Baseball kicks off with a double-header
By Kristin Deichmueller
IV Leader Sports Writer
The Illinois Valley Community College men’s baseball team kicked off its 2003 fall baseball season with a double-header Sept. 6 vs. Joliet.
The Eagles dropped both games to JJC by scores of 5-3 and 2-1.
The baseball team got a late start in determining its final roster because of the rainy Labor Day weekend.
Tryouts for the team had originally been scheduled for Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, but were moved to Sept. 2 and 3 after the rainout.
Koopmann said fans are guaranteed a lot of new faces as well as returning players.
Players returning for IVCC include Ty Priesman, Luke Carls, Grant Payton, Adam Smith, Brent Moore, John Calkins and Clay Zavada.
Koopmann said the whole purposed of fall baseball is to get his team ready for the arduous spring season.
Fall baseball “helps players come together as a team before spring,” he said. Last spring, the team finished with a strong 49-12 record, so Koopmann hopes to duplicate or better that achievement.
The Eagles return to action Sept. 13 at University of Illinois Chicago with a 10 a.m. contest vs. Danville and a 4 p.m. contest vs. Parkland.