(3-18) The Hustlin' Comets started off the 2017 season in a big way behind the efforts of senior pitcher Eddie Wilkins. Wilkins was fantastic for the Comets, as he fired a perfect game in the 5-inning affair. On top of allowing no runners to reach base, the big right-handed struck out 11 Dragons and didn't allow a ball to leave the infield.
Offensively, the Comets were able to score 10 runs on 8 hits to slay the Dragons. Wilkins led the way offensively, collecting two hits and 3 RBI's. Also getting in the hit category with a hit a piece were seniors Sam Lepper, Tyler Richey, Mason Roach, Adam Wright, Parker Dransfeldt, , and Carson Anderson. Lepper and junior catcher Jacob Beyer each added a pair of stolen bases for the Comets.
The Comets will next be in action Saturday (3-25) as they take on Dwight at 10 AM and El-Paso Gridley at 2 PM.
(11/30) Comet hurler Brent Headrick was named the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year. The lanky lefthander will be honored at a dinner at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center Hotel on Saturday, January 21st, 2017. The reception will begin at 5:30 with dinner to follow at 6:30.
Headrick was one of the main cogs in the Comets' 29-5 season that saw them win the school's second state championship. The Illinois State University recruit was 11-1 with a 1.94 ERA. He struck out 118 and walked 17.
Travis Schoonover and Brent Headrick Prior To ICA All-Star Game
(06/25) Travis Schoonover and Brent Headrick closed out their high school careers in style at the Illinois Coaches Association All-Star baseball game held at the Corn Crib in Normal this evening. The pair, representing Reed-Custer, were among the best players in the state of Illinois in the annual affair.
Schoonover, a University of St. Francis recruit, went 2 for 5 in the contest with a triple and a single. He also threw out a runner with a strong throw who was trying to stretch a single in to a double.
Headrick worked two scoreless innings on the mound, striking out 3 batters.
"Both guys looked great," said former head coach jerry Cougill. "Of course I am biased, but they really stood out.and it was fun watching them play one more time."
Seth, Laura, Travis Schoonover and Brent, Michelle, Wade Headrick
Tonight's games at Dwight have been cancelled due to current field conditions and the threat of inclement weather later in the day. Morning workouts will resume tomorrow, 6/23 at 10 A.M.
WALDEN SMASH IN EXTRAS WINS IT FOR COMETS
7-6 OVER ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN
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Jordan Walden-Game Winning Hit The Legend of The Yak Travis Schoonover-Game MVP
(06/04) The 2016 Reed-Custer baseball team etched themselves into Comet immortality Saturday evening at Dozer Park in Peoria as they put the finishing touches on the school's second state title, the first since 1985. The Comets downed tourney favorite, St Joseph-Ogden, 7-6 in eight innings on the strength of senior Jordan Walden's 2 out single, driving in Travis Schoonover from second base. Walden's smash highlighted a two out, nobody on base, rally for the Comets. It was the first extra inning championship contest since the IHSA adopted the four class system in baseball.
Early on, it appeared the Comets would dominate the contest as R-C jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. The Comets jumped on Spartan starting pitcher, Colton Carr. Carr came in to the championship game with a perfect 13-0 record and a 0.27 ERA.
Travis Schoonover lead off the bottom of the first with a single through the middle, the first of four hits he would have in the game. Neil O'Donnell would bunt Schoonover over to second and Jordan Walden would knock him in with a single to center. A Hunter Murawski ground out moved Walden to second with 2 outs, before Eddie Wilkins' sharp double down the left field line brought home Walden.
In the second inning, R-C would strike again with the bottom of the order leading the way. Justin Weitzel lead off the frame with a single to left. Danny Fierro would follow with a slash single to left, putting runners at first and second with no outs. After a fielder's choice by Josh Loomis, Schoonover would drive home Fierro with a single up the middle and O'Donnell would drive in Loomis with a fielder's choice. O'Donnell would later score on Hunter Murawski's single to left,
SJO would get an unearned run in the fourth, but the Comets would get that back with a Murawski squeeze bunt in the bottom half of the frame. Walden recorded his second double of the game in the inning.
