon George of DuQuoin (Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville), Tirey Burch of Santa Claus, Ind. (Ohio University) and Jason O’Brien of Emden, Ill. (Quincy University). Click on the image or see attached for a larger version.

By Nathan Wheeler

Five members of Rend Lake College’s baseball team recently inked agreements to continue their careers at four-year programs in Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois.

Sophomores Nick Andros (Goreville), Cory Farrow (Elizabethtown, Ky.), Tirey Burch (Santa Claus, Ind.), Brandon George (DuQuoin) and Jason O’Brien (Emden) all took advantage of the early signing period and inked scholarships to the universities they liked. Andros and Farrow will play at Lipscomb University, an NCAA DI program in Nashville, Tenn. Burch is headed to Ohio University, a NCAA DI program in Athens, Ohio. George will play at NCAA DI Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, and O’Brien will go to Quincy University, an NCAA DII program in Illinois.

They were joined by their coach at RLC, Tony Etnier, at their signing engagement on campus. Etnier talked about his players making their commitments early.
“It means they are ready to make a decision,” he said. “They liked the places they visited and liked the fit. It usually means they were heavily recruited as well and found a place that they liked.”

Farrow is the son of Tony and Debbi Farrow. He is a right-handed pitcher from Elizabethtown High School who wants to pursue a career teaching high school math. He likes Lipscomb’s baseball program, as well as the chance at a good, private education. He also likes the location and said the campus is beautiful. Etnier said Farrow will be a good fit at Lipscomb
“His velocity sits at 86-90 with good movement, and his slider and change up complement the movement on his fastball,” said Etnier. “Cory has been a hard worker since he stepped foot on campus and will be a solid pitcher at the DI level.”

Andros, the son of Luke and Tina Andros, also likes Lipscomb’s campus, baseball program and overall atmosphere at the university. He said he is excited about playing DI baseball. “I felt like I couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” Andros said. The left-handed pitching product of Goreville High School said he wants to major in physical therapy.

“Nick had a good spring for us last year, going 6-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched,” said Etnier. “As a returning All-Conference selection, Nick will help anchor a deep staff for us this spring. His fastball is excellent for a lefty, sitting in the 85-89 range. He was heavily recruited this fall and Lipscomb University will be getting a really big, tough, lefty to add to their staff.”
Burch is the son of Jay and Angie Burch. He is a graduate of Heritage Hills High School in Santa Claus, Ind., and is majoring in business. The RLC short stop said, “I’m looking forward to continuing my baseball career at Ohio U next year after Rend Lake. It is a dream come true.”

“Tirey had a great fall for us,” said Etnier. “He is a very steady player and is capable of playing short stop, second base and third base at the next level. Tirey’s bat has really come along since last year and should be big for us this spring. Ohio University is getting a nice player with him.”
George is a right-handed pitcher and criminal justice major at Rend Lake. The son of Ray and Janet George of DuQuoin said he is excited about his future at SIUE. “It is the perfect fit for me and makes me feel at home. I like everything about the program,” he said. Last spring as a freshman, George went 8-2 with a 3.12 ERA on 55 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.

“Brandon competed every time out last year,” said Etnier. “His record speaks for itself. With a very good slider and an 86-91 mph fastball, Brandon will undoubtedly help lead our staff this spring and compete well for the Cougars at SIUE.”
O’Brien is the son of Mike and Tammy O’Brien. A product of Hartsburg-Emden High School, the southpaw pitcher finished his freshman season with the Warriors last spring at 2-1 with a save and 20 strikeouts in 27.1 innings for a 2.63 ERA. O’Brien said he is excited to play for Quincy next fall and get his degree in finance.

“Jason is another lefty that did really well for us last spring,” said Etnier. “He has shown improved velocity this year, living at 84-86 with good movement and a sharp curve ball. Jason should add depth to our rotation this spring and will be a great fit at Quincy University.

“Everybody who comes to RLC has a goal to move on to the next level,” Etnier added. “It’s always nice when a good number of guys sign early with quality programs. It says a lot about their talent level and character. We’ve got a lot of other good players too. They’ve gotten quite a bit of interest from four-year schools, but they are waiting until the spring to make their decisions.”

