Saturday brings opportunity for baseball all-stars to renew their cross-river rivalry

HANNIBAL, Mo. — A rivalry gets renewed for the third and final time this summer.

The 11th Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game returns to Veterans Field at 7 p.m. Saturday as 36 of the top high school baseball players who are recent graduates from Northeast Missouri and West-Central Illinois schools go head-to-head. Admission is $10.

This is the third cross-river rivalry game played this summer, following the Muddy River Showcase basketball games and the Illinois vs. Missouri all-star softball doubleheader.

And the baseball all-star game has become a July staple.

Started in 2013 by Kevin and Aaron Peters, who remain the event organizers and directors, the event took a two-year hiatus because of the COVID pandemic, but it is now in its fourth consecutive year at Veterans Field after originally being played at historic Clemens Field.

The all-time series is tied 5-5 following Illinois’ 16-10 victory last season.

Here is a look at the rosters:

Missouri — Canton’s Brett Ehrenreich, Centralia’s Henry Bohlmeyer, Clark County’s Chayce Webster, Hannibal’s Colton Dryden and Konnor Asbury, Highland’s Anthony Walter and Johnathon Hager, Louisiana’s Brendan Hughes,, Macon’s Preston Burns and Trey Hatcher, Marion County’s Nick Kelso, Mark Twain’s Brayden Moss and Nolan Epperson, Monroe City’s Dylan Ross and Ryan Moss, North Shelby’s Cade Fallert, Palmyra’s Cade Lehman, and South Shelby’s Tucker Elliott.

Illinois — Beardstown’s Ethan Heller, Tanner Riddell and Zach Desollar, Brown County’s Jack Buss, Brown County, Illini West’s Carter Chapin, Nick Johnson, Shawn Watkins Jr. and Stephen Sparks, Liberty’s Jack Sparrow, Payson Seymour’s Connor Howell, Pittsfield’s Clayton Reinhardt and Tim Hull, Quincy High School’s Nathan Konrad, Quincy Notre Dame’s Abram Wiewel and Logan Sutton, Rushville-Industry’s Macon Kessler, Southeastern’s Griffen Tippey, and Unity’s Simon Rabe.

The Missouri squad is being coached by Hannibal’s Ian Hatton with assistant coaches Matthew Schildknecht of Hannibal, Cody Parker of Mark Twain and Blane Mundle of Bowling Green.

The Illinois team is being coached by QND’s Rich Polak with assistant coaches Alex Harbin and Zach Robb of QND and Zack Burling, Sean Grosinic and Luke Burling of Illini West.