Sages enjoying historic season

May 24—MONTICELLO — Piatt County is starting to rally around Monticello's historic baseball season.

Never had the Sages won more than 30 games in a campaign until this season, which continued Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory against Westville in a Class 2A sectional semifinal at Workman Family Field on the Millikin University campus in Decatur.

"Dude, it's everywhere," Monticello senior Luke Teschke said. "I mean, all around town."

Case in point: assistant coach Matt Crook pulling up to a stop light in town before someone yelled from across the road, 'Go Sages.'

"I mean, there's people everywhere supporting us," Teschke said, "and there's no better feeling when you've got that purple and gold behind you."

It isn't a surprise within the program that the Sages (31-4) have accomplished all of their preseason goals and then some after losing a 2A regional championship a year ago.

"We came in looking for some blood (this season)," Teschke said. "Our goals (were) a regional championship, 20-plus wins and a conference championship. We got those three and now we're feeling well, we're playing well. ... We're just trying to keep winning and keep going."

Ike Young turned in a gem on the bump Wednesday night for the Sages to help them draw within striking distance of the third sectional plaque in program history.

The junior right-handeder shoved seven complete innings of three-hit, 11 strikeout ball and recorded 11 consecutive outs before allowing two baserunners in the bottom of the seventh inning before getting out of the jam and sending Monticello into Saturday's 1 p.m. sectional championship game against Maroa-Forsyth (24-4).

With a swath of purple and gold behind home plate, Young escaped trouble by striking out Ben Johnson to end the frame.

"It definitely picks me up," Young said. "I know they have my back so it makes me roll."

Young is a key part of a pitching rotation that also includes Illinois State signee Teschke, Koyie Williams and Carter Foran.

"We have a bunch of confidence in ourselves," said Teschke, who is quick to credit pitching coach Connor Gross. "Without (Gross), we wouldn't be where we are. He's helped us so much. He just adds so much to the table it's insane."

Monticello's bats have done their part as the Sages have plated double-digit run totals on 11 occasions, each resulting in victory.

Only two runs were needed on Wednesday as a two-RBI triple from Jacob Long scored Teschke and Matt Swartz in the top of the third inning.

"I was just looking for something over the plate that I could hit as hard as I could, really," Long said. "I knew he went fastball with the pitch before and I turned on pretty well, so I figured he was going offspeed next pitch."

Long, Teschke, Young and Swartz combined for five of the Sages' six hits against the Tigers, with Dylan Brown adding a single of his own.

Production has come from up and down the Sages' order. Raiden Colbert found two hits out of the ninth spot in the lineup in Monticello's 3-1 win against Clinton in last Saturday's regional championship game.

"The seniors, they bring it every day," Monticello coach Chris Jones said. "They've brought it since they've been in the program and it just trickles down. We've got some young guys that have bought in and are contributing in big ways. It's just fun to get to practice every day, and I'm blessed to get to go to another practice."

Workman Family Field's turf surface — where the Sages won their last sectional title in 2022 — mimics the new turf playing surface the Sages christened for the 2024 season.

The Sages ultimately won 19 home games against just two setbacks on their home turf.

"It definitely brings up our morale," Young said. "It's something new we can build off. Something different."

One of those 19 victories came against Maroa-Forsyth on April 15, when Eli Craft hit a two-run home run, Teschke tripled and Colbert doubled to support a combined 10 strikeouts from Teschke and Foran in a 6-2 triumph.

"I know Maroa is playing really really well right now and they're well-coached," Jones said. "We're going to have our hands full. We'll sit down and we'll go through it and see what we can do to get ourselves in the best position to be successful."