ICC Baseball Creates Havoc on the Basepaths

Jeremy Jacob, Harbinger

April 18, 2016

The Illinois Central College baseball team have consistently been leaving opponents in their dust as they are showing an added penchant for taking the extra base.  

As it stands right now, the Cougars have stolen 89 bases through 31 games which ranks 12th in Division II.  In fact, the team’s stolen bases have increased every season for the past four years and is on pace for five straight while the home runs have undergone an inverse change the last three years.  Trends like these lead to multiple theories coming about in an effort to explain this phenomena, but coach Kelley says it all boils down to the weather.

“It fluctuates based on the weather,” Kelley said prior to their home game Thursday against Carl Sandburg College.  “It directly correlates to the number of home runs hit.”  

Kelley said when the weather supplies a cold spring, home run accumulation cools as well.  According to Weather Underground, the temperature on April 1st in East Peoria has remained from 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit three out of the last five years including this year.  So, oftentimes, when the season is about halfway over, the weather conditions that allow the ball to travel farther haven’t arrived yet.  

However, Kelley doesn’t view this chilly reality in a negative light but rather sees it as an opportunity to showcase his team’s other talents, notably on the basepaths.

“We’ve had some pretty fast kids over the years,” Kelley said.  “Most of these guys ran in high school so they have a good knack of reading pitchers.”

The 2010-2011 Cougars only managed to steal 44 bases.  That number gradually increased over a span of four years until it reached 116 last year breaking the previous team record of 112 set back in 2000.  In the current season, the Cougars are on pace to break that record again.

The 2015-2016 edition of the Cougars are without speed demon Mason McCoy for the first time in three years.  McCoy, during his time at ICC, swiped 30 bases his first year and followed up with 24 in his second.  Kelley’s current team hasn’t been affected by this loss in the slightest due to the emergence of new threats.

Sophomore third baseman Casey Danley has made his presence felt in the minds of opposing pitchers by leading the team with 23 stolen bases so far.  His fellow sophomore and catcher Nick Schranck is second with 13 stolen bases.  Coach Kelley cautions anyone making assumptions about these two players’ speed based on their respective positions.  

“Those guys are really fast,” Kelley said.  “Casey, for example, has the speed.  He’s not your typical third baseman meaning he won’t just swing for the fences.  He can do a lot of things well.”

This includes versatility as Kelley has started him some games in center field.  He started there every game last week which also coincides with the entirety of their winning streak.

Danley himself has never stolen 20 bases in a season encompassing his whole baseball career.  As a matter of fact, he’s on pace to break the school season record of 32 set by Kirk Keithley back in 2000.  He attributes his unprecedented success to the team’s approach.  

“I feel like our team is more aggressive this year,” Danley said.  “The whole attitude has been to get on base and see what we can do.”

When a Cougar reaches base, Kelley said that an array of factors comes into play when trying to determine the right time to steal.  The speed of the pitcher’s delivery, how good his move is to first base and the ability of the catcher to throw out runners, including the strength of his arm and the quickness of his feet, are all considered.  Kelley is then able to discern whether to give his players the “green light” or let them determine when to run.

“We do a little of both,” Kelley said.  “The pitcher dictates what we’re going to do.  Most of our guys are athletic and fast so we’re comfortable giving them the green light.”

Since Kelley has confidence in his team’s natural abilities, it feeds into the aggressiveness the team has on the basepaths.  Not only can this be applied to stealing bases but also to situations like going from first to third on a base hit, employing a hit and run, or stretching a double into a triple.  The latter has paid off for the Cougars as they rank 9th in Division II with 18 triples–Danley leads the team in this category as well with a school season record of 8.

Danley, under this mindset, has been able to acquire another weapon for his already vast arsenal.  He and the team can only become better as a result according to him.

“It just helps me be more of a threat,” Danley said.  “I’ve been able to lay down more bunts and they can’t pitch around me.  When I do get on base, the pitcher’s distracted and that could cause them to make mistakes to the 4 and 5 hitters.”

Kelley believes this dimension to their offense is an integral one and makes them even more dangerous.  

“It’s an important component since it puts pressure on opposing teams and gives us better pitches to hit.”

Cover photo by Brandon Kepley. Cougar catcher Nick Schranck rounds third trying to score in a home game vs Rockford University on March 31, 2016.