The Sad Salary Situation for Illinois Junior College Baseball Coaches

This post discusses the inequity of pay for junior college baseball coaches in Illinois.  Are the baseball coaches at Illinois junior colleges half as good as the baseball coaches in all other states?  According to the salary information provided by the Office of Postsecondary Education, baseball coaches salary, and apparently by the administrators at Illinois junior colleges, the answer seems to be yes, they are only half as good.

We researched the salary data from 2008 through 2012, provided by the U.S. Department of Education, on Illinois junior college head and assistant baseball coaches, their annual salaries against all of the other states that have NJCAA Division I, II, or III baseball.


Here is some of the 2012 data that we looked at:


First for Head Coaching positions - 

• Illinois only has 5 full time head coaches in 2012 where as there are 91 in the other NJCAA states.
• The 2012 average annual salary for head baseball coaches in Illinois $10,212 where as the average in all other states is $19,968.  As you can see, Illinois head coaches are paid about 50% less than in all other NJCAA states.
• Illinois head coaches also have to do more work as the average number of assistant coaches in Illinois is at 1.74 and all other states average closer to 2.

Next, Assistant Baseball Coaches -

• There are zero full time assistant coaches in Illinois where as other NJCAA states have 42.
• The annual salary for assistant baseball coaches at NJCAA schools was $3,925 in 2012 verses $8,554 in all other NJCAA states, that is 45.8%!
• Other NJCAA states offer 17% of assistant coaches full time employment where Illinois junior colleges offer only 4% of assistant coaches this opportunity.
• Illinois assistant coaches only earned $248 per participant (player) for the entire season where as all other NJCAA junior college states earned over $500 per participant (which is more than the head coaches in Illinois earn).

The total number of participants (baseball players) has increased 4.7% from 2008 to 2012.  There are more student-athletes playing baseball at community colleges in Illinois.  This means more tuition, more state Base Operating Grants, more federal funding.


It is easy to see but hard to understand why the coaches in Illinois are paid only half of what other NJCAA states are paying baseball baseball coaches.

Top Returning NJCAA Pitchers from Illinois Junior Colleges

Below are the top returning pitchers from Illinois junior colleges posted in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason media guides.

Division I:
Northern District, Regions 4, 11 and 24:

Luke Hayes, Kishwaukee College, RHP, 1.46 ERA
Derek Thompson, John A. Logan, LHP, 1.49 ERA
Nick Andros, Rend Lake, LHP, 1.65 ERA
Tait Rauen, Kishwakee College, LHP, 1.83 ERA
Brandon George, Rend Lake, RHP, 1.90 ERA
Brandon Allen, Wabash Valley, RHP, 2.18 ERA
A.J. Crutchfield, Southwestern Illinois, LHP, 2.20 ERA
Ryan Wells, Lincoln Trail, RHP, 2.91 ERA
Clay Wallace, Wabash Valley, RHP, 4.26 ERA
Eben Brooks, John A. Logan, RHP, 4.05 ERA
Ben Allison, Kishwaukee College, RHP, 4.43 ERA
Chris Hunt, John A. Logan, RHP, 4.43 ERA

Division II:
Midwest District:
Matt Lambert, Heartland, RHP, 1.70 ERA
Ryan Byrne, Heartland, RHP, 2.60 ERA
David Stagg, Heartland, LHP, 3.00 ERA
Dylan Van Fleet, Illinois Central, RHP, 3.21 ERA
Cale George, Illinois Central, RHP, 3.52 ERA
Clint Sestak, Lincoln Land, RHP, 3.71 ERA
Dan Reiser, Lincoln Land, LHP, 4.44 ERA
Jason Condit, Illinois Central, RHP, 4.72 ERA
A.J. Vasquez, Danville Area, LHP, 4.88 ERA

North Central District:
Caleb Haley, Lake County, RHP, 2.01 ERA
Eann Cox, Blackhawk, RHP, 2.37 ERA
Bobby Thorson, Elgin, RHP, 2.40 ERA
Sam Cok, Prairie State, RHP, 2.44 ERA
Dominic Talone, Elgin, RHP, 2.45 ERA
Jim Miller, Prairie State, RHP, 2.83 ERA
Kenny Lowden, Oakton, RHP, 2.87 ERA
Tyler Hurst, Oakton, LHP, 3.27 ERA
Jake Sharp, Blackhawk, RHP, 3.35 ERA
Eddie Nelson, Prairie State, RHP, 3.48 ERA
Matt Schwitz, Kankakee, RHP, 3.53 ERA
Joe Ross, McHenry County, LHP, 3.75 ERA

NJCAA Baseball Region 24 2012 All-Region Team

Illinois NJCAA Region 24 announced the 2012 All-Region baseball team.  Below are the student athletes who were chosen by Region 24 coaches.

