As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

The Central A&M baseball team snapped a five-game losing streak thanks to a walk-off 4-3 win at home to Meridian on Tuesday.  The Raiders recovered in the seventh inning from their only deficit of the game thanks in large part to fielding errors from the away side. 

The teams traded runs across the first four innings as the teams were level at two apiece entering the sixth.  In that inning, Meridian pulled ahead when Grady Stock - who himself had begun pitching in relief in the previous half-inning - singled home Ted Jones.  It was his second RBI, having also driven in the tying run in the fourth. 

Central A&M entered the bottom of the seventh needing to score to stay alive.  With Marshall Minott at second, Kadyn Higgins reached on an error.  Having attempted a steal on that play, Minott saw an opportunity to careen home and reached safely to tie the game. 

With two outs in the inning, Higgins made his own steal attempt of third and met a throw which went astray into the outfield.  This afforded him time to score the winning run, sparking jubilant scenes from the Raider dugout. 

Minott put together three hits - of which two were doubles - and scored three runs, making him an easy choice for Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game.  Rhett McLain started the game and gave up two earned runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in six innings of work.  As the seventh-inning relief pitcher, Eli Ferguson received the win and did not concede a hit in his one inning despite allowing a runner to reach third through a walk, passed ball, and wild pitch. 

For Meridian, Wyatt Martin pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up an earned run on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts. 

Central A&M improves to 5-8 overall and picks up its first conference win in four attempts on the season.  The side travels to Warrensburg-Latham for another Central Illinois Conference matchup next.  Meridian drops to 7-9 and has managed just one win in their last nine.  They travel to Clinton for their next game. 

Jacksonville put up 3 runs in the first inning, and that was all they needed as they picked up an 11-1 baseball win in Taylorville on Monday night. Joe Reif, of the Crimsons, went 3-3 with 3 base hits and a couple walks in the win. AJ Charpentier also had several base hits and picked up the win, while giving up no hits, striking out one while walking two and hitting one batter.

The Tornadoes finally broke into the hit column when Max Grieme and Fallon Turner got back-to-back base hits off Nolan Peters who came in to relieve Charpentier in the 4th. The Tornadoes would break into the run column but the Crimsons would add a run again in the 6th and Taylorville would go down in order in the 6th with 3 fly outs to end the game 11-1 in 6 innings. 

                        1   2     3    4    5     6     7    F  
Jacksonville    3   3    2    2    0     1      X   11
Taylorville      0   0    0     1    0     0      X   1


Tornadoes will take on Mattoon in a two game set starting Tuesday evening for a home and home series.  Fallon Turner was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game for his hit, and for an acrobatic diving catch made out in left field. 

An exciting game took place tonight as a double header between the Taylorville Tornadoes resulted in a loss for the purple and gold. 

The first game resulted in a 6-4 loss for Taylorville. Taylorville started off down by 2, and then did eventually make it past Charleston. However, by the end of that game, Charelston closed their losing ratio, going from 5-6 to 6-6.

This broke Taylorville's 7 game winning streak. At the beginning of tonights game, Taylorville sat in 2nd in the Appollo Conference whereas Charelston sat in third for the conference standings.

After game 1, Taylorville and Charelston swapped positions leaving the Tornadoes in 3rd, with Charleston taking the 2nd spot in the conference. By the end of game 2 , the Tornadoes ended in 3rd and Charelston took the top position. 

Also, In Game 2, The Tornadoes showed a strong and confident lead. The bottom of the 7th came with a tied 5-5 game pushing them into an 8th inning. Charelston also won game 2 with an 7-5 lead. Moving them to 1st in the conference.

The Player of the Game for Game 1 was Grace Rogers.

Game 2's Player of the Game was Carsen Corzine.

Kalia Friese went 2-3 with two runs scored and combined with Kendra Hayes to strike out 3, and walk none, as the Windsor-Stewart-Strasburg Hatchets got past the Central A&M Raiders on Wednesday evening in Moweaqua as they picked up a 7-6 win. 

The Hatchets broke through in the second inning after Makenna Corrie hit a towering fly ball that hit the top of the fence line and ricocheted back in play.  The very next play Kalia Friese hit one out to the same location that Shelby Younker struggled to corral, which scorred Corrie.  A base hit from Clarissa Johnson scored Friese to give the Hatchets a 2-0 lead.  The Hatchets would add another run in the third on a weird place where Mya Friese would steal home on a wild sequence. 

