Monticello baseball off to best start in program history: 'They're not done yet'

Apr. 29—MONTICELLO — The first sign that the Monticello baseball team had something special brewing this season came on March 23 during the first round robin on the schedule.

The Sages bested a talented New Berlin team 4-1 in the first game of the day before taking on Routt Catholic, a perennial power from Jacksonville who won 30 games and made a Class 1A super-sectional last year. Leading 2-1 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, the Sages threw out a runner at home plate from center field to end the game in dramatic fashion and improve to 10-0.

"When we won both of those games, I think we realized we could do a lot and go pretty far," Monticello senior Jacob Long said. "It was pretty exciting, and I think that was the moment we realized we could be pretty special."

The second sign came a week later following a 4-1 win against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.

This was the first time Monticello had played 14 games through the first three weeks of the season — five games the first week, five the second week and four the third week — and it won them all.

"I was optimistic about us being very competitive," Monticello coach Chris Jones said of the expectations coming into the season. "We've got a lot of guys who are always in a good mood showing up to the ballpark. It was never like a job for them. They wanted to be there, and they played like they wanted to be there."

The third and most eye-catching sign came on April 15 after a 6-2 win against fellow unbeaten Maroa-Forsyth.

Every year, the Sages have three goals: Win a regional title, win the Illini Prairie Conference and win 20 games. The victory against Maroa-Forsyth was their 20th win of the season, and it came in their 20th game.

"I think 20-0 was really a shocker because 20 wins was our main goal," Monticello senior Raiden Colbert said. "To get that goal without a loss was pretty special."

Monticello won two more games after that before taking its first loss on April 22 against Pontiac, but a 22-0 start was the best in program history. The Sages carry a 24-2 record into Monday's Illini Prairie showdown at St. Joseph-Ogden (23-2). First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Meier Field.

Jones said he never saw this kind of start coming. Not because he didn't believe in his team, but because "baseball's funny. It can beat you up."

And it did just last year. The Sages were coming off a season in which they made a 2A super-sectional game and missed out on a state appearance on a 4-3 walk-off loss to Maroa-Forsyth. They entered the 2023 season with the belief that they were just as good as the year before. While they did have another successful season, finishing 21-5, they fell to Unity 3-2 in a regional championship game.

"We know that anything can happen, especially in the playoffs," Long said. "That's why we have smaller goals and are taking it one game at a time."

The Sages are making history with every win, but they're not taking it for granted. The loss to Pontiac didn't seem to faze them. They did fall to Tri-Valley two days later, but the way they've carried themselves hasn't changed. If anything, the losses have taken the target off their backs and allowed them to focus.

"I don't know how much our guys were caught up in the record," said Jones, in his 15th season leading the Sages. "When we go out, I feel like we've got a pretty good mindset. We're out there competing and wanting to get better each time, no matter who's in the other dugout. But yes, I think it might have been a little bit of a monkey on our back if we'd have gone into the postseason without a loss."

Monticello has bounced back since its two straight losses last week with wins against Bloomington Central Catholic and Warrensburg-Latham heading into Monday's game with SJ-O.

You don't get an introduction like that without solid play from your standouts, and so far for the Sages, that's been nearly everybody.

Illinois State signee Luke Teschke headlines the pitching staff, with Carter Foran, Ike Young, Brody Billedo and Koyie Williams also providing quality innings. Through the first 18 games, Monticello pitchers recorded a collective 1.35 ERA with an opposing batting average of just .161 while striking out over nine batters per seven innings.

And the bats have been just as good. The Sages are averaging nearly nine runs a game this season, and everyone who steps up to the plate is a threat to hit the ball over the fence.

"Everyone on the team is a great player," Colbert said. "The junior class is extremely good. We've got just a really strong core that can compete really well. Everyone throughout the lineup can hit. There's no weak spot. We all have an important role."

"I feel like we could put out any of our nine guys and compete against any team we're going to see," Long added. "One through nine, we don't really have any gaps in our lineup."

This group has experienced all kinds of games this season. While the vast majority have ended with them on top, the Sages have won in just about every way possible: wide margins, small margins, coming back from early deficits and pulling it out in extra innings. That variety will undoubtedly help prepare them for the final few weeks of the regular season and the 2A postseason, with Monticello hosting a regional on its brand-new turf field in mid-May.

"It's very valuable to know that, if we're down five runs, we have the potential to come back," Jones said. "Ultimately, all those experiences will be beneficial once we get to the postseason."

Monticello's superb start to this season comes down to the fact that the players have kept it simple. They've kept things loose while staying focused behind the scenes and have taken care of business on the field. They see the headlines, but they don't let it affect their performance.

In their mind, though, they're just getting started.

"The coolest part about it is for the kids. That's what I'm happiest about, just what they've been able to accomplish up to this point," Jones said, "but they're not done yet."