Wednesday

April 20, 2005

Sports

Volume 22, Issue 26

Stars keep it close but fall to McKendree in doubleheader

By Jason Stuebe - Sports Editor

It took an extra day after the monsoon last Tuesday afternoon but the Stars finally got their game against McKendree off the next day. Unfortunately, the rain merely delayed the inevitable as the Stars dropped both games 5-3, 1-0.

Senior Katie Kuschell gave up four earned runs in three and two-thirds innings pitched before freshman Allie Leight took over on the mound. Leight did her job and held the Bearcats at bay but the Stars' offense came up just shy.

The Stars got on the board in the fourth inning when an error at first advanced Megan Eddy to home from second base. The Stars then focused on a rally in the bottom of the sixth as once again the Bearcats' defensive mistakes proved costly. After Liz Sunderland singled and was followed by two consecutive errors which scored her in and put Kari Landes and Sarah Boothman on base. Christie Wantland then hit a chopper to shortstop but still got the RBI as Landes was able to score. It was the closest the Stars would come.

After getting rattled in game one, Kuschell went back out on the mound in game two and for the most part silenced the McKendree bats allowing only four hits but gave up the one run that cost the Stars the game in the bottom of the seventh. After a wild pitch with two outs on the board advanced McKendree's Denise Adams to third, the Bearcats' Amanda Schuck clutch hit a single bringing Adams home.

The Stars were only able to earn two hits in the pitchers duel, one by Kayla Moss and the other by Wantland.

The twin losses dropped the Stars to 6-33 (0-10) heading into last Thursday's game against Hannibal LaGrange, which they split 1-1 and improved to 7-34 (1-11).

The Stars head to Culver Stockton College in Canton , Mo. tomorrow before returning home for Senior Day on Saturday, April 23 when the Stars face Blackburn College . The Stars defeated Blackburn in the fall, sweeping their doubleheader last October.

It's a family affair - Softball recruits another Eddy

By Jason Stuebe - Sports Editor

With four regular season games remaining and the conference tournament coming up in less than two weeks, Head Women's Softball Coach Joe Fisher is already reloading his softball roster for next year.

Continuing to build the team, Fisher went for more versatility as he signed Joanna Eddy from Civic Memorial (Bethalto) High School. Eddy, a 5-9 middle infielder, leads the Eagles with 14 stolen bases and 29 runs scored. She also leads the team with 25 hits .284 on the season.

“Joanna comes from a solid softball program at Bethalto,” Fisher said. “Coach Mike Eddy (Civic Memorial, and Joanna's father) always has his players ready to step in and play at the next level. They are fundamentally sound and understand the game.”

At Civic Memorial, eddy hits in the middle of the lineup. With her offensive abilities at the plate, Fisher is looking to use her speed on the base paths to give the Prairie Stars a more balanced attack.

“She is a disciplined hitter at the plate,” Fisher said. “She also has good speed which will help make us a little more versatile next season.”

Joanna, whose sister Megan plays third base for the Prairie Stars, will compete for a middle infield position with the loss of three seniors that helped occupy the position for the first two years of the Prairie Stars softball program.

“I knew we were losing a lot of seniors this year and I feel good about the players we're returning,” Fisher said. “But I also felt we needed to bring in some quality players that would be an impact for our team offensively and defensively.”

Age limit the best thing NBA can hope for

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the NBA enforcing a rule that would set an age limit for those players who look to enter the NBA draft, thus ultimately eliminating the possibility of high school players skipping college for the pros. And, quite frankly, I couldn't be more for that age limit than I already am.

For so long, I have been telling friends and family of mine how important college basketball can be for a player looking to be a NBA superstar. I've also showed my disgust for the talent level that the NBA has now as compared to other generations. While this season is proving to be a whole lot better than other years, the NBA has had watered down competition and sloppy style of basketball for quite some time. I can't tell you how many open jump shots I've seen not fall for some of the supposed “best players in the game.” While some credit defenses to the lower scoring, I think it has a whole lot more to do with the lack of mechanics and fundamentals that players have today.

This, in my eyes, falls in line with the high school players who jump to the draft in June every year. While there have been some incredible athletes that have come out of those drafts, there have also been some pretty bad and disappointing basketball players. In other words, it's not just athleticism that should be valued, yet a combination of that with basketball intelligence and court sense.

What better place to learn those values than in college? The college game is suffering through the losses of so many scholarship players to the NBA every year and yet they still have arguably the more popular game. The game translates well to viewers because these players aren't driven solely by money. They are in the midst of trying to get to that point where they can possibly play basketball to make a living for themselves.

Commissioner David Stern is the driving force behind this proposal of an age limit, which would keep players from entering the draft until three years after high school graduation. What they do for those three years would be entirely up to them but the idea is to get them to work hard in high school so they can play ball in college and get an education at the same time. The image of the NBA is also what's trying to be improved as the players would be more respectable. Incidents such as the brawl between the Pacers and the Pistons would be fewer and less likely to take place if the league had its players from this suggested mold.

