Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:58 AM CDT
Barring rain, high school baseball starts at fever pitch
By Brian Nielsen, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
In Coles County, March madness might mean Charleston-Mattoon baseball.
Or an Eastern Illinois baseball team that is 13-5, including a win over nationally ranked Oklahoma, then a win over the Big Ten Conference’s Indiana and then a three-game sweep at Morehead State to start its Ohio Valley Conference championship quest.
Maybe only rain could put local sports fans back to something as trivial as whether Gonzaga has a shot against North Carolina.
Unfortunately, forecasts show that is a possibility with the Mattoon at Charleston baseball season opener scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today at Eastern Illinois’ Coaches Stadium, a day before EIU is to play on its field for the first time with a 3 p.m. Wednesday date against Illinois State.
“I talked to Derrick (Landrus, Charleston’s coach) this morning and that’s my big worry,” Eastern Illinois coach Jim Schmitz said Monday. “I hate to have that but I told him you can’t muddy up the field the day before we’re supposed to play. The weather is going to be a factor. It’s all set up and ready to roll right now.”
Rain could bring mixed emotions.
Starting the season with a Mattoon-Charleston showdown might not seem ideal but a few years ago this March date was about the only place the teams could find on their schedules.
“Talking with Derrick I think we’d prefer to play Charleston in the middle of the season to where we’d have games under the belt,” Mattoon coach Mark Jackley said.
Landrus said: “It’s tough. We consider it our biggest game of the year other than conference and regionals. Usually we have the first game against (Champaign) Central but they moved it back.”
A time or two in the past, a regional seed has come down to this sweatshirt-under-heavy-coat-spectator time of the year.
But that is not the main thing at stake.
“I get more revved up for the rivalry, I guess,” Landrus said. “There’s a lot more games before the regional. Regional seeds really don’t matter in baseball.”
After all last year Mattoon, which beat Charleston 3-2 in the early-season rivalry game, took the No. 1 seed into the IHSA Class 3A Effingham Regional only to lose a 6-4 championship game to the Trojans, who were seeded third in the regional but reached the Centralia Sectional final before losing to eventual state champion Highland.
But in case the teams do not meet in the postseason, today’s game could last for bragging rights all through the summer when some of these rivals team up on the Mattoon Post 88 American Legion team.
That does not mean today is win at all costs particularly when Charleston has to keep in mind it needs its best pitching arms, like All-Apollo Conference Taylor Nead, available for Saturday’s Apollo Conference opening doubleheader at Robinson.
“Nead will start and obviously his pitch count will be lower at this point of the season and he will have to be full-go Saturday for Robinson,” Landrus said.
Mattoon does begin Big 12 Conference an April 18 game against Bloomington but does not have that established pitching ace to start this season opener.
“Our first game we’re going to go with one of our top pitchers,” Jackley said. “It wouldn’t matter if we were playing Charleston or any other opponent. Starting with our first two opponents Charleston and T-Town (Teutopolis on Wednesday), I’m sure we’ll see both teams’ No. 1 pitchers. And then Mount Vernon on Saturday, it will be their first game so we’ll see their No. 1.”
While the Green Wave’s top pitchers from last season went to Lake Land, this is a program that does not have rebuilding years.
“They win 20 every year and we’re trying to get to that level,” Landrus said. “They have some good hitters back. They always do. I know they’re searching for pitching but they will find that. You can pretty much put it in the books they are going to win 20 every year.”
That is becoming the norm for Charleston as well. The Trojans were 26-12 last season. Mattoon was 26-8.
Now they are scheduled for an early showcase on a college field.
“I always thought it would be nice to play there every year,” Landrus said. “Obviously we can’t do that. But it’s nice to have the opportunity this year. Hopefully, we can get a lot of fans there.”
This is Charleston’s year to be the host but Mattoon might give up its home field as well.
“I’d like see every time we play Charleston for it to be at Eastern,” Jackley said.
Let’s just hope the weather allows it today.
Brian Nielsen is sports editor of the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Contact him at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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