The Raiders would lead off the first three innings with base hits but wouldn't be able to capitalize until that third inning when Callie Robertson and Olivia Kerby would have back to back base hits.  Ryleigh Hazelwonder would get the Raiders on the board with a bases clearing double and Kayle McPeak would add on with a base hit of her own.  Wesleigh Cochran would add another base hit and Brooklyn Jackson would get her home with a double and the Raiders would stand on top with a 5-3 lead at the end of 3 as they would send 9 to the plate. 

Their lead would be short lived however, as the Hatchets would respond with four of their own in the fourth with sending 8 of their own to the plate with a walk to Makenna Corrie, a base hit to Friese, a Fielders choice to Arora Rincker, followed by a walk to Clarissa Johnson, and a base hit to Cameron Carey plated four and the Hatchets would jump back up by two with a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the 4th. 

The Raiders would cut the lead to one, with a double from Kayle McPeak and a base hit from Kylee Sneerly. Aggressiveness on the base paths would cut down Sneerly as a double play on Cochran's line drive to the Hatchet's Clarissa Johnson and a strike out to Clarissa Johnson ended the rally for the Raiders. 

The Raiders would get a triple from Callie Robertson in the sixth with only one out, but Olivia Kerby would line out to first, and Shelby Younker would strike out to end the inning and the Raiders wouldn't be able to capitalize in the seventh. 

The Raiders fall to 7-8 and the Hatchets improve to 10-4.  Central A&M will face Clinton on the road on Friday evening. Kayla McPeek was named the Seitz Funeral Home Player of the Game. 

The Central A&M baseball team fell behind in the final inning to lose at home to Pana 4-3 on a windy Monday afternoon.  They came within one base of drawing level thereafter but could not bring the run home. 

The second inning provided most of the runs.  For Pana, it came via an RBI-single from Brylan Miller.  The Raiders responded with three of their own, thanks in large part to beginning the inning with two singles, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk.  

Miller also pitched the complete game for Pana.  He and A&M's starter Zachary Snow pitched solidly before and after that.  At one point, across the two teams, 12 straight batters were dismissed. 

Pana added one more run in the fifth, with Madyx Angel singling home Parker Moore.  Still down a run in the seventh, the only two hitters ahead of them in the order made the difference.

An error with two runners in scoring position allowed Cash Lynch to score the tying run.  With Easton Malisia at third and Angel at first, the latter ran for second before a pitch was even thrown.  As Marshall Minott - pitching in relief for A&M - threw for second, Malisia broke for home.  Both reached safely, putting the Panthers ahead. 

Now with his team requiring a run, Minott looked to do his part.  He drew a walk before stealing twice.  However, Rhett McLain struck out after a long at-bat to see the game come to an end. 

Zachary Snow started the game for the home side.  He threw five innings, giving up two runs on four hits, three walks, and one hit batter while striking out six.  He also had an RBI-single and a stolen base at the plate to cement a performance earning him the title of Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game. 

Pitching for Pana, Brylan Miller conceded three earned runs through six hits and three walks along with hitting two batters with pitches.  He amassed eight strikeouts, with seven of them coming in the final four innings.  With respect to offensive support, his teammates stole twelve bases in the game.  Moore and Angel supplied four each. 

With the defeat, Central A&M now is at 4-5 overall and must next travel to Shelbyville, a team they've not beaten since 2018.  For Pana, they are now at 7-5 and continue their roadtrip in Gillespie. 

Carsen Corzine struck out 9 and went the distance, as the Taylorville Tornadoes beat the Warrensburg Lathom Cardinals 6-0 in Taylorville on Monday night in a non-conference matchup. The Tornadoes got the scoring early as they put up two runs in the first inning courtesy of a base hit from Peyton DeMichael and Kenzley Heimsness.  Hope Kietzman helped score a run thanks a sacrifice, and the Tornadoes took a 2-0 lead into the second inning. 

The Cardinals got a runner to 3rd, in four seperate innings, but could not scrape across a run.  The Tornadoes finally broke the game open in the fifthth as they sent 8 to the plate and pushed four runs across the plate including four hits including a huge double from DeMichael and a base hit from Hope Kietzman that saw her standing at second after a wild throw to first to try to nail Carsen Corzine who scored on the play. The Cardinals finally got out of the inning but not before they found themselves down 6-0.

