Tom Reck
Tribune-Star Correspondent
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This week is a big one for sports fans and is off to a good start, particularly for Indiana State fans.
The ISU men’s track team began by winning another Missouri Valley Conference outdoor championship while the women’s team finished a solid fourth.
Congrats to both teams and to coach John McNichols for another league coach-of-year honor. ISU fans have gotten used to nothing but success in your tenure.
The ISU baseball team, meanwhile, moved into first place in the MVC standings and has the chance to win the championship at home this week against Missouri State.
It’s fitting that the two top teams in the standings will meet in the regular-season finale, with games slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Before playing the Bears, ISU has the chance to face one of the top teams in the country, meeting Purdue today. Purdue has clinched at least a share of its first Big Ten title in 103 years.
Former ISU baseball players, fans, coaches and current players will spend some time on the links in the alumni golf outing Friday at Idle Creek.
In the high school sports, Illinois baseball and softball teams began postseason play Monday while track and tennis sectionals are on tap in Indiana and softball teams conclude regular-season action.
In boys golf, Terre Haute North was a winner in the Crawfordsville Invitational while Linton shot an amazing 278 on the Phil Harris Course.
The Miners will be at Rea Park today to face Terre Haute South.
And qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is on Saturday’s schedule.
With all these events on the schedule, it’s good to see a nice weather schedule for the week, at least for now.
• College-bound — More high school seniors have confirmed where they will go to college.
Ross Sponsler of Terre Haute North will play basketball at Wabash College.
Bailey Craft of South Vermillion had a great four years of golf and will play for Indiana State.
Taylor Sanders of Marshall will play football at Millikin. His basketball teammate Logan Cannady will attend SIUE.
Northview wrestler Aaron See has signed with NAIA power Campbellsville, Ky.
Castle junior Blake Simmons, meanwhile, says he will play basketball at Evansville as expected and play for Marty, his dad.
In another move, Nic Moore has been granted his release to transfer by Illinois State. He earned high school honors at Warsaw.
• Tom-Cattin’ It — The Illinois Coaches Association Shrine football game will be played July 14 at Bloomington, Ill.
Marshall coach Todd Evers will coach the East and assistant Kyle Shay will be on his staff while ISU recruit Andre Strohm of the Lions is on the East roster.
• Old-time college basketball fans will recall the remarkable run by Jacksonville in the NCAA tournament in the late 1960s.
Rex Morgan of Charleston, Ill., was one of the players on the team and played in the NBA. He was honored as distinguished alumnus by Lake Land College.
• Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season at Darlington, giving team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th victory.
• Northview has won its first outright Western Indiana Conference title in baseball since 2002.
• Terre Haute will be the site of an American Legion baseball regional. Others will be at Lafayette, Rockport and Plymouth.
• Brady Sallee has resigned as women’s basketball coach at Eastern Illinois.
• And New England has signed former Colt Joseph Addai. It will be difficult to watch the man in a different uniform, especially that one.
Tom Reck may be contacted by phone at (812) 232-3231, by email at tm_reck@yahoo.com or by mail at 4284 S. Fifth Street, Apt. 3, Terre Haute, IN 47802.
