QUINCY — It’s only fitting the final two area baseball teams left standing in the Land of Lincoln were honored with spots on the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state teams. Brown County senior center fielder/pitcher Gabe Blakeley and Quincy Notre Dame junior first baseman/pitcher Dalton Miller were named to the Class 1A and […]
Prep baseball
Crim: Hornets’ season to remember caps school year filled with success from start to finish
It was nearly the perfect ending to a magical high school sports season. Brown County was the sixth team in the Muddy River Sports area to play for a state championship during the 2021-22 school year when it took the field Saturday against Louisville North Clay in the Illinois Class 1A baseball state finals in […]
‘We hit them right at ’em’: Hornets see state title aspirations snuffed out by Cardinals’ defense
PEORIA, Ill. — These weren’t Texas leaguers, nubbers or Punch-and-Judy pokes coming off the bats of the Brown County baseball players. “There weren’t a lot of balls hit soft,” first baseman Mason Henry said. “Every ball was hit on the screws.” Too often, though, they were within the reach of the Louisville North Clay outfielders. […]
Schuckman: Support of Brown County community helps Hornets see journey and legacy matter more than final outcome
PEORIA, Ill. — Disappointment lingered, but only for so long. By the time the Brown County baseball players cleaned up their dugout and made their way to the grassy berm in the right-field corner, the green-clad wave of Hornets fans who had invaded Dozer Park on Saturday were ready to fete their conquering heroes. The […]
Photo gallery: Brown County baseball team takes second at Class 1A state tournament
PEORIA, Ill. — The traffic along Highway 24 between Peoria and Mount Sterling was steady late Saturday afternoon. After all, most of Mount Sterling made the trek to River City in order to watch the Brown County baseball team play for the Class 1A state championship. Although the Hornets lost 12-4 to Louisville North Clay […]
Schuck on a Truck: Brown County baseball team celebrates memorable season
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team reached historic heights during the 2022 season. The Hornets went 28-5, setting the program’s single-season record for victories. They won the first sectional title in program history and became the first team in any sport at Brown County to reach a state final four. After finishing […]
Championship dreams: Hornets wriggle out of seventh-inning jam, win state semifinal
PEORIA, Ill. — The tension gripping the Brown County baseball team’s dugout and its legion of fans in the stands apparently wasn’t being felt by those on the field. “I was calm the entire time,” shortstop Colby Wort said. “I had my whole belief in our pitchers and our fielders.” Hornets center fielder Gabe Blakeley’s […]
Hornets finish off Blakeley’s record-setting victory with faith, belief in each other
PEORIA, Ill. — After a bunt single loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Ottawa Marquette freshman center fielder Julian Alexander thought the Crusaders had put Brown County in a precarious spot. He even told Hornets shortstop Colby Wort so. “I thought it was pretty funny,” Wort said. “He’s […]
Photo gallery: Brown County beats Ottawa Marquette in Class 1A baseball state semifinals
PEORIA, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team snared the lead in the first inning, extended it in the third inning and never relinquished it in beating Ottawa Marquette 2-1 in the Class 1A state semifinals Friday at Dozer Park. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the atmosphere and action on and off the […]
Schuck on a Truck: Brown County baseball coach Jared Hoots talks historic postseason run
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County baseball team will be making the program’s first appearance in the state final four Friday when it faces Ottawa Marquette at 10 a.m. at Peoria’s Dozer Park in the Class 1A state semifinals. Hornets coach Jared Hoots sat down with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman for an […]