The game ended on a wild sequence, when a double from Krissy Wilber on a hot shot line drive down the third base, saw Wilber streak from first to second.  She crossed second and went to third but realized she wasn't going to make it--turned around and headed back to second but a great heads up throw from Hope Kietzman got her picked off second to end the game. 

Taylorville improves to 8-2.  Warrensburg Latham falls to 7-8.  Carsen Corzine was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. 

Lincoln Land Community College has named Ben Kramer as the new head coach of the Loggers men’s basketball program.

Kramer steps into the position after serving 15 seasons as an assistant coach with the program.

LLCC officials say Kramer is well-positioned to lead the program because of his familiarity with the team’s culture, expectations, and student-athlete development model. They point to his leadership experience and long-term commitment to the program as key reasons for the hire.

A Springfield native, Kramer brings nearly two decades of coaching experience to the role. Before joining LLCC, he served as an assistant coach at Champaign Central High School, University High School in Urbana, and Calvary Academy in Springfield. He has also worked under multiple head coaches at LLCC, helping maintain a competitive, student-focused program.

Kramer’s coaching background also includes football, where he has served as a freshman and junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant at Springfield High School.

In addition to coaching, Kramer holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Illinois Springfield, along with bachelor’s degrees in history and secondary education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

He is a graduate of Springfield High School and currently works there as a college advisor. His roles at the school have included advising student council, co-advising the National Honor Society, chairing the instructional leadership team, and serving as a District 186 summer school administrator.

Kramer says he is honored to take on the head coaching role and build on the foundation already in place at LLCC. He adds that he is excited to continue supporting student-athletes both on and off the court as they work toward their goals.

As heard on New Country 104.1...

The Taylorville softball team pulled off a 3-2 win over Meridian on Wednesday afternoon.  The Tornadoes took a late lead and held on in dramatic fashion to beat a Hawks team which regularly contends among the best in the sport in Illinois. 

Taylorville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Carsen Corzine singled home Olivia Gray.  The lead did not last long, as wild pitches helped pinch-runner Reese Cramm cross the plate in the subsequent half-inning. 

Pitching dominated the following three innings as neither side gave up any more runs in that time.  Meridian's Ashley Schelling and Taylorville's Peyton DeMichael each gave up just one runner in separate 11-hitter stretches.  Schelling's trend included six strikeouts, five in succession.

Meridian went in front in the top of the sixth.  Shelby Renfro doubled and then scored on a throwing error in the effort to put out Morgan Knierim at first on the following play.  Taylorville came back as an RBI-triple by Hope Kietzman brough home pinch-runner Maleah Repscher.  Kietzman herself would then score on an RBI-single by Olivia Gray two batters later. 

The away side threatened in the seventh when Kaci Hayes was hit by a pitch with one out.  On the next play, Larissa Wells launched a fly-ball to center field to which Gray had to scramble to catch it.  Noticing that Hayes was on her way to second base, Gray threw to Mia Lyons at first, barely beating the runner back to the bag to record the final out. 

Kietzman earned the title of New Country Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game for her sixth-inning heroics.  She also hit a double in the second inning.  Olivia Gray had two hits and also scored the game's first run.  Peyton DeMichael went 3-3 in addition to a quality complete-game outing in the circle, in which she conceded one earned run on four hits while striking out three. 

No one on Meridian garnered more than one hit, with Shelby Renfro's double the only extra-base hit her side achieved.  Ashley Schelling also threw the complete game and gave up three earned runs on nine hits and three walks while recording nine strikeouts.

Taylorville has eclipsed its win total from the whole of last season; they stand at 4-2 ahead of a trip to MacArthur.  Meridian returns to Macon with an 8-2 record to face Warrensburg-Latham in the Central Illinois Conference. 

Carter Cappellin threw an absolute gem with a no hitter, 6 K's, 5 walks, and 7 innings pitched as Taylorville shut down the Mahomet Seymour Bulldog baseball team handing them only their second loss of the season. 

The Tornadoes jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a walk from Isaac Repscher  who scored after a wild pitch from Adam Wike with Fallon Turner at the plate.  In the fourth inning, the Tornadoes added two more, as Lucas Gerlick got a base hit along with a walk from Drew Morgan, followed by a error on a Repscher at bat, and a hit that fell in no man's land out in center between center fielder, Bradley Jones, and second baseman Cole Henderson. The Tornadoes led 3-0 at the end of 4. 

