baseball

The Heartland Community College baseball team is returning to the World Series for a fourth straight season, on a quest for the program’s second national championship during that span.

A St. Louis Cardinals outfielder urges young athletes to play multiple sports to improve their chances to make it to the pros. Michael Siani rejects the current trend of specialization throughout youth sports.

On June 23, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg had a statue in his honor unveiled on the 40-year anniversary of the so-called "Sandberg" game. The sculptor, Lou Cella, is an Illinois State University alum who has created statues in various places around the world.

There are many colorful characters in baseball. For Hall of Famer Burleigh "Old Stubblebeard" Grimes, the color in question is blue.

Legendary broadcaster and storyteller Campbell "Stretch" Miller had the attitude of why let facts get in the way of a good story.

Dennis Martel’s scheduled pit stop in Central Illinois has turned into 39 years at Illinois Wesleyan University, the past 37 as head baseball coach. As his final season unfolds – he announced his retirement in January – Martel is good with the decision to step away.

Alex Tosi will receive a paycheck this month. He’ll get one in December, too. This is new territory for Tosi, a former Illinois Wesleyan pitcher who just completed his first full season in the Major Leagues … not throwing balls and strikes, but calling them.

The Major League Baseball playoffs are once again making October a special time. But baseball was not always here to root for and entertain us.

The head baseball coach at Heartland Community College is the national coach of the year in junior college Division II. Chris Razo led the team to two post season appearances in his first two years as head coach. The team won the national tournament this year and had a season record of 53-5.

The Heartland Community College baseball team defeated Southeastern Iowa 8-6 on Saturday in Oklahoma to capture the first NJCAA Division II national title in school history.