•July 29, 2015•

The 2016 tryouts for Mattoon Hit-Men Baseball will be held for 8-and-under through 14-and-under Sunday August 16 in Mattoon.

8U to 11U tryouts will be at 1 p.m. at MJBL Fields.

12U tryouts will be at 1 p.m. at Lawson Park. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Recent Okaw Valley graduate Paige Harlin signed her letter of intent to play golf at Tennessee State University in an April 21 ceremony. Pictured, left to right are: younger sister Grace, mother Amber, Paige, father Jeremy, and younger brother Miles.

Okaw Valley graduate to play golf at TSU

June 17, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

When it comes to golf, Paige Harlin has for most of her high school career, been a big fish in a small pond.
Well, now she is ready for more open waters.
On Tuesday, April 21, the 2015 Okaw Valley graduate signed off on her official intent to play division-one golf at Tenneesee State University starting this fall.
“It means a lot because for the longest time everybody would ask me where I’m going, and I’d say, ‘Probably Tennessee, but I don’t really know,” said Harlin, “but now I can finally just say ‘that’s where I’m going.’”
But for Harlin, a college golf signing may not have happened had it not been for some encouragement.
“Definitely not considering I quit golf after awhile to play softball, but then I started again when I got to high school,” she explained. “It was like a four year break. Andy [Wagner] was like, ‘Why aren’t you playing golf?’ And I said, “I don’t know. I didn’t think about it.’ And I didn’t know he was the coach so I really had no reason to play until then. But he’s meant a lot to me. He’s like a second dad to me practically. He’s just really supportive, and that’s always helped. He taught me how to swing a golf club.”
Wagner, who has known Harlin nearly all her life, can still recall a golf lesson he gave her at seven-years-old. Read More

June 10, 2015

Competing at Timberlake Golf Course Monday, May 25, the team of Clint Marshall, Adam Dillard, Colten Bush, and Aaron Fruchtl finished first with a 6-under par. Taking second with a 5-under par and playoff hole was the team of Cole Russell, Shane Russell, Sean Still and Davey Emritt. Third place went to the team of Tim Sawyer, Steve Sawyer, Scott Ohm and Mason Ohm, also shooting a combined 5-under par. Read More

Still, Hrvol part of five-man pitching rotation

June 3, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

This year’s Moultrie Douglas Legion baseball team has a set of arms any coach would envy. The squad will feature five starting pitchers all throwing more than 80 miles per hour including two local products in Devon Still and Zach Hrvol. Altogether Moultrie County has four possible starters on this year’s senior ball team with the other two being Sullivan’s Dylan Hart and Alec Ballinger. The junior team also has a local flavor featuring three Sullivan products in Brett Tuttle, Zach Sowers and Tommy Schiber.
Duff Hoel who will be the head coach for the junior ball team and an assistant on the senior team has big hopes for this year’s crop of players.
“It is very competitive every year,” he said. “This year with our five arms we will be competitive. Devon Still will be our number one lefty, but we have five top of the rotation pitchers. Zach Hrvol is eligible to pitch junior, but we are going to pitch him in senior so he can face some better competition.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Okaw Valley pitcher Peyton Hagerman thrusts his fist into the air after tallying the game-winning strikeout of Wednesday's sectional semi-final against Oakwood.

Staple T-Wolf defense and pitching keep hold of 1-0 win

May 27, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

In football, senior Joe Jeffers was known as “Jumping Joe” for his often aerial grabs as a tight-end. In baseball, he might as well be called “Jackrabbit Joe,” especially after his helmet flew off as he careened past second base Wednesday following his shot to deep right field for a triple. The next at-bat, Peyton Hagerman, sent Jeffers home on an RBI groundout, which would be the one and only run of the game as Okaw Valley defeated Oakwood 1-0 to advance to Saturday’s sectional championship.

“Joe’s triple was the offensive story of the game,” said Okaw Valley head coach Andrew Hagerman. “Devon (Still) was outstanding all day long. Peyton (Hagerman) had an outstanding game. You’re talking about a lot of seniors coming through today.”

Still took the mound for OV to start and would go 5 and 1/3 innings, throwing 85 pitches, which included eight strikeouts, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, and just four hits. Hagerman came in with a high-pressure situation at hand as Oakwood had bases loaded with just one out. The senior would strikeout the next batter in what may have been the second-most pivotal play of the game. The third out then came from the big glove of left-fielder Cody Drake, who had to track the fly ball in the wind. Read More