The floodgates burst open in the 5th when the Tornadoes led the 5th off with 7 straight walks.  The Tornadoes added 5 runs giving them an 8-0 lead.  They had a chance to walk it off with the tying run at 2nd, but couldn't push the winning run in.  

In the 7th, Cappellin gave up a lead off walk to Nolan Sanderson, who got to second on a wild pitch, Bradley Jones reached on an error at second, Max Young lined out to first, Matthew Kirby flew out to first, and Ryan Pruitt struck out to end the game. 

Head Coach Brian Sample says he was thrilled with Cappellin's effort.  "What a game from these guys.  Just ecstatic.  Any time you can go out and shut these guys down that's a big deal.  They came out ready to go today.  We battled. We're excited.  That's a good team that we beat today."

The Tornadoes head to Mahomet tomorrow (Wednesday) night.  Taylorville, who has been dealing with some pretty significant injuries improve to 4-4.  Mahomet falls to 8-2.  Carter Cappellin was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. 

Carter Cappellin threw an absolute gem with a no hitter, 6 K's, 5 walks, and 7 innings pitched as Taylorville shut down the Mahomet Seymour Bulldog baseball team handing them only their second loss of the season. 

The Tornadoes jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a walk from Isaac Repscher  who scored after a wild pitch from Adam Wike with Fallon Turner at the plate.  In the fourth inning, the Tornadoes added two more, as Lucas Gerlick got a base hit along with a walk from Drew Morgan, followed by a error on a Repscher at bat, and a hit that fell in no man's land out in center between center fielder, Bradley Jones, and second baseman Cole Henderson. The Tornadoes led 3-0 at the end of 4. 

The floodgates burst open in the 5th when the Tornadoes led the 5th off with 7 straight walks.  The Tornadoes added 5 runs giving them an 8-0 lead.  They had a chance to walk it off with the tying run at 2nd, but couldn't push the winning run in.  

In the 7th, Cappellin gave up a lead off walk to Nolan Sanderson, who got to second on a wild pitch, Bradley Jones reached on an error at second, Max Young lined out to first, Matthew Kirby flew out to first, and Ryan Pruitt struck out to end the game. 

Head Coach Brian Sample says he was thrilled with Cappellin's effort.  "What a game from these guys.  Just ecstatic.  Any time you can go out and shut these guys down that's a big deal.  They came out ready to go today.  We battled. We're excited.  That's a good team that we beat today."

The Tornadoes head to Mahomet tomorrow (Wednesday) night.  Taylorville, who has been dealing with some pretty significant injuries improve to 4-4.  Mahomet falls to 8-2.  Carter Cappellin was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. 

As heard on New Country 104.1, Riley Hazelwonder struck out 13 and went 2-3 at the plate as the Central A&M Raider Softball team rolled over the Nokomis Redskins 10-1 on Monday afternoon in Moweaqua. Hazelwonder got a quick 1-2-3 first inning and other than walk didn't allow a hit until the fourth when Madison Dewerff got a base hit followed by a base hit by Ella Huelson.  The Raider offense got going right away as Hazelwonder got Hit by a pitch and would score on a sacrifice fly from Kylee Snearlee in the first, and the Raiders would add a second run in the second on a triple from Kayla McPeek and a follow up base hit from Brooklyn Jackson.  That would be all the offense the Raiders would need. 

The Redskins would finally scrape a run across in the sixth inning thanks to a base hit from Camryn Engleman and a double from Cloe Dirks but that would be it.  The Raiders would break the game open after leading 2-0 with 2 in the 3rd and 3 more in the fourth.  The Raiders would score in every inning.  

The Raiders actually had a chance to walk it off in the 6th inning.  They had bases loaded leading 10-1 with two outs but couldn't scrape the run across. 

Central A&M improves to 4-4.  Nokomis falls to 3-7.  Hazelwonder picked up the win for CAM.  Cloe Dirks took the loss for the Redskins. Hazelwonder was named as the Seitz Funeral Home Player of the Game. 

                                1     2      3      4    5     6     7      F

Nokomis                0     0      0     0     0     1     0      1  
Central A&M         1     1      2     3     1     2     X     10

The Illinois Fighting Illini are set for a high-profile matchup tonight with a National Championship in sight as they take on the UConn Huskies in a game that’s drawing national attention. 