For all things athletic at The Lake, visit RLC online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.

 

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Rend Lake basketball teams get wins at home

December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
 INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College’s women’s basketball team righted a four-game skid with back-to-back wins against Lincoln Trail and McKendree University’s JV team. The Lady Warriors improve to 6-4 overall, 1-1 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and 4-0 at home.
The most recent was a 69-59 victory Monday night over McKendree in Ina. On Saturday, the Lady Warriors followed up a 77-54 conference-opening loss to Lake Land the previous week by routing GRAC foe Lincoln Trail, 88-53, at home.

Rend Lake’s women’s team will head to Shawnee Community College on Dec. 5.

RLC’s men’s team was 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the GRAC heading into Monday night’s home matchup with McKendree JV. Results from RLC and McKendree were not immediately available following the game.

Rend Lake lost 68-65 to Lake Land, Saturday in Mattoon, to open the conference season. On Saturday, the Warriors improved its conference record to .500 with a 95-74 routing of Lincoln Trail. RLC will continue its three-game home stretch on Wednesday with Parkland College at 7 p.m. It is the Warriors’ final game on the 2012 side of the season.

For all things athletic at The Lake, visit RLC online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.

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Men’s basketball falls to Bethel College, 82-63

December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
McKenzie, Tenn. –The Morthland College men’s basketball team fell to Bethel College Saturday, 82-63.It was round two for the Patriots (0-6) and Wildcats in McKenzie, Tenn. today and Bethel College took advantage of Morthlands few able bodies. Only seven Morthland players saw action today while Bethel College had 14 players hit the court.

The Patriots trailed by just nine points at halftime (34-25), but could not keep up with the Wildcats, allowing 48 second half points. BC was led by George Coleman who recorded 18 points in just 24 minutes of action.

Morthland was led by freshman Roby Boatright who recorded 15 points and 3 assists. Murphysboro native Jordan Stanton chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds as well.

The Patriots will be back in action Tuesday, Dec. 4, when they travel to Walnut Ridge, Ark. to play William Baptist College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Logan men win thriller

November 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By JOHN D. HOMAN, Logan Media Services

Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

While Mandela was not referencing a sporting event, his words certainly fit the situation at hand Wednesday night in Robinson as the John A. Logan College men’s basketball team overcame a 21-point second-half deficit to defeat Lincoln Trail, 72-68.

Vols’ freshman guard DeVaughn Johnson penetrates the lane in game action Wednesday. Johnson finished with four points. (Logan Media Services)

Erasing a 21-point deficit seemed like an impossible task, especially on the road. But this Vols’ team refused to lose. Led by freshman forwards James Williams and Jay Johnson, Logan slowly began hacking away at the point spread.

By the 12-minute mark, Logan had pulled to within seven at 56-49. At 8:22, the Vols were within one at 56-55 following a pair of free tosses by Julian Hernandez. And with 6:46 to play, the Vols took the lead at 57-56 on a tip-in basket by Johnson.

The host Statesmen valiantly tried to restore order with a basket by Jesse Tesmer at 58-57, but JALC freshman forward Sondell Conner answered with a stickback. A made shot in the lane from freshman transfer Connor Wheeler gave the visitors a three-point lead at 61-58.

Tesmer responded again with a tip-in to trim the Logan lead to one. The Vols, however, would not relinquish the lead again, hitting just enough free throws late to secure the victory.

“It was an unbelievable effort,” said Vols first-year head coach Kyle Smithpeters. “We very easily could have stopped playing when we got down 21, but we didn’t. We kept battling and that’s what I really like about this group of kids. Despite being a young team, we fought back hard. That’s what we preach to them every day in practice – not to give up because sometimes things aren’t going to go your way.”

Williams, who was the team’s second-half spark with nine of his 11 points, said his mindset was simple – to keep playing hard.

