Knox College Baseball Team Clears the Illinois Snow to Prepare for Season

Northern Illinois Baseball teams certainly have a disadvange when it comes to preparing their teams to compete early each spring.

Knox College baseball players went outside on February 15th but it wasn't to practice like most of the southern teams.  Players were outside shoveling the snow off of the field and learning what it takes to perpare a baseball field for a practice and a game.

One of the Prairie Fire players, Zach Ricketts (Galesburg IL), will be working as a groundskeeper for the Boston Red Sox after he graduates in June.   

Know will open their season on March 15th against St. Joseph's College of New York in Fort Meyers FL.

Division III Midwest Conference Baseball News

News and Notes from Illinois teams in the Midwest Conference..

Monmouth College
Monmouth has started the season 5-11, but is an impressive 4-2 at home. Led by pitcher Corey Gruber’s 2.58 ERA and 3-1 performance on the mound, the Scots have also seen strong performances at the plate from Tom Shaver and Terry Davis, who have batted in 12 and 10 runs, respectively.

Illinois College
Illinois College has had a strong start to the season, boasting a 8-5 record and picking up two wins against MWC division foe Knox. Ian Vandeford and Adam Baran lead the way for the Blueboys. Baran totals 12 RBIs and is tied for second with Vandeford with 2 HRs. Vandeford is also batting .396 and has started all 13 games for Illinois College.

Knox College
Knox dropped two games to Illinois College in its MWC opener and has started the season 6-7. Junior Bob Dempster has notched 12 RBI’s on the year with one home run. Junior Colin Davis has handled a load of the pitching duties for the Prarie Fire, going 1-2 in three starts with a 3.05 ERA.
 

Monmouth to Challeng Knox and Illinois College for 2010 Midwest Conference Baseball Crown

2009 proved to be a pivotal year in the MWC as the conference earned two NCAA bids, neither of which went to traditional power Ripon. St. Norbert snagged a controversial Pool C bid based largely on their incredible strength of schedule while the Beloit Buccaneers swiped the Pool A bid with an unforeseen run through the league.

Much like the Civil War, the power in this conference lies in the North. As the waters of the MWC begin to clear this season, it appears that Beloit will again be the team to beat as they return their entire line-up from that NCAA experienced 2009 squad. The Bucs are lead by junior pitcher/utility player Mike Kovach(Plainfield, Illinois - Joliet Catholic) who landed on the D3baseball.com pre-season team as an Honorable Mention utility player. St. Norbert counters with 2009 MWC player of the year Jared Yost (.465, 13 2B). Still, never count out a Ripon squad that, except for a slight bobble in 2009, has owned this conference.

In the South Division, Monmouth returns four all-league selections and looks to challenge Knox and Illinois College for the South Division crown. Do not sleep on Grinnell who returns 21 players from a solid 2009 and has upgraded its roster with top-notch recruits for the 2010 season. That being said, the South is the weaker of the two divisions in the MWC and the North will prevail in the end.

Knox College Hitting League

The Knox College Hitting League is a competitive and instructional way to keep your hitting and baseball skills sharp for the upcoming season. League members will compete against like age groups in a seasonal long hitting competition. In addition, instruction will be offered by the Knox College coaching staff, current Knox players and local coaches.

Dates:

January 10. 17, 24 & 31
February 14, 21 & 28
March 7

Time & Age Group:
Grades 1, 2 & 3 @ 1:00-1:45
Grades 4, 5 & 6 @ 2:00-2:50
Grades 7 & 8 @ 3:00-4:15
Softball- All Ages @ 3:00-4:15

Cost: $64 for all Hitting League dates or the equivalent of $8 a session


League Director-----Head Baseball Coach Jami Isaacson


For registration form please visist: 
www.knox.edu/Athletics/Hitting-League.html
Knox College is located in Galesburg Illinois.

Wake Forest Signs Nine to National Letters of Intent - WAKE FOREST OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Wake Forest Signs Nine to National Letters of Intent - WAKE FOREST OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE: "Wake Forest Signs Nine to National Letters of Intent
Signing class is eligible beginning in the fall of 2010"

Baseball in Illinois only lists the details on players from Illinois.

Nov. 19, 2009

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter announced the signing of nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The class will be eligible beginning in the fall of 2010.

"We are obviously thrilled with our recruiting class," Walter said. "Coach (Dennis) Healy and coach (Bill) Cilento did a great job of combing the country and bringing in the best players. We address our needs with this class. We have four quality pitching prospects, as well as infield, outfield and catching help."

The Demon Deacons signed Brett Armour, Jack Fischer, Brian Holmes, Nate Jones, Kevin Jordan, Conor Keniry, John McLeod, Charlie Morgan, IV and Chris Willson.

"What's really exciting about this class is the versatility they provide," Walter continued. "We have guys that can play multiple positions. What we've tried to do is to go out and recruit the best possible athletes we can get. Guys that have some toughness, have played multiple sports and bring some of those intangibles that your traditional baseball-only player doesn't have."

Jack Fischer/SS - R/R - 6-1 - 175

Hinsdale, Illinois. (St. Ignatius College Prep)

Starting shortstop on the varsity team since freshman year ... Named All-Catholic League in 2009 ... Invited to Area Code Games tryouts ... Also invited to Chicago White Sox Black and Silver games and Chicago Pitch and Hit Showcase ... Ranked top 10 player in the state by Prep Baseball Report ... Ranked 414th in the country by Perfect Game ... Career batting average of .355, while he has an 11-2 career record on the mound with a 1.38 ERA ... Son of Brian and Beth Fischer ... Father pitched at Knox College.

Walter on Fischer: "Jack is one of the best defensive high school shortstops in the country. His instincts and his baseball IQ are off the charts. Offensively, we feel that with maturation, a few swing changes and physical strength, he will develop into an offensive weapon. He plays his summer and fall baseball with the Top Tier program, who does an outstanding job of preparing their players for the next level."