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Eagles team captain Clesson looks forward to season

By Paul Johnson
IV Leader Staff

    While most Illinois Valley Community College students are sound asleep, James Clesson is hard at work. At 5:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday, Clesson is at the IV campus conditioning both his mind and his body. Clesson is a member of the 2005 IVCC Eagles Baseball Team.
    More than a little controversy has surrounded this year’s Eagles team. With the resignationt of longtime Coach Bob Koopmann, the baseball team is in a transition year. This was followed by the resignation of Coach Kevin Hartseil.
    Hartseil was not only the baseball team head coach, but also the assistant coach for the woman’s basketball team.
    Mark Tellkamp is the new interim baseball coach.
    This upheaval in coaching, according to Clesson (who is a team captain and the starting pitcher for the Eagles) has cast doubts about the viability of this year’s team.
    Clesson sees it differently. Clesson believes that the Eagles will do well this year, not in spite of, but because of, the coaching changes.
“I feel good about the season,” said Clesson. He also believes that people have preconceived ideas about the team and he is out to prove them wrong.
    “They think because we lost a lot of regional players and have only local talent that we can’t win,” said Clesson. He believes the pessimistic views of others has caused the team to rally together and made them stronger.
    Baseball runs in Clesson’s family. His father, Barry Clesson, played baseball through college. However, the young Clesson, did not begin his baseball career until the sixth grade when he began playing for an American Legion’s baseball team. The next year, and every year thereafter, he played on Post 56 Varsity traveling team.
    During his first year, Clesson split time between playing third base and pitching. During that year he showed great promise as a pitcher and from the next year on, concentrated on pitching.
    Along with playing on a traveling team, Clesson played in the Fall Wooden Bat League in Peoria. He also played for his high school baseball team in the spring.
    Clesson is a sophomore at IV and was recruited by Koopmann from University High in Normal. During his first year at IV, Clesson compiled an ERA of 2.71 while pitching middle relief for the Eagles.
    Clesson’s on the field discipline has transferred into the classroom. He has maintained a 3.89 GPA while IV. In explaining how he balances sports and academics, Clesson states that he divides life between three categories: family, academics and sports.
    Clesson believes that it is important to develop your mind as you develop your body. Referring to his balancing of sports with school, Clesson states, “It would be silly not to give it equal time.”
    In describing his philosophy for life, Clesson summed up in a quote made famous by an Atlanta Braves pitching scout. “Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow.”
    Clesson has also gained the admiration of his peers. Eagles third baseman, Aaron Sester, is beginning his second year as Clesson’s teammate. He summed up what Clesson’s best quality is with two words, “His leadership.”
    Sester believes that Clesson’s leadership along with the leadership of the other team captains is what is going to hold this year’s team together and take it to the next level.
    After this year, Clesson is looking at continuing his education at either Western Illinois University or Olivet Nazarene University. Clesson has also been accepted to attend Vanderbilt University.
    “Academics led me to these two schools plus their good baseball programs,” he said.
    He is interested in pursuing a degree in criminal justice.
    When he is not working out with the baseball team (four hours a day) or hitting the books, Clesson enjoys studying organized crime and crime prevention. His favorite gangster movies are “Good Fellows” and “Gotti: Rise & Fall”. He also plays guitar and does some song writing.
Clesson was born and raised in Hayworth, near Bloomington, but currently resides in Oglesby. His father is an ASE certified Motor Technician and a farmer. His mother is Katy Malone Clesson and is an English teacher at University High in Normal.