Utility Player Vince Anello, Lake Land College
Infielder Edgar Figueroa, Lake Land College
Catcher Jose Gonzalez, Lake Land College
Infielder Cody Daily, Southwestern Illinois
Outfielder Brian Doll, Southwestern Illinois
Pitcher Conor Fisk, Wabash Valley
Inf/OF Cole Gleason, Wabash Valley
Outfielder Korey Hall, Wabash Valley
Infielder Gabriel Roa, Wabash Valley
Pitcher David Suarez, John A. Logan
Pitcher Derek Thompson, John A. Logan

Illinois Junior College Teams Ranked in Preseason Baseball Polls

Below are the Illinois Junior College baseball teams ranked in the first NJCAA preseason poll for 2012.


Division I:

#16 Wabash Valley College

Division II:

#5  Heartland Community College
#8  Parkland College
#16 Kankakee Community College

Division III:

#7 Joliet Junior College

Top Illinois Junior College Baseball Players to Watch in 2012

The top Illinois junior college baseball players to watch in 2012 who were recommended by junior college and four year university coaches across the nation.

LHP Derek Thompson, John A. Logan, Derek is from Teutopolis Illinois

LHP Aaron Hauge, Heartland, Aaron is from Homewood Illinois

LHP Bo Weir, Parkland, Bo is from Kokomo IN

LHP Troy Mannebach, Oakton, Troy is from Appleton WI

RHP Jeremy Stawychny, Heartland, Jeremy is from Franklin Park Illinois

RHP Bill McFarland, Southwestern Illinois, Bill is from Edwardsville Illinois

RHP David Toth, Danville Area, David is from Danville Illinois

RHP Joe Ucho, Prairie State, Joe is from Chicago Illinois

RHP Karl Brecht, Lewis & Clark, Karl is from Michigan

RHP Trevor Vermillion, Joliet, Trevor is from Joliet

1B Dan Eliopulos, Joliet, Dan is from Tinley Park Illinois

1B Jeff Limbaugh, Parkland, Jeff is from Crown Point IN

1B Mike Falloni, Heartland, Mike is from Edwardsville IL

2B Marshal Vallandingham, Southwestern Illinois, Marshal is from Mascoutah

2B Luis Bruno, Southeastern Illinois, Luis is from Puerto Rico

2B Ryan Black, Danville Area, Ryan is from Indiana

3B Cody Daily, Southwestern Illinois, Cody is from Granite City Illinois

3B Joe Czarnecki, Prairie State, Joe is from Oak Forest Illinois

SS Tyler Palmer, Oakton, Tyler is from Georgia

SS Westley Minton, Parkland, Westley is from Ohio

SS Chase Matheson, McHenry,

OF Logan Leverett, Southeastern Illinois, Logan is from Harrisburg Illinois

OF Neil DeCook, Kankakee, Neil is from Kankakee Illinois

OF Brian Doll, Southwestern Illinois Brian is from Greenville

OF Joe Dunn, Lewis & Clark, Joe is from Alton Illinois

OF Tanner Hahn, Danville Area, Tanner is from Indiana

DH Dylan Johnson, Heartland, Dylan is from Bloomington Illinois

1B/C Blake Baker, Kankakee, Blake is from Streator Illinois

Five Illinois JUCO Baseball Teams Ranked in the 2012 Pre-Season

Five Illinois junior college baseball teams have been ranked in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in their 2012 Pre-Season polls.

In Division II:

#6 - Heartland Community College
#12 - Parkland College
#14 - Kankakee Community College
#18 - Lincoln Land College

In Division III:

#6 - Joliet Junior College

2011 NJCAA Pre-Season Baseball Rankings Released

The NJCAA, along with Perfect Game, has released it's the 2011 Baseball Pre-Season Rankings for each division.  Listed below are the ranked teams from Illinois.

Division I:

#24. Wabash Valley College

Others receiving votes - John A. Logan College

Division II:

#1.  Heartland Community College
#5.  Parkland College

Others receiving votes - Kankakee Community College

Division III:

#3.  Joliet Junior College

Others receiving votes - Waubonsee Community College

To view the entire lists, you can click on the link below.