Things got dicey in the fifth when the Spartans scored 5 times on an error, a walk and 5 hits, including 3 doubles, tying the score at 6-6.
To make matters worse, SJO would come out, after a scoreless Comet fifth inning, and put a single and a double on the board with no outs. Headrick would shift into high gear at that point striking out the next two Spartan batters. With runners at second and third, the Comets elected to intntionally walk the SJO lead-off man, loading the bases. Headrick made the gamble work with help from Eddie Wilkins at third base, who made a sterling play, retiring the Spartans on a ground out.
The score would remain tied, 6-6, through regulation with Headrick restablishing his dominance on the mound.
In the all-important eighth, things started innocently for the Comets as the first two Comets were retired routinely. That brought the top of the Comet order to the plate and 3 pitches later, the Comets would have their victory!
Schoonover hit the first pitch he saw for a single up the middle, O'Donnell would follow, first pitch swinging, and drive a single to center. After a mound visit by SJO, and with the huge Comet crowd cheering in anticipation, Walden hit the first pitch he saw for a liner to center, easily bringing home a head first sliding, Schoonover from second base as the Comet dugout erupted.
It was fitting that Schoonover, O'Donnell, Walden and pitcher Brent Headrick played pivotal roles in the Comet victory. All four have beern involved in the Comet baseball program and feeder travel teams since their inception.
Schoonover was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
For the night, Schoonover was 4-4 with an RBI, Walden was 3 for 3 with two doubles and the game winner, O'Donnell had a hit and scored twice and Headrick battled like a champion on the mound, despite the rocky fifth inning. Not to be outdone, Justin Weitzel had 2 hits and Hunter Murawski had 2 RBIs. Wilkins had a double and RBI. It was a total team effort as R-C banged out 13 hits and needed every one of them.
The Comets finish a dream season with a 29-5 record.
Fireworks And A Comet Championship Comet Fans Are The Best Fans!!
Dan Fierro-Clutch Double Neil O'Donnell-2 Hits Eddie Wilkins-Winning Pitcher
(06/03) The Reed-Custer Comets are one win away from the promised land! A gutty, determined Comet squad withstood a furious rally by Rockford Lutheran and escaped with a 4-3 victory at Dozer Stadium in Peoria Saturday night.
The win moves the Comets into tomorrow night's championship clash with tourney favorite, St. Joseph-Ogden. Game time is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
Rockford drew first blood in the second inning when Crusader centerfielder, Nick Brigham took a 2-2 off-speed offering from Comet pitcher Eddie Wilkins over the wall in left field.
The Comets would bounce back in their half of the inning. With one out, Wilkins was hit by a pitch. Senior, Tommy Shaw came in as a courtesy runner for Wilkins. Brent Headrick followed with a walk and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball. After a strike out, sophomore second baseman Danny Fierro lined a two strike, double into the gap in right field scoring Shaw and Headrick, giving the Comets a lead they would not relinquish.
The Comets tacked on in the third. With one out, Neil O'Donnell singled to right. Jordan Walden followed with a long double off the top of the wall in left, moving O'Donnell to third. Hunter Murawski squeezed home O'Donnell and Headrick would later double, driving in Walden for a 4-1 Comet lead.
The score would remain 4-1 until the seventh when the Crusaders would mount a threat. After starting the inning with a strikeout, Wilkins walked the next batter and gave up a single to the next Lutheran hitter, before walking the lead-off man in the order to load the bases.
Head Coach Jerry Cougill then summoned ace lefty Brent Headrick to the mound. With the score standing 4-1 and the bases loaded with one out, Headrick induced a grounder to shortstop Neil O'Donnell who flipped to second for the force, Second baseman, Dan Fierro made the successful force at second base, but his return throw to first was in the dirt and eluded first baseman Jordan Walden.
The overthrow bounced off the retaining wall and Walden pounced on it quickly and fired the ball to Fierro at second who put the tag on the sliding Crusader runner who was easily out trying to reach second on the overthrow,
The play set off wild cheers from the huge Comet crowd that made the trip to Peoria.
"It was a great game by our guys, because Lutheran is a very good ballclub," said Head Coach Jerry Cougill.