The fighting Illini picked up wins over Penn, VCU, Houston, and Iowa.  UConn picked up wins over Furman, UCLA, MSU, and Duke. The game is set to start tonight with tip off at 5:09 PM. 

The winner of the game will face off against Arizona or Michigan.  Illinois is a #3 seed while UConn is a #2 seed.  Both Arizona and Michigan are #1 seeds. The Championship is set for April 6th. 

For the Illini, the focus will be on executing offensively and matching UConn’s intensity on the defensive end. Meanwhile, the Huskies will look to control the tempo and showcase the depth that has made them a consistent contender on the national stage. The game will be broadcast locally on WTIM The Big 870 AM and 96.1 FM, with coverage beginning just ahead of tip.

The last time Illinois made the national championship was 2005. Stay tuned to WTIM for full coverage, including pregame, live play-by-play, and postgame reaction. They have reached the final four six times. 

As heard on New Country 104.1...

The Taylorville baseball team and Argenta-Oreana had a no decision after a 6-5 Argenta-Oreana lead on Tuesday night when rainfall led to the umpires calling the game over in the bottom of the fifth.  The Tornadoes had been looking to regain the lead in a back-and-forth matchup. Because the game didn't reach the maximum number of innings, the game was called. 

Argenta-Oreana took the lead in the top of the first on an error.  The Tornadoes responded in kind in the second when Alex Caldwell came home on a wild pitch.  The Bombers took a three-run lead in the third, starting with a two-run home run by Jaxon Finch.  Ashton Sample drove in the other run with a double.

The Tornadoes matched them again, though.  Alex Caldwell came through again with a two-RBI single after Kason Pembroke drove one in with a hit of his own.  They went in front the following inning on a sacrifice fly by Colton Gatton.  It drove home Grayden Hughes, who singled and stole second as part of his route home. 

Taylorville pitching struggled in the fifth.  Blake Ladage - on in relief of Carter Cappellin - walked two batters on either side of a flyout.  Two balls into the next plate appearance, he switched positions with Hughes who was playing at shortstop until then.  Hughes walked two batters and conceded a single, which put Argenta-Oreana a run ahead.  Hughes regained command and produced two straightforward outs to get out of the inning. 

Drew Morgan reached first on an error with one out in the bottom of the fifth.  With Zaydyn Donaldson at bat, the umpires announced the game would be abandoned due to the beginning of rainfall, which was forecast along with thunderstorms in the evening, in addition to the waning daylight.  The scoreline of 6-5 with Argenta-Oreana in front was declared to be the final score.

Grayden Hughes was named the New Country Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game for his work at the plate and on the mound.  He also scored his side's first third-inning run.  For the Bombers, Jaxon Finch went 2-3 with a double on top of the aforementioned home run.  

Taylorville stays at 3-3 ahead of a home doubleheader against Lanphier.  Argenta-Oreana stays at 4-2 and will host LeRoy next.

Acquiring a degree from a community college or university is always a good way to transition from your high school career and into the beginning of your future. Especially if you can get in to a college through a sports scholarship.

For some however, it may be hard to determine what school you want to attend for your collegiate years of life. High School Senior Maxx Grieme on the other hand, knows exactly where he wants to go and why.

Grieme recently made a big decision to commit to Heartland Community College on a baseball scholarship. His commitment to Heartland was signed and celebrated in front of several friends, family members, and peers.

As far as why he chose a junior college, Greime states that this choice fits whats best for him and his family. More importantly, he likes the coaches, the town and its community members.

Grieme also states that baseball has been one of his passions for most of his life, and that he loves working on it every day. 

Of course, for Grieme to get to where he is standing today, it took support from more than just teammates. Grieme says he feels blessed, and is thankful for the sacrifice and support from his family and his trainers.

Grieme says he is excited to start his first semester at Heartland Community College.

Get all of your local news, sports, and weather at taylorvilledailynews.com

The Central A&M softball team eased past Okaw Valley 14-4 in five innings on Wednesday.  Players in every batting order position for the Raiders crossed the plate in the game. 

Central A&M started strong, putting up two runs in the first inning.  They added eight in the second, with the majority coming with two outs in the inning.  Okaw Valley responded with four runs of their own in the third, a stretch started by a Gracie Hart triple with one out.  The Raiders sealed the run-rule win with three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to walk off as winners. 