2011 NJCAA Baseball Pre-Season Rankings

Ian Gardeck and Jerad Grundy Named Top 20 NJCAA Prospects by Baseball America

Baseball America released their 2011 Junior College Preview with two top 20 prospects from Illinois.

Right handed pitcher Ian Gardeck, Angelina Junior College, University of Dayton, hit 98 MPH this fall according to scouts.  Ian is from Crystal Lake South High School and lives in Lake in the Hills IL.

Left handed pitcher Jerad Grundy, Heartland Community College, University of Miami, drafted in the 48th round of the MLB Draft in 2009.  Jerad is from Johnsburg High School and lives in Johnsburg IL.

2010 NJCAA Baseball All-Americans from Illinois Teams

Below are the 2010 NJCAA Baseball All-American Award winners from Illinois Junior Colleges:

NJCAA Division I
First Team All-Americans:
Inf Tyler Oliver - Wabash Valley

Second Team All-Americans:
Inf Jake Lueneburg - Kishwakee College

Honorable Mention:
P Chuck Ghysels - Lincoln Trail College

NJCAA Division II
First Team All-Americans:
Inf Ty McManus - Parkland College
OF Eric Aguileria - Heartland Community College

Second Team All-Americans:
DH J Golden - Blackhawk College

Third Team All-Americans:
P Dillon Naopleon - Heartland Community College
C Nate Reid - Kankakee Community College
OF Kevin Kiermaier - Parkland College

NJCAA Division III
First Team All-Americans:
OF Ryan Adams - Waubonsee Community College

Second Team All-Americans:
Inf Brett Van Asdlen - Joliet Junior College

Third Team All-Americans:
P Zach Petrick - Joliet Junior College
P Chris Jordan - Waubonsee Community College


 

Junior College National Baseball Polls - Illinois Teams as of May 19th

NJCAA National Rankings for Illinois teams as of May 19 2010.

Division I

#5 Wabash Valley (49-10)

Division II

#4 Heartland Community College (42-9)
#5 Kankakee Community College (46-12)
#6 Parkland College (42-10)
others receiving votes - Oakton Community College (42-17)

Division III

#7 Waubonsee Community College (34-26)
#10 Joliet Junior College (35-24)


 

NJCAA Illinois Baseball Teams National Rankings as of 5-12-10

Below are the Illinois Junior Colleges that are nationally ranked as of May 12th, 2010.

Division I
#8 Wabash Valley 46-10

Division II
#6 Kankakee Community College 43-12
#7 Heartland Community College 37-9
other teams receiving votes - Oakton Community College 39-17

Division III
#5 Joliet Junior College 33-22
other teams receiving votes Waubonsee Community College 30-26

 

Junior College National Baseball Polls - Illinois Teams

Illinois Junior College baseball teams ranked as of April 28th, 2010 in the latest NJCAA National Baseball polls:

Division I

#12 Wabash Valley 37-9, moved up two spots from last week

Division II

#3 Parkland College 33-7, again at #3 this week
#7 Kankakee Community College 31-10, same as last week
others receiving votes - Heartland Community College 24-9

Division III

No Illinois teams ranked in the top ten as of 4-28-10.  Other teams receiving votes - Joliet Junior College 26-19

Junior College Baseball Polls for Illinois Teams 4-14-10

NJCAA Rankings for Illinois JUCO's as of 4-14-10

Division I
#14 Wabash Valley College 29-9

other schools receiving votes (not in top 25)  John A. Logan College 27-9, Lincoln Trail College 23-10

Division II
#3 Parkland College 23-3
#7 Kankakee Community College 27-7-1
other schools receiving votes (not in top 15) College of Lake County 15-5, John Wood Community College 18-12

Division III
No Illinois schools ranked in the top 10 this week - Joliet Junior College received votes at 14-17-1

NJCAA Illinois Baseball Rankings 3-31-10

Below are the Illinois Junior College baseball rankings as of 3-31-10

NJCAA Division I

#10 John A. Logan College 21-5
#16 Olney Central College 20-5

NJCAA Divison II

#4 Parkland College 13-2
#7 Heartland Community College 11-3
#11 Kankakee Community College 19-7-1

NJCAA Division III

No Illinois teams ranked in the top 10 as of 3-31-10

John A. Logan College Baseball Ranked #10

Baseball in Illinois News

John A. Logan College (13-4) is currently ranked #10 in the NJCAA Division I polls as of March 18th, 2010.  Wabash Valley (14-5) is currently ranked 18th.

