The daily pitch from Sports Editor Matt Daniels: May 2, 2024
May 2—➜ . He introduced me to his love of sports and newspapers from an early age. A few sentences doesn't do justice to the effect he's had on my life, but call your dad today. He'll appreciate it. Now, if only the Cardinals could figure out a way to get out of last place in the NL Central, that'd be the best birthday present I could give him.
➜ 2. . Finish in the top five teams at the 14-team tournament held May 13-15 and the Illini are bound for the NCAA Championships.
➜ . Should be some good matchups when the playoffs get going in a few weeks, with area baseball teams Monticello (2A), St. Joseph-Ogden (2A) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (1A) and area softball teams Westville (2A), Argenta-Oreana (1A) and Milford/Cissna Park (1A) all receiving No. 1 seeds.
Home runs the Illinois baseball team now has on the season after the Illini launched seven — yes, seven — during Tuesday night's 21-11 win against Indiana State at Illinois Field. That leads the Big Ten by a wide margin and had them 13th in the country heading into Wednesday's games. Keep in mind two records when it comes to the long ball since Illinois (26-15) has at least nine regular-season games remaining before Big Ten tournament play and possibly NCAA tournament play unfolds. The Illinois record for home runs in a season of 91 set by the 1998 team is well within reach. But the Big Ten record of 137 home runs set by the 2022 Maryland team is probably out of reach. Either way, these Illini know how to light up a scoreboard.
➜ . Mahomet-Seymour graduate has a 27-2 record and 0.67 ERA to go along with 19 home runs, 58 RBI and a .403 average for the top-ranked Cobras, who host the Loggers at 2 p.m. Thursday to start NJCAA Division II postseason play.
➜ . r's Illini team will try to get past the Rockets starting at noon on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Lexington, Ky.
➜ . The long-time rivals will meet in Tolono at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in what could be a preview of a Class 2A regional title game on May 18 at Randy Wolken Field in St. Joseph.
➜ the Los Angeles Dodgers.
➜ John Wooden, Dr. Bob Rotella and Brad Gilbert, with Ted Lasso as our server for the meal.
➜ wasting time during practice.