“I appreciate the fact that my coaches and teammates trust me, so I want to reward them by playing as hard as I can to help us win,” he said. “Tonight was tough. We were down 21 and had to dig ourselves out of that hole. Fortunately, we kept our composure and ended up getting the ‘W.’”

Sophomore post player Aaron Adeoye led the Vols in scoring with 17 points. Jay Johnson checked in with 14. Williams was the only other Logan player in double digits with 13. Wheeler and Hernandez contributed seven each. Conner finished with six, including a thunderous first-half dunk. DeVaughn Johnson netted four and Michael Schmidt and Pierre House had two.

Caleb Begle led the Statesmen with 30 points. He was 6-of-12 from long range, including five of his first six.

The Vols made 28-of-59 shots, but were only 1-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc. Logan owned the boards to the tune of 44-to-28 with Jay Johnson tops with 12 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end. Conner had eight rebounds. Wheeler led in assists with eight.

It was Conner who was assigned to Begle in the second half and the 6-foot-5 Chicago native used his size and wingspan to shut down Lincoln Trail’s top shooter. Begle only connected on two of his last 10 shots.

Now 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the GRAC, the Vols return home Saturday to take on undefeated Shawnee in a 3 p.m. match.

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Desmar Jackson lifts Saluki Men’s Basketball past Fresno State, 57-54

November 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By TOM WEBER, SIUSalukis.com

With 12 seconds left in a tie ballgame, Desmar Jackson launched an off-balance 3-pointer that caught nothing but nylon as the shot clock expired, giving Southern Illinois a 57-54 victory over Fresno State on Wednesday.

The Salukis (4-1) sent a crowd of 5,409 — the largest since the Creighton game in 2011 — home with smiles on their faces as the team is off to its best start since 2006.

“I’m really proud of the effort our fans made and proud of the effort our players made,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “More importantly, I’m really happy for you.”

Two players carried the Salukis on their backs. Jackson finished with a career-high 25 points and made 3-of-4 from 3-point range, while Jeff Early had his second-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“Jackson was tough all night and made plays when he had to down the stretch,” said Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry. “I give him a lot of credit. He had an answer all night at the end of the shot clock.”

The Salukis led by as many as 12 points in the second half before the Bulldogs (3-3) rallied to take a 52-50 lead on a driving layup by Tyler Johnson with 2:22 remaining. Neither team led by more than one point thereafter, until Jackson hit his 3-pointer.

“(Desmar) has an incredible offensive pace, which absolutely drives me nuts,” Hinson said. “He’s slow and methodical. No one rushes him. It’s pretty good at a moment like that, that you have that pace.”

The Wyoming transfer, who sat out last season, has had up-and-down performances so far this year and entered the game shooting 37 percent from the field. Hinson said he wasn’t worried about the junior guard’s offense, however.

“I told him before the game started, you have one minute, maybe 30 seconds, if you come out and don’t get in a stance and don’t guard, you’re coming immediately out of the game,” Hinson said. “I think we’re going to let him play the next game.”

Southern’s defense set the tone early by holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the first seven minutes of the contest and without a field goal until Kevin Olekaibe made a 3-pointer with 9:11 to go in the first half. The problem for SIU was that it struggled nearly as much on offense, converting just one field goal during a six-minute span of the first half. Jackson finally took over with a flurry of late baskets, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before the half.

The victory was all the more remarkable considering Hinson threw his entire team out of practice on Tuesday after just 10 minutes.

“I felt like we took it for granted,” he explained. “I told our players today at practice, how we can ever take for granted the opportunity to run out there and play basketball blows my mind. I asked them, do you want to do it your way or do you want to do it our way? Thank goodness they wanted to do it our way.”

A week after challenging Saluki fans to turn out in large numbers for tonight’s game, Hinson was effusive in his praise for the fans.

“It was really more of a plea than anything — could you come help us?” he said. “For the 5,400 people today that came and watched us play, I can’t thank you enough. Our players were so excited. They came running in the locker room after shoot-around and said, ‘Coach, there’s people in the stands.'”

“There’s no chance we win that game tonight unless they’re here. It was really special — thank you.”