Olivia Kerby picked up the win in the circle.  She pitched three innings and conceded two earned runs from five hits and struck out two hitters.  Riley Hazelwonder threw the final two innings in relief, striking out every batter but one, with the other coming on a groundout.

At the plate, Kylee Snearly went 3-4 including a double, an RBI, and two runs.  The honor of Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game, however, went to freshman Wesleigh Cochran.  She also went 3-4 and had two RBIs.

Central A&M improves to 2-2 ahead of their next game, which is at home against Arthur-Okaw Christian.  Okaw Valley remains winless in four games and travels to St. Teresa on Thursday.

Emma Selhime struck out 11 and only allowed one hit as the Pawnee Indians defeated the Central A&M Raiders in Softball on a cold Monday afternoon in Moweaqua 12-0 in 5 innings. The Indians scored one in the first inning after a base hit from Addie Boblitt scored Ava Rodriguez. The Indians would add three in the second and go scoreless in the third and the fourth, but in the fifth inning, Pawnee continued to get hit after hit that culminated with an inside-the-park homerun from Addie Boblitt that gave the Indians an 12 run lead cushion. 

The Raiders would finally get in the hit colum with an Ava McPeak base hit in the fifth but she would get tagged out in a fielders choice from Brooklyn Jackson later on and that would end the Raiders rally. Central A&M falls to 1-2.  They will face Okaw Valley on March 25th. The Seitz Funeral Home Player of the game was Ava McPeak for her defensive prowess. 

The Taylorville baseball team is celebrating an opening day 5-3 win against Nokomis.  Three home runs helped the Tornadoes to two wins from three to begin the season. 

Nokomis got started early, with an RBI-single from Izaak Doyen bringing home Blain Goodwin in the opening inning.  The first of Taylorville's homers levelled the proceedings in the second when Fallon Turner cleared the fence just inside the right-field foul pole.  A pair of errors allowed Nokomis to regain the lead in the third before Maxx Grieme smashed his team's second home run to a similar location as the first.  

The away side held a 3-2 lead before the Tornadoes put up two in the fifth inning.  Walks, sacrifices, and a pair of errors proved troublesome for Blain Goodwin, pitching in relief for Kannon Jonas.  Doyen took over to record the final out and leave the bases loaded.  He did, however, concede the third home run to Isaac Repscher in the sixth inning.  Nokomis put two runners on base with one out in the seventh but could not bring any home.

Kason Pembroke pitched the complete game for Taylorville.  He gave up one earned run on six hits, four walks, and one hit batter while striking out seven.  Colton Gatton was the only Tornado with multiple hits - a single and a double.  That, combined with key defensive plays, won him the title of New Country Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  For Nokomis, Blain Goodwin went 2-4 with a stolen base and the aforementioned opening run. 

Taylorville improves to 2-1 ahead of a trip to Litchfield on Tuesday.

It was a little dribbler back to the pitcher.  It shouldn't have been anything but a routine play that would have ended the game, but as it was all day, nothing had been routine. Jeffrey Klawitter of the Heyworth Hornets threw it over to first and it never got there.  The Central A&M Raiders Baseball Team scored two runs courtesy of Parker Elliott in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to walk off against the Hornets in a 3-2 win. 

The Raiders got a strong start from Jaxson Snow, who was one of their top innings eaters last year.  Head Coach Shawn McQuire said he was just so proud of his guys. "This game should be shut down 0-0 for darkness.  All the runs were scored off of mistakes made by the other team.  I'm just so proud of our guys for hanging with this very talented team."

The Raiders had a good crowd on hand for their home/season opener. They were supposed to have a game on Tuesday but it was called for weather. Rhett McClain who came in to pitch in relief picked up the win for the Raiders. The Raiders had runners on second and third in the sixth with only one out but couldn't get any runs across trailing 2-1. 

Snow was named the Seitz Funeral Player of the Game.  Congratulations to Jaxson Snow.  The Raiders improve to 1-0.  

Grace Rogers is the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Year for Taylorville girls basketball for 2025/26.  The junior accepted the honor during the team’s end-of-season banquet Tuesday night.  Rogers finished the season averaging just shy of ten points per game; she finished as the second-highest scorer on the team, only barely missing out on top spot.  She led the team in rebounds and steals and also earned a first-team all-conference spot.

