The Chronicle

Brett Starkopf.
Staff Writer


      Weather in Chicago isn’t like weather in other cities in the country. Here, January can be hot and June can be freezing and oddly enough, it wouldn’t be that surprising. As the “never-ending” winter seems to be finally coming to a close, and spring lurks just around the corner, sports fans are anticipating the start of America’s pastime’s next campaign. As always, neither the cold nor the snow have slowed that great cross-town debate over who is the better baseball team: Cubs or White Sox. While all that ranting and raving is going on, a community college team 45 miles north of the city has steadily become one of the best junior college teams that nobody has heard of.


      After winning the Illinois Skyway Conference last year and falling two wins shy of playing in the championship game, the Lancers main goal for this year is for the team to get better.


      “Every team makes the post-season tournament,” head coach Ken Kelly said. “As long as you don’t lose your last game, you’re national champions and that’s a great thing.”


      The task won’t be easy. Junior college teams change as frequently as, well, the weather. Every year coaches see new players come in. Returning players, who didn’t start the prior season, assume the responsibility, and the sophomores leave to continue their education at four-year universities. This leaves coaches with the difficult duty of constructing new strategies to approaching the season every year. The coaches are faced with a difficult mission.


      “That’s one of the challenges coaching at a junior college,” Kelly said. “Every year you have to reload. It’s not like coaching at a four-year school where maybe you’ll lose 20 to 25 percent of your team but you still have a strong nucleus coming back and guys who’ve been in the program.”


      The season is a mere two weeks away and the team has been working on defending their conference title since winter break ended. Unfortunately, with the inclement weather, they have to resort to indoor practice and have yet to touch the sacred ground that binds the team together, unlike the previous two years when the coaches took the team to Puerto Rico.


      The team would head down and spend 8 to 10 days practicing and playing inter-squad games, as well as minor league Puerto Rican teams, so the coaches can get a feel for the roster and know what to work on before the season starts. This year the team wasn’t able to travel, and with the field still blanketed by snow, it has been difficult to put a lineup together because they have yet to step onto the field.


      “This year will be a challenge because we have a lot of new guys who we really haven’t seen play that much,” Kelly said. “We don’t play an extensive fall schedule. I want our guys to get academically comfortable and understand their priorities. We make academics a priority.”


      The trips were not only educational for the coaches, but for the players as well. It helped the teammates build chemistry. With the amount of players CLC has that aren’t from the United States (14 this year, 10 last year), the majority of them Spanish speaking and from Puerto Rico, the trips were a learning experience. The team would live with their Puerto Rican teammates’ family and become accustomed to their lifestyle, something coach Kelly, who preaches education, wanted the players to get out of the trip.


      “The two years we did it, every (player) who is local (to the area) or is from the United States came back feeling significantly more appreciative of what they have and also have a greater appreciation and respect for the international and Puerto Rican (players),” Kelly said.


      However, this year the roles are reversed and the players from the States get to show their other mates around Chicago. Aside from practices, the Americans are on their own showing the internationals around.


      “I don’t want to know about (what they do) as long as they don’t break the law and are ready for practice then there shouldn’t be a problem,” Kelly said.


      The Lancers play a more hard-nosed style of ball that’s fun for everybody and can be summed up in one word: dominating. Last year’s team had a few power players who were able to light up the scoreboard quickly and give the team the necessary push to win, while leading the nation in almost all offensive categories.


      “I hate (sacrifice) bunting,” Kelly said. “Why would I trade an out for a stolen base? I’m not taking the bat out of a player’s hand. I don’t believe in giving up outs.”


      Offensively, Kelly thinks his team is better than last year’s league leading team. The only thing the team is lacking is an Albert Pujols type player who can carry the team on his back. As a whole, he believes this team is better than last year’s team, offense included.


      The major strength of this year is the team’s depth. Last year, the lack of depth and post-season injuries affected their championship run. In the team’s last game last season, they were unable to play five players because of injuries. This season, the team has at least two players at every position, leaving Kelly the ability to put out a different lineup every game. His lineup management will give every member of the team the chance to play, which Kelly really enjoys, but makes his job all the tougher.


      “Last year you could just pencil most of the same guys in every day and not worry about it. This year we’re not going to do that,” he said.


      However, the one thing Kelly doesn’t worry about is the team’s wins and losses. Ultimately, the goal of the players is to continue their education at a four-year school. Academics are made a priority over baseball. But when asked about what his team’s on-field goals are, Coach Kelly simply said, with a smile, “win two more games.”