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This is a preview gallery. For more images, please browse the galleries at www.alanlook.com Prairie
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Cornbelters
The Cornbelters took to Corn Field in the Corn Crib with Corny for the first time on June 1, 2010. ------------------ Individual game tickets for the CornBelters inaugural season go on sale to the general public Saturday, May 1 at 10 a.m. Full season tickets, mini-plan packages and various group outings are on sale now. To make an investment, or for more information, simply contact the CornBelters Ticket Sales Department TODAY at (309) 454-2255 (BALL), or visit their website at www.normalbaseball.com. Corn Kernels News about the Normal CornBelters by Steve Robinson Two ‘Belters fielders once played for TC Stars I am certain that most of the players on the Normal CornBelters roster probably had never heard of Bloomington-Normal before being signed to play here for the team’s inaugural season At least that is what I thought until I began talking to Normal CornBelters right fielder Asaf Shah and left fielder Ross McCoy. As it turns out, Shah and McCoy have played ball here before, as members of the Twin City Stars. The Stars was a team that was in town for years that featured college players who played here when the team was part of the Central Illinois Collegiate League. Shah, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, became a CornBelter when his playing contract was traded to Normal by the Chico (Calif.) Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League, an independent league like the Frontier League, which Normal belongs to. He, along with McCoy, played for the Stars in 2005. Shah started his college career at the University of Akron, transferred to Mount Carmel, Ill.-based Wabash Valley Junior College, and graduated from Southeast Missouri State. After college, Shah signed with the Southern Illinois Miners in 2008, but was released in spring training. Shah signed with the Rockford RiverHawks, a team that belonged to the Frontier League last summer, but found himself released on the last day of spring training. Rockford team officials helped Shah land with the Long Beach Armada of the Golden League, where he played last season. “I love it here,” Shah said about being back in Normal. He said he enjoys seeing the fans come out for CornBelters games. “Shah has been swinging the bat here as well as anybody here in the last week,” CornBelters Manager Hal Lanier told me on July 16. “We moved him from left field to right field. He’s a little bit more comfortable out there. He has shown he can hit for an average. He puts his bat in play and we need him to do that as we start the league’s second half.” Through 48 games he’s played as of Tuesday, Shah has a .287 batting average, having had 47 hits, scored 23 runs, including one home run, one triple, and seven doubles. He has 13 RBIs, been walked 12 times and struck out 15 times. A Milwaukee native, McCoy was attending Wisconsin-Milwaukee when he played for the Twin City Stars in 2005. He is playing in Normal in what is his third pro season, having played for the Lincoln (Neb.) Saltdogs of the American Association in 2007. He went from there to the Reno (Nev.) Silver Sox of the Golden League in what was that team’s last year in 2008, and spent 2009 with Rockford. When this season began, he started out with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League before being released in late June. “I feel pretty comfortable here,” McCoy said. “I played at Rockford last year, so I like it here,” McCoy said. “The fans are awesome.” “My coaching staff and I thought Ross would be great to sign,” Lanier said of the right-hander. “He’s done everything and more than what we expected. I look at him as a five-tool player. He can run well, he can throw. He’s hitting for an average now, and driving in runs. He’s played excellent defense for us. He’s a kid who comes out and works hard for us every single day. We’re just very, very happy to have him wearing our uniform.” Through 29 games he’s played as of Tuesday, McCoy has a .343 batting average, having had 36 hits, scored 17 runs, including seven home runs, one triple, and nine doubles. He has 22 RBIs, been walked 14 times and struck out 32 times. As for the Twin City Stars, they were formed in 1982 by former Illinois State University head baseball coach, Duffy Bass and Eldon Warfield. The team played their final season in 2006. Bass, who served as the Stars’ general manager for much of that time, died in March 2007. CICL rebranded itself prior to the 2009 season, and now calls itself the Prospect League, with six teams who were in CICL then – Danville Dans, Dubois Bombers, DuPage Dragons, Quincy Gems, and Springfield Sliders – joining 10 other teams stretching from Butler Park, Pa. to Nashville, Tenn. to Hannibal, Mo. On the injury front, CornBelters first baseman Steve Alexander will be out at least two weeks with a broken right thumb. The CornBelters are looking to find a replacement for him. The CornBelters will be home in The Corn Crib July 22-24 to face the River City Rascals, and then play host to the Gateway Grizzlies July 25-27. They will play three at Florence, before returning home July 31 to face River City in the first game of a three-game set. Next week, I will let you in on the CornBelters strategy for the remainder of the season. |
Photo Galleries
High School Select Reprints available. Austin Hill awarded Robinson Endowed Scholarship Senior guard Austin Hill walks past the Will Robinson statue in front of Redbird Arena practically every day and he knows why the sculpture was created, that was why Hill was so humbled when he learned about being the recipient of the 2010 Will Robinson Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship honors Robinson, the late Redbird basketball coach from 1970-75. He was the first African-American Division I college head basketball coach to serve at a predominantly white university. Robinson served as a high school coach, college coach and NBA administrator prior to his passing in April 2008. A 2003 Missouri Valley Conference Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Robinson worked in the Detroit Pistons’ front office for nearly 30 years after leaving Illinois State. “I’m proud to represent the university which hired a pioneer in major college basketball,” said Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich. “Coach Robinson was a talented and courageous coach and he paved the way for a lot of other great coaches.” Proceeds from the 1994 Doug Collins Chicago Golf Outing and a special announcement reception established the Will Robinson Scholarship. The scholarship also funds an internship with the Pistons. Hill, a member of the Valley’s 2010 All-Bench Team, played in 30 games last season and started in the first two contests. He ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 6.7 points per game and was named the Valley Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 15. He scored in double-figures six times this season, including a career-best 17 points against Indiana State in the quarterfinal game of the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. “It is a real honor to receive the scholarship in Coach Robinson’s name,” Hill said. “For an individual who is that strong to come into Illinois State as the first African-American basketball coach in the country, and then to receive an award in his name, and knowing what it stands for, is a big honor.” The Will Robinson Endowed Scholarship is one of 23 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes that are funded by private donors. It is also one of eight fully endowed scholarships in athletics. |
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