Rogers says honors like this are what push her to work hard and make a difference for her team on the court. 

The team finished 10-22 and fourth of the six teams in the Apollo Conference.  They reached the regional final in the IHSA 3A playoffs, where they lost away to MacArthur after an impressive revenge win against Lanphier in the semifinal.  96.5 The Chill carried live commentary of every Tornado girls basketball game this season.

Hart Media Group’s Reid Kamhi presented the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Year award – along with the Player of the Game certificates for each game – at Tuesday’s banquet. 

Taylorville Senior Ella Appel has chosen the college that she will play volleyball at after Taylorville--Blackburn College.  The senior committed to Blackburn in a small ceremony in front of friends and family on Friday afternoon. She says one of the big reasons she picked Blackburn was the atmosphere.

Appel says that she has had a lot of influences in her time of playing volleyball and in school and she is appreciative of all of their support over the years.

Appel says that when it comes to advice for beginners she encourages everyone to be a team player and be there for each other. 

For more information on Blackburn college, visit https://blackburn.edu/. 

The Taylorville boys basketball team held their end of the year banquet on Wednesday night.  The boys finished the year 14-17 but finished second in the Apollo Conference by themselves, an accomplishment Coach Ryan Brown spoke highly of.  The team had several games that came down to overtime, or close finishes and Coach Brown said that the boys record was not indicative of their season. 

Sophomore Brock Brown was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Year. He says he was very humbled by the award. 

Brown says that the chemistry between him and his teammates allowed him to have fun this year and he is excited for the future. 

Senior Landon Bowsher, says that he has enjoyed playing with the core group of guys over the last four years and beyond. 

Bowsher, who’s dad Doug is one of the assistant coaches, says that sometimes his dad can be a little intimidating, says he has made him the man he is today. He says for the kids out there, keep grinding. 

WTIM’s Leroy Kleimola presented the Player of the game certificates also at the banquet Wednesday.

 evening. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team's season is over after a 71-51 loss away to MacArthur in their 3A regional final.  The result means another successive season in which the Tornadoes bow out at this stage. 

From their opening possessions, Taylorville fell for the MacArthur press.  They conceded the game's first seven points and scored just one field goal in the entire first quarter.  They pulled to within three in the second, but the Generals caught fire and pulled well ahead.  They continued in similar fashion in the third quarter, building solid momentum which their raucous supporters helped boost.  Taylorville was hampered further by Grace Rogers's fouling out not quite halfway through the third quarter. 

McKynlee Siempelkamp earned the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  She scored 12 points, including her side's only four-point play of the season, and was perfect from the line.  Baileigh Jackson and Peyton DeMichael called time on their high school careers with 14 and 6 points, respectively.  MacArthur's Lexi Meyer soared above the rest with 22 points. 

The result sees Taylorville's final record read 10-22. 

Announcing your future plans is always exciting, and just like every high school senior, picking where you go to school is extremely important.  For athletes, picking that next step can even feel more daunting.  There are so many decisions that go into where you want to go and what you want to do, but for Taylorville senior Brogan Anderson, it was Parkland College. Anderson says that she is excited to get started.

While Anderson expressed sadness that she was graduating and moving on she says she is looking forward to the future that Taylorville volleyball will have. 

    
Anderson thanked her parents for their support along the way. 

Find out more information about Parkland College by visiting their website. 

Boody native and U.S. Olympic rugby standout Lauren Doyle has been named to the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Doyle, a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, has represented the United States on the world’s biggest stages as a member of the USA Rugby women’s national team.

She grew up in Boody and was a multi-sport athlete at Meridian High School, competing in volleyball, basketball, soccer, and track before eventually finding her path in rugby.

Doyle is a three-time Olympian and Olympic medalist. Most recently, she helped the U.S. women’s rugby team earn a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics, where the team finished sixth, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the U.S. placed fifth.

In addition to her Olympic success, Doyle has competed in multiple Rugby World Cups, finishing fourth with the U.S. women’s team in both 2018 and 2022.

From her beginnings in a small central Illinois community to the Olympic podium, Doyle’s career has been marked by perseverance, versatility, and sustained excellence at the international level.

Her induction into the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame recognizes not only her athletic achievements, but her impact representing Illinois and the United States on the global stage.