In Division II Heartland Community College (6-1) is ranked #2 and Parkland College lands the #7 spot as of March 17th.

Joliet Junior College is the only Division III Illinois team that is ranked as of March 17th where Joliet they sit at #8 on the national poll.

NJCAA Division I Baseball Top Returning Players in Illinois

Baseball in Illinois News

The NJCAA partnered with Perfect Game USA released it's pre-season top returning players for 2010.  Below are the top returning players from Division I NJCAA Illinois teams.

Division I
Northern District

Pitchers:
Ryan Kruse - Kishwaukee College
David Sindewald - South Suburban College
Mike Gaffigan - Triton College
Cale Wine - John A. Logan College
Adam Clark - Lincoln Trail College
Patrick Flanagan - Rend Lake College
Tomas Rodriguez - Rend Lake College
Chris Goins - Southeastern Illinois College
Trey Burris - Southwestern Illinois College
Ryan Rogers - Wabash Valley College

Position Players:
Anthony Even - Kaskaskia College
Zach O'Neal - Kishwaukee College
Sam Urso - Kishwaukee College
James Dawson - South Suburban College
Mike Bolling - Triton College
Jack Valadka - Trition College
Mike Hein - Southwestern Illinois College
Lucas Hileman - John A. Logan College
Derek Mattea - John A. Logan College
Ben Mehl - Lake Land College
Marshall Creed - Lake Land College
Trevor Buford - Lake Land College
Jimmy Brenneman - Lincoln Trail College
Travis Isaak - Lincoln Trail College
Kyle Kolat - Lincoln Trail College
Raymond Fuentes - Rend Lake College
Zach Elliot - Rend Lake College
Sean Sullivan - Southeastern Illinois College
Houston Ramsey - Southeastern Illinois College
Mike Moore - Southwestern Illinois College
Dusty Dineen - Southwestern Illinois College
Brett Erlinger - Southwestern Illinois College
Michael Mosby - Wabash Valley College
Jacob Rhodes - Wabash Valley College
Dom Spadafora - Wabash Valley College

Southeastern Illinois College Baseball Gets Pounded by Meridian

Baseball in Illinois News

The Southeastern Illinois College Falcons took the lead in the top of the first as Tommy Branham led the game off by reaching on a throwing error by MCC third baseman Jonathan Pace and later scored on another error by the MCC infield to give Southeast Illinois a 1-0 lead. The lead would not last long for the visitors as the Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead over the Falcons.


Dickerson led the inning off with a long solo home run over the wall in right field on the first pitch of the at bat to tie the score at 1-1. Jonathan Pace followed the homer by reaching on a hit by pitch and Ben Kingsley reached base on a single to put a pair of runners aboard for MCC. Rob McWhirter delivered a two run single for the Eagles to extend the lead to 3-1. MCC pushed another run across later in the inning thanks to an RBI single from Avi Ahlzadeh to make the score 4-1 in favor of MCC.


The Eagles continued to pour the offense on the Falcons by scoring four more runs in the second inning to make the score 8-1. Former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts led the inning off with a solo homerun and Dickerson belted another solo shot to push the MCC lead to 5-1. Alan Williams collected an RBI single in the inning and Kingsley added a double in the second inning for the Eagles. MCC put the game away for good with a five run third inning to make the score 13-1. Hunter Trawick had an RBI single in the inning and Graham Spencer smashed a grand slam in the five run frame for the Eagles. MCC clawed for two more runs in the fourth inning to cruise to the 15-1 victory. Kenny Sanders collected an RBI single in the final inning for the MCC offense.

Wabash Valley Loses Two to Meridan

Baseball in Illinois News

#8 Wabash Valley falls twice to #19 Meridan Community College in the 2010 Rush Tournament hosted by Meridan Community College.  Wabash fell 4-2 and 6-2 to Meridan.

Logan Baseball Ready to Start Season

Baseball in Illinois News
courtesy thesoutherner.com

CARTERVILLE Illinois - Jerry Halstead's John A. Logan Volunteers open their baseball season this weekend in central Alabama, weather permitting. Logan is scheduled to play Saturday and Sunday and will return south next week to take on Meridian, Miss., as well as Southern Union and Calhoun, Ala.


"Some of those schools down south have already played eight to 10 games while we've been stuck in a gym the last few weeks," Halstead said. "But that's fine. We're ready to go. We want to play good competition right off the bat to kind of gauge our talent and see what we need to work on in the weeks ahead."

