Clutch Sports Media

1 month ago | clutchsportsil.com | Jonathan Michel

WASHINGTON – It felt good to just play softball again. The Washington softball team enjoyed its home opener on a cold, overcast Tuesday at Jan Smith Field. The Panthers danced on the basepaths, sang chants from the dugout and even crawled in the roll of tarp to retrieve a foul ball. On the surface, it was just another day on the diamond. Fans poured in and eventually began lining the field once bodies and blankets filled up the bleachers. Parents, family members, students and friends all gathered.

1 month ago | clutchsportsil.com | Jonathan Michel

East Peoria baseball may have one of the top teams in the area, but that didn’t matter to Richwoods, who weren’t playing any April Fools jokes and won in shutout fashion to lead the highlights from the diamond on Tuesday. Tremont, Eureka, Brimfield/Elmwood and Illini Bluffs all won over area foes in baseball. Dunlap softball took on Illini Bluffs in a big non-conference battle, with five other Mid-Illini squads getting in the win column.

1 month ago | clutchsportsil.com | Jonathan Michel

Softball season is well underway after two weeks as non-conference games offer opportunities for growth, momentum and confidence-boosting wins. The Mid-Illini Conference is once again loaded with teams that will ensure that a conference title won’t come easy, as half of the group entered the top five in the first CSM Softball Power Rankings of the season. Strength is more spread out in the small school rankings, where four conferences are represented.

1 month ago | clutchsportsil.com | Jonathan Michel

With two weeks of the baseball season in the books, some of Central Illinois’ top teams and players have begun to separate themselves in the feeling-out stage. Several squads spent last week in balmy locations such as Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama while others pushed ahead with non-conference games locally.

1 month ago | clutchsportsil.com | Jonathan Michel

BARTONVILLE – A mural painted on the side of Limestone’s press box reads a famous quote from the high school’s most cherished son. “Something special is always about to happen. You’ve got to believe it. - Jim Thome” That paint prophesied. Thome is now an assistant coach for state powerhouse Nazareth Academy where his son, Landon, is a star shortstop. On Friday, fans, children and members of the community flocked to see Thome return home as the Roadrunners took on his alma mater.