"We continue to impress with good pitching and defense, to go along with timely hitting. Offensively, Dan Fierro's double got us going when we needed it."
Cougill continued, "I thought Eddie pitched a great game, especially considering he didin't seem to have his best stufff. His fastball was a little off early in the game and he didn't seem to have quite the sharpness on his breaking ball. But he battled like we knew he would and should have been able to go the distance with little trouble. Unfortunately, it seemed the same pitches he was throwing for strikes throughout the game, were called balls in that last inning. The kid pitched his heart out and it would have been nice for him to finish. Fortunately, Brent came on, threw 5 pitches and got us out of the inning and on to tomorrow."
The 28-5 Comets will now take on the prohibitive favorites in the tourney, St. Joseph-Ogden (35-3)
"I like our chances," said Cougill. "SJO will be the best team we have faced this year and that is as it should be. It should be fun for everyone."
HEADRICK FANS SEVENTEEN IN DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
(05/30) The Reed-Custer Comets punched their ticket to the state finals with a 5-0 victory over Depaul College Prep at Benedictine University Monday evening.
Lefty Brent Headrick turned in yet another incredible performance as the senior, ISU bound star struck out 17 batters in registering his fourth shut out of the season. Headrick is 10-1 on the year and sports a 1.68 ERA.
"Brent has shifted into another gear now that the state tournament is is full swing. His fast ball has touched 90 mph and he has had great control," cited Head Coach Jerry Cougill. "He has saved his best for the stretch run."
The Comet offense thrilled the huge Reed-Custer crowd in attendance. R-C wasted little time as Jordan Walden doubled home Neil O'Donnell in the first inning. O'Donnell had reached on a hit by pitch. Hunter Murawski followed with a long triple, scoring Walden. Murawski would then score when he tagged up on a foul pop fly off the bat of Eddie Wilkins, giving the Comets a momentum building 3-0 lead.
The Comets would add a run in the second inning when Josh Loomis would reach on an infield single and take second on a throwing error by the DePaul shortstop. Neil O'Donnell would then drive a double into the right field gap, scoring Loomis.
In the fourth, Justin Weitzel would be hit by a pitch, move to second on a walk to Dan Fierro and go to third on a well placed bunt by Loomis. Travis Schoonover would then hit a sac fly, bringing home Weitzel with the Comets' final run.
The Comets (27-5) move on to semifinal round action at Dozer Park in Peoria on Friday, June 3rd at 5:00 PM vs. Rockford Lutheran (26-5)..
(5/28) Eddie Wilkins was "super" for the Comets on Saturday, now Reed-Custer moves on to the "supers" as Reed-Custer downed St. Bede 3-1 in the finals of the Seneca IHSA Sectional tournament on Saturday. The Comets (26-5) move on to Super Sectional play vs Depaul College Prep at Benedictine University on Monday, May 30th. Game time is 7:00 PM.
Wilkins surrendered 1 unearned run on 4 hits. The big right hander fanned 14 and walked 1. He saved his best when he needed it most. He escaped a runners at second and third with no outs situation in the second by fanning three straight hitters. The Bruins would get their leadoff man on in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings, but Wilkins would not fluster. He battled through two Comet fielding miscues and some well placed hits in holding down the St. Bede offense.
The Comets got on the board in the first when Travis Schoonover lead off with a double over the rightfielder's head. On a heads up play, Schoonover then tagged up and moved to third on a foul pop up to the catcher behind home plate. With one out, Jordan Walden then drove in Schoonover with an infield ground out.
The Bruins would knot the score with an unearned run in the fourth, but R-C would come right back with one of their own in the bottom half of the frame. With one out Wilkins singled sharply to left field. Courtesy runner, Tommy Shaw then promptly stole second base and would score on a grounder by Justin Weitzel that was thrown away at first base.
Neil O'Donnell gave the Comets their final tally when he delivered a solo homer to left field in the fifth inning.
"It was another championship performance by our guys and we couldn't be happier," said Head Coach Jerry Cougill. "Eddie was a monster on the mound-it was one of our best performances of the season. St. Bede was a tough opponent and earned our respect."
Eddie Wilkins-14 Strike Outs