Logan finished 31-21 last spring, a down year by Halstead's standards. The influx of 17 freshmen and a handful of sophomore transfers enabled the Vols to post an 11-2 mark in an abbreviated fall session .

"I feel we have the talent to get the job done this spring," Halstead said. "We can pitch it. We can catch it and I think we can slug it out toe-to-toe with people and also play small ball and win, too."

Only five sophomores return from last year's team. They are: outfielder Derek Mattea; catcher Marco DiRoma; infielders Derek Locascio and Adam Velocci; and starting pitcher Cale Wine (Coulterville).

Mattea led the team in home runs and runs batted in last year.

"He also hit over .400 in the fall and proved that he can deliver with men on base," Halstead said. "Derek just needs to get a little more consistent. If he can do that, he should have a heck of a spring for us."

Halstead also praised DiRoma's leadership skills.

"Marco is very solid back there. He does a great job of handling the pitchers," Halstead said. "They have confidence in him. Any offense he provides, and he is more than capable, is icing on the cake."

Halstead said Locascio can play an assortment of infield positions and hit well during the fall. He said Velocci provides depth at the corner infield positions and can hit for power. Wine is dealing with a strained elbow on his pitching arm and will not likely be worked into the rotation for a couple of weeks.

"It's the same elbow that required surgery when he was a junior in high school, so we're going to take it slow with Cale," Halstead said. "If healthy, we expect him to be a front-of-the-rotation starter for us and give us a lot of innings."

Sophomores who transferred into the program include: outfielder Lucas Hileman (Anna-Jonesboro) via Baylor University; first baseman Derek Trovillion (Vienna) from Rend Lake College; right-handed pitcher Tyler Newhart from Wright State and left-handed pitcher Mike Guinane from Dayton.

"Luke hit nearly .400 last spring in a platoon role with Baylor," Halstead said. "He hits from the left side, has speed and should be a disruptive force to the opposition when on the bases. Derek has been through the wars in the GRAC (Great Rivers Athletic Conference) with Rend Lake last year. He will fit in nicely in our everyday lineup. Tyler beat Georgia at Georgia last year when they were ranked the No. 1 team in the nation and then followed that up with a really strong summer in the Great Lakes League. Mike gives us an experienced lefty arm."

Freshmen transfers are Casey Rautenstrach (Goreville) via Eastern Illinois University and Eric Shannahan (University of Arkansas).

Other freshmen on the roster include: outfielders Brandon Alexander, Michael Kane and Zach McCarthy; infielders Ryan Richardson, Chase Greenwell, Mike Kozlowski and Cody Poole; catchers Mike Fitzgerald and Javier Aponte; and pitchers Pat Kaminska, Lucas Shearrow, Jayden Pobst, Aaron Gregory and Carterville's Brad Drust.

Olney Central College Head Coach Dennis Conley Headed for NJCAA Hall of Fame

Baseball in Illinois News

The 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame class has been released by the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association. This year's class is made up of four well-respected coaches both on and off the diamond. The class includes long-time Head Coach of Olney Central College (Ill.) Dennis Conley, former Head Coach at Linn-Benton (Ore.) and Yavapai College (Ariz.) Dave Dangler, and current Head Coach Bill Hamilton of Pensacola Junior College (Fla).


Dennis Conley
Head Coach
Olney Central College (Ill.)

Dennis Conley has enjoyed many years of success as the Head Coach of Olney Central College (Ill.). His successes include 26 straight winning seasons, 23 consecutive 30­+ wins in a season where 13 of those seasons were made up of 40+ wins, 15 Sectional Championships, and three GRAC regular season titles.

Dennis went to high school at Charleston High School in Illinois. He attended college and played baseball at Eastern Illinois University. As player and as a coach his colleagues have regarded him as a man of integrity with an uncompromising code of ethics. Dennis took over the baseball program at Olney Central College in 1981.

Besides being the Head Coach of Olney Central College, Dennis was the Baseball Chairman for Region NJCAA's Region 24 from 1986 to 1990. He has been a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association since 1981, and has worked in a number of summer baseball camps since 1982. As well as guiding young men on the field, Dennis has also been a featured speaker at different functions over the years. Conley has been named the GRAC Conference Coach of the Year on three occasions (200, 2004, 2005).

In April of 2008, Olney Central College baseball field was dedicated as Conley Field in his honor.