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SIU falls to Florida Atlantic 85-81 despite 34 from Macklin

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BILL FORD
SIUSalukis.com

CORAL GABLES, Fla.— Cartaesha Macklin scored a career-high 34 points, but the Southern Illinois women’s basketball team couldn’t hold off Florida Atlantic in an 85-81 loss to the Owls Saturday night at the UM Thanksgiving Tournament.

Playing in front of friends and family in her home state, Macklin netted 10 field goals and went 12-for-14 from the free throw line to amass the fifth highest scoring total in SIU history and the highest output by an SIU player in 10 years.

Sophomore guard Cartaesha Macklin scored 34 points.

SIU head coach Missy Tiber said Macklin’s night was sparked by a move back to the point guard position with freshman Rishonda Napier playing the two guard.

“We made some key changes that allowed two players on our team to be better, and I think it made our whole team better,” Tiber said. “‘Cartaesha had a phenomenal game. And Rishonda went for 12 points and eight rebounds. I think it also made her better.”

Despite suffering their fourth loss of the young season, the Salukis (0-4) showed tremendous signs of improvement from their previous three games. Southern came out on top of a back-and-forth first half and led as much as seven in the second before a late run by FAU (3-2) pushed the Owls over the top.

The two teams had eight ties and nine lead changes in the first half before the Salukis took a 47-44 lead into the break. The Salukis’ 47 first-half points were the most SIU has scored in a half since netting 49 in the second half against DePaul last season. Macklin scored 26 in the first half alone.

Southern ran out to its biggest lead at 51-44 two minutes into the second half before FAU responded with a 13-0 run to slingshot into the lead by six points at the 14:36 mark. The Salukis battled back within one point, but the Owls pushed the lead back to eight points at 68-60 with 10:26 left.

SIU again responded, fighting back to tie the game at 73-73 on a 3-pointer by Napier, and later tied the game again at 76-76 on a 3-point play by freshman center Dyana Pierre. The Salukis had chances in the final minutes, but missed a few free throws and couldn’t get the defensive stops they needed.

“You’ve got to give our kids credit. They didn’t roll over. They continued to fight,” Tiber said. “When it came down to it, our kids played unbelievably hard. We had a couple of turnovers and we missed a couple of free throws that we’d love to have back.”

After struggling from the free throw line through its first three games, SIU shot an efficient 20-for-27 from the stripe (74.1 percent) against FAU. Despite missing leading rebounder Alexus Patterson, who was out with an injury, SIU out-rebounded the Owls 54-39 led by a career-high 15 boards from Pierre.

Sophomore guard Mercedes Griffin also turned in the best performance of her young career, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds.

“Our defense is going to take some time,” Tiber said. “I told the team, we can get better with our effort and we can get better rebounding the ball — simple things that you can measure. I think our kids did that tonight.”

The Salukis will be back in action at noon Thursday at SIU Arena hosting IPFW for Field Trip Day.

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Saint Louis hands Saluki Men’s Basketball its first loss, 61-51

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By TOM WEBER
SIUSalukis.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Saint Louis administered a dose of reality to unbeaten Southern Illinois on Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena, handing the Salukis a 61-51 defeat.

The Billikens (3-2) led the entire game and by as many as 17 points before a late flurry by the Salukis (3-1) in the final two minutes cut the final deficit to 10.

Dantiel Daniels scored 12 points in the second half for SIU.

After winning its first three games against lesser opponents by an average of 24 points, SIU head coach Barry Hinson said his team found SLU more problematic.

“They are very unique — their bigs play like guards, and their guards play like drivers who are more comfortable inside the arc,” Hinson said.

SIU started a lineup with no player taller than 6-foot-5, but the size disadvantage didn’t hurt Southern in the paint, as it won the rebound battle, 36-28. Instead, the Salukis had trouble guarding 6-foot-11 center Rob Loe and 6-foot-8 forward Cody Ellis on the perimeter. Those two combined to make 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range. Loe made all three of his tries from downtown and finished with 12 points.

