The local softball league: ‘We’ll keep playing as long as we all can play’
Larry Crews has played softball most of his life.
Both fast-pitch and slow-pitch for the 72-year-old Champaign resident.
But he wasn’t sure if he was going to get the chance to do so this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet he and other members of his slow-pitch team, 6 Hound Saloon, were able to do just that this past Wednesday night at Maplewood Park in Rantoul, part of the Champaign Senior Softball League that just started play and will do so through July.
“It was just like a normal game,” Crews said. “Just not that many people there.”
The privately-operated league was able to play in Rantoul since their normal field in Champaign wasn’t available for use.
“We’ve known about it for well over a month that we were hopefully going to be able to play,” Crews said. “Rantoul was where our board started inquiring first with and then Tuscola was a backup if something fell through in Rantoul.”
Nothing did, allowing Crews and his other teammates to square off against Hitmen during a Wednesday night doubleheader. The plan is for the league, which is down to seven teams after having 10 last season, to play doubleheaders during weeknights for the rest of July at Maplewood Park.
“We’ve already had bye weeks leading up to this,” Crews said. “So once we get started, we’re just going to go.”
Crews’ team didn’t get a chance to practice before Wednesday night’s debut.
No worries. The offense showed up. On both teams, with Hitmen edging Hound 6 Saloon 19-18 in extra innings. The second game of the doubleheader was underway before a downpour of rain halted play just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
“You better be able to score runs in slow-pitch,” Crews said with a laugh. “At least we got to go out there and do something because we didn’t know if we were going to have any games this season, but once we started playing, it was just like normal.”
Social distancing is now a part of the game Crews and his teammates have to manage with for the league comprised of players 55 years and older. They’ll do it. All in an effort to make sure they can play the game that they enjoy playing, but also making sure long-time friends get the chance to keep tabs on each other.
Even amid a pandemic.
“Most of the guys on the team, we’ve played with for such a long time and we’ve known each other most of our lives,” Crews said. “Before all this started, we would get together once a month all year long. Just pick a place and go eat together. We’ll keep playing as long as we all can play.”
The incoming college
volleyball player: ‘My goal has always been to play at the Division I level’
Allie Trame has known she would play college volleyball at Alabama for some time.
The recent St. Thomas More graduate, after all, committed to the Crimson Tide almost three years ago in October 2017.
“As soon as I stepped on campus, I fell in love with everything about the school,” said Trame, who helped STM win a Class 2A state title in 2017 and place third in 2018. “I knew Alabama would be a school I wanted to go to even if I wasn’t playing volleyball. There are so many traditions that the school has and so many people that support all of the athletes. Tuscaloosa is a campus town, and it seems like everyone there pours into the university.”
The 18-year-old from Champaign will get to experience it soon. Trame is slated to move into her college dorm on Sunday.
Just under circumstances she never imagined would unfold when she initially committed.
“I was supposed to move last week,” she said, “but everything got pushed back due to COVID.”
The coronavirus pandemic made any volleyball plans Trame had in place this spring quickly fall apart. For the 6-foot-2 middle blocker, who won News-Gazette All-Area Player of the Year honors in 2018 and 2019 and anticipated playing club volleyball with Illini Elite this spring, she’s adjusted.
“While everything was still completely shut down, I was working out at home with the equipment I had and trying to hit a ball against the wall,” Trame said. “Now that things are starting to open up, I’ve been able to go back to Illini Elite and practice a few times and have been able to work out a little bit more.”
Alabama finished 12-17 last season, but hasn’t publicly released its 2020 schedule yet.
“I just hope we will be able to safely have a somewhat normal season,” Trame said. “My goal has always been to play at the Division I level, and to finally get there and not be able to have a season would be so disappointing.”
Trame has bigger goals, too, than just a successful volleyball career. She plans to major in communicative disorders, with her sights set on becoming a speech pathologist in a school setting at some point.
“I’ve seen how people with hearing or speech impediments can struggle to communicate with their peers,” Trame said. “I think it would be so rewarding to see the impact I can make on someone’s life by helping give them the ability to communicate.”
The high school quarterback: ‘We just want to play ball’
Growing up in Mahomet and playing sports, Braden Finch pictured all of this happening one day.
Running out onto Frank Dutton Field. Hearing the noise that generates from the enthusiastic fan base that supports the Mahomet-Seymour football program. And getting a chance to represent M-S in the playoffs. Two of those items have materialized for the 17-year-old Finch.
But the senior-to-be hasn’t experienced a playoff game yet for the tradition-rich program, which is two seasons removed from its most recent playoff appearance.
“I believe that a successful season for the team is for us to make the playoffs and go as deep as we can,” Finch said. “I know many kids will say this, but it’s true. The last time we made the playoffs was in 2017, and we want to change that.”
Whether the Bulldogs can reach those goals may rest on Finch, who started at quarterback last season for M-S. And, frankly, if a season happens amid the coronavirus pandemic.
M-S is slated to kick off its upcoming season at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28 at Marion.
If M-S wants to improve upon its 4-5 record a season ago under first-year coach Jon Adkins, Finch is honest about how he needs to improve after struggling at times during his first season starting for the Bulldogs.
“I did not have the season I wanted in 2019,” Finch said. “I don’t blame this on anyone other than myself. I did not prepare myself or work hard enough to make the jump from JV to varsity, and I will always be the first person to admit that. I was a very immature quarterback that didn’t exactly know what I was doing. I let my natural abilities take me as far as they could.”
Finch has gone through restricted workouts the last few weeks with his teammates and done what he can to develop a connection with his receivers this offseason.
“After the 2019 season, I know I needed a better work ethic if I wanted to be a better quarterback,” Finch said. “I think I did a few things right, but I realized that I had so much to work on.”
A successful boys’ basketball season last winter with the Bulldogs upped Finch’s confidence, too. He wants to translate those intangibles and lessons learned from the basketball court onto the football field when the Friday night lights flick on again.
“We just want to play ball,” Finch said. “I know my teammates and me just want to prove what Mahomet football looks like. We’re ready to show what we’re capable of.”
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Sunday special | Coronavirus impact on local sports, part XV - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
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