Spring Preview

EAST PEORIA — Finally the long grueling winter is winding down and the bright rays of the sun are melting the snow away; it is time for some outdoor competition. There are three spring sports played at Illinois Central College: baseball, men’s golf and softball. Considering how vicious this winter was in Illinois, it was very difficult for these sports to train outdoors during the off-season. This resulted in most of their training to consist of conditioning inside the CougarPlex.

Although a lot of their training was limited, one great thing about ICC is that they go the extra-mile to make sure they are prepared.

Starting with men’s golf, obviously the team can not go putt on the frozen greens at Quail Meadows. Thankfully, Quail Meadows has a solution for that, an indoor golf center. The team has utilized this by using the practice area to putt, chip and keep their swing intact. The men will tee-off tomorrow on the tropical greens of Melbourne, Fla. in a scrimmage against Florida Tech.

The baseball and softball teams also use indoor facilities to the best of their advantage in the winter. The CougarPlex has two indoor batting cages for both the teams to take swings in. The pitchers also keep their arms loose by having regular bullpens in the gymnasium.

The softball team has already played in four tournaments this season in warm weather areas. Their current record is 4-6 in those tournaments, but they did take first place in the St. Ambrose Tournament in Davenport, Iowa.  As for the baseball team, the first pitch of their season was Feb. 28 in the Volunteer Classic Tournament located in Marion, Ill. Otherwise the first pitch will be pushed back to March 7, as the team travels to play Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Now that the off-season is officially over, it is time for all the teams to equate all their hard work in the gym into positive results on the field. All the sports have very high expectations looking into the future and aren’t focused on last season. The past is far behind them; it’s the start of a new season and a chance to capture greatness.