“We have some major focus problems,” Hinson said of his defense. “You look at what Loe and Ellis did tonight, I promise you, we had big circles around their names that they like to step out and shoot the three, and I think Loe is going to send (Saluki forward) Davante Drinkard a Christmas card.”

Southern’s offense was its downfall in the first half, as it shot just 24 percent from the field. The Salukis trailed, 28-17, at the half, and guard Jeff Early had 11 of his team’s points. For the fourth-straight game, he finished as the team’s top scorer, totaling 15 on the night.

There were bright spots for SIU in the second half. Forward Dantiel Daniels, who has been nursing a pulled groin, got untracked and scored all 12 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Southern shot 50 percent in the second half, but couldn’t make a game of it, because SLU shot 55 percent in the half.

“They were switching defenses so much,” said Saint Louis head coach Jim Crews. “They were playing a triangle-and-two, 2-3 zone, they were playing man-to-man, switching man-to-man. They played four different defenses against us.”

The Salukis have been able to neutralize their size disadvantage this season by using superior speed in the open floor. They entered the game with 50 transition points on the season, but could only pick up six against the disciplined Billikens.

“We’re small but were pesky,” Hinson noted. “We’re going to have to play that way.”

Both teams played short-handed. SIU was without starting forward Antonio Bryer and reserve guard Josh Swan, while SLU was short three players, including its top scorer, due to injury.

“It’s the next guy up — the season is long,” Crews said. “As much as I believe in the process, you still get a little antsy to get the process moving quicker.”

The Salukis never made a serious run in the game, in part because they fell behind quickly, 15-4. Hinson said he took responsibility for the team’s slow start.

“I told them part of this is on me — the first half we were stagnant, and the second half we did some things better,” he said. “The most encouraging thing is we didn’t quit.”

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Morthland men and women fall to Blue Mountain College

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Morthland men and women basketball teams hosted the Blue Mountain College Toppers in a Monday night doubleheader at Rend Lake College. The Lady Patriots fell to BMC 94-38, while the Morthland men could not hold off the Toppers (3-4), falling 81-76.

The Lady Patriots (0-6) were led by Shayly Wilce and Jade Vaughn who both chipped in 14 points. Junior forward Ashley Slack scored 8 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Pats.

The Morthland College men’s basketball team came out sluggish after the first six minutes trailing the Toppers of Blue Mountain, Miss. 10-2, but Eldorado native Will Carmickle led the charge for the Patriots scoring 19 of this 32 points in the first half to give Morthland a 46-39 lead going into the locker room.

Morthland allowed BMC to score the first 8 points of the second half to take a 47-46 lead. The undersized Patriots kept battling in the second half but could not stop BMC from driving to the basket for easy scores. Morthland allowed 18 offensive rebounds, 10 of which came in the second half, allowing the Toppers to capitalize with 19 second chance points.

Will Carmickle scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Morthland while freshman Roby Boatright was the only other Patriot in double-digits with 10 points.

“They really jumped on us early in the second half after we battled back at the end of the first to gain the lead,” said head coach Rich Herrin. “They are a heck of a team for only having two wins this season, and they are going to win a lot more.”

The Morthland men and women will be back in action Dec. 1, when they travel to McKenzie, Tenn. to take on Bethel College.

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RLC Cheerleading team hosting spaghetti fund-raiser Dec. 1

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Rend Lake College Cheerleading team will hold a Spaghetti Supper Fund-raiser at 5 p.m., following the Warriors and Lady Warriors conference basketball home openers on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The event will last until 7:30 p.m. and will take place in the RLC Student Center. Tickets are $7 for spaghetti, breadstick, salad, dessert and a drink. They can be purchased from any member of the cheerleading team, or reserved by contacting Coach Nikki LaBuwi-Corollo at 618-513-1978, or by e-mail at nlabuwi@hotmail.com. Take-out is an option.

The Dec. 1 Lady Warriors home game tips off at 1 p.m., followed by the Warriors game at 3 p.m. Both teams are opening the conference season against Lincoln Trail.

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