Jermaine O'Neal recently disputed this idea by stating how many successes have come straight from the high school level and made themselves into some of the best in the game. That I can agree with as he, along with guys like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James are some of the best in the business. But I find it laughable that he thinks that this proposal has racial implications. The NBA is simply trying to tell the youth, or in this case its future, how vital it is to be educated in today's society and that anyone can work hard enough to make it with the right attitude. The league can't be at fault for that and neither can anyone else who wants that for professional basketball or professional sports in general.

Through all of this, I think the NBA should and will set an age limit for players to be eligible to enter the NBA draft and the change may not be popular with everyone, but it will most certainly send messages to kids who think that education isn't a necessity for life and that money doesn't come that easy. To me, we'd all be better off for the limit and hopefully we can all witness this in effect. Take care and thanks for reading.

Campus Recreational Sports Briefs

The recreational facilities will only be open for Informal Open Recreation this Saturday, April 16 from 10am-Noon due to the Springfest activities.

The Intramural Tennis Doubles Tournament will be played at the UIS Tennis Courts this Sunday, April 17 starting at 2:30pm. Check the bulletin board outside the Fitness Center or the website for the tournament schedule and when your team plays.

The UIS Spring Miler's Club ends Sunday, April 24. All exercise slips need to be turned into the CRS Office by 11pm Monday, April 25 in order for the mileage to be counted toward your goal.

Rec Center Membership for the Spring and Spring Midyear terms expire Sunday, May 8. Beginning Monday, May 9, Summer Term memberships will be required for participants to use the UIS campus recreational facilities. Students who are registered for the Summer Term 2005 and who are assessed the Activity Fee and the Recreational Gym Facility Fee will have valid i-cards and thus be automatic members of the Rec Center . (Degree-seeking on-line students are the exception and must purchase a membership in order to use the facilities.) Faculty and staff employees will need to purchase or renew their membership. Application for Summer membership renewal may begin the week of May 2. Summer term membership begins Monday, May 9 and runs through July 31, 2005. The Summer term membership fee is $26 for an adult and $21 for youth (14-17 yrs). Additional information is available on the website or is posted in the Rec Center .

Spring Locker Rental also expires on Sunday, May 8. If you will not be renewing for the summer term, please remove your locker contents before the deadline date.

The Lost & Found boxes in the Campus Recreational Sports Office are overflowing! Have you lost an article of clothing, jewelry, books, shoes, glasses, etc. in any of the recreational facilities (Gym, Fitness Center , Tennis Courts, outdoor fields)? If so, you might want to check us out. Chances are good we may have found it for you. Any items not claimed in the Lost & Found by Friday, May 6 will be discarded or given to Goodwill.

Golfers and duffers alike! Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 14, 2005. It's time for the annual 4 ball scramble Summer Golf Outing at Edgewood Golf Club with an 8:00 am modified shotgun start. Watch for more details coming in late May.

Snapshots

Women's Softball

UIS vs. Hannibal LaGrange ( Hannibal , MO )

It took a few games, but the Prairie Stars women's softball squad finally notched their first conference win as they split a double-header against Hannibal LaGrange winning game one 3-1 and dropping game two 7-6.

Pitcher Katie Kuschell's solid pitching in game one ended both hers and the team's slump as of late while the Stars' bats spoke for themselves on offense in the third inning and never looked back. Senior Candice Welch singled with the bases loaded in the top of the third driving in Kayla Moss and Laura Fager. That was immediately followed by a Christie Wantland double that brought Sarah Boothman home.

Hannibal LaGrange sought and found revenge in game two though as they edged the Stars who were lead by Candice Welch, who had a three-run triple, Megan Eddy who went 2 for 3 and Sarah Boothman who went 2 for 4.

The Stars improved their record to 7-34 (1-11) heading into Tuesday's game against Columbia at home. Up next for the Stars is Senior Day against Blackburn College on April 23. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Women's Volleyball

The Prairie Stars women's volleyball squad headed to Lincoln Christian College for a spring scramble of sorts and came out with a 4-1-1 showing, impressive considering the Stars only took a small contingent of its six returning players.

The Stars beat Faith Baptist 30-24; 30-18, Lincoln Christian 30-27, 30-21, Hannibal LaGrange 15-11, 15-12 and Culver Stockton's #2 team 25-22; 15-7. The Stars' only match loss came at the hands of the Culver Stockton #1 team 17-30; 20-30 while they tied in their match against Lincoln College winning the first game 25-19 and losing the second 23-25.

Men's Tennis

UIS vs. William Jewell College ( Kansas City , MO )

Scores were not available as of press time.

UIS vs. Baker University ( Kansas City , MO )

Scores were not available as of press time.

UIS vs. Missouri Valley College ( Kansas City , MO )

Scores were not available as of press time.

Upcoming Games

April 23, 2005

Women's Softball vs. Blackburn

Senior Day

1:00 p.m. @ UIS Athletics West