Baseball team prepares for post season
By Michelle Hamilton
IV Leader Staff, May 5, 2005
The Illinois Valley Eagles Baseball season is quickly coming to a close.
With only a few games left before Sectional Playoffs begin, the Eagles are .500 in conference play with nine wins and nine losses. There is one remaining conference make-up game against Sauk Valley to be played.
After the conference game against Blackhawk on April 26 in which the Eagles split the double header, winning the first game 11-10, but losing the second, 4-15, catcher Dylan Keller stated, “We started the season off slow, but we are starting to come together really well and we are scoring a lot of runs.”
That seems to be the mutual feeling on the Eagles baseball team. After a rocky season start and a switch in head coaching positions, the Eagles finally have landed in the right zone.
Third baseman Aaron Sester stated, “It’s the perfect time to begin meshing as a team because it is right before the start of sectionals”.
The Eagles offense is led with four players batting over .400 for the season. Aaron Tondi has an average of .476, Brett Lockas with .441, Jim Grant is batting .438, and Paul Corgiat has a .413.
Lockas is also leading the team with 32 RBIs and 9 home runs.
Sester, Corgiat and Adam Bertrand have all contributed three home runs each for the Eagles.
Short stop Chad Holloway, is leading the Eagle’s defense attempts with 71 assists so far this season.
Pitcher Paul Corgiat has 41 strikeouts for the season. Along with those strike outs, come only 18 walks against well over 100 opposing batters.
With sectionals coming just around the corner, Adam Kennedy says, “We have come a long way, but we still need work to be ready for the teams we have in the future”.
The Eagles last regular season game is on the road, Tuesday May 10 against Moraine Valley.