Bradley’s Markin Family Student Recreation Center has gone through many changes in the last year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Many activities such as intramural sports, club sports, and working out have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. When entering Markin, one of the first things attendants will notice is the signs posted...
The wait is over for fans of LeRoy High School baseball. After nearly two years, they are back and ready to continue the success they have been known for.
The last season this team played was very successful, but had many what ifs.
LeRoy lost a heartbreaker in the Class 1A Sectional final 1-0 to the eventual state champions, Ottawa Marquette. More on the game, and Ottawa Marquette can be found here: https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/high-school/baseball/ottawa-marquette-holds-off-leroy-in-sectional-battle/article_693929aa-4e53-5403-afcd-eca57e9e6df1.html
Many of the players from that LeRoy team return this season, and they know they can do something special this year.
“I think everyone wants to get to another Sectional championship,” said senior infielder Ty Egan. “We have to focus on the Regional before that, but I think we can make a good run in the postseason.”
This senior class has been around a lot of winning Panther Hardball teams since they made it to high school. In 2019 the team won 23 games. The goal is always to get to 20 wins, and that should not change this year.
2019 was an incredible season for the Panthers. Their lineup was filled with talented upperclassmen, but the younger players were not so bad themselves.
Players to watch for this season are Ty Egan, Mason Buckles, Max Buckles and Logan Petersen. These players all started on the 2019 team, and made a huge impact while doing so.
Egan was an All-HOIC Honorable Mention, Mason Buckles was an incredible defensive player in the outfield, Max Buckles was All-HOIC First Team and Petersen was part of the News-Gazette All-Area First Team.
After taking a whole season off, many teams lost a lot of experience. LeRoy only lost two seniors from the cancelled season.
Enough about the past, the Panthers are looking forward to this season, and are glad to be back.
“It feels really good to be back. We’ve had a long offseason ever since COVID-19 knocked us out,” said infielder/pitcher Petersen. “Now we are back and ready to play.”
There is so much to the game of baseball that these players enjoy.
“The walkup songs, the dugout being full of energy and everyone just having fun makes this time of year so great,” said infielder/catcher Max Buckles. “We have fun here at LeRoy, but in the end we know it is all about winning.”
Now if you want to get to know about the walkup songs and the fun this team actually has, you will have to come out and catch a game for yourself. Everyone is welcome, but be sure to bring a mask.
LeRoy has already started their season off 1-0 with a win against St. Thomas More. They came back to win 7-3 after a slow start. More on the game can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz7LuLkB88M
“At first it felt weird getting back out there,” said infielder/pitcher Nathan Perry. “Once we started getting in a rhythm after the first couple of innings we started to get back our feel for the game.”
If it only took a few innings for the team to work off their rust after the long break, the opponents on the schedule for LeRoy may want to look out.
Leroy plays Armstrong at home at 4:30 today in their second game of the season.
This season looks to be another good year for LeRoy, and every player’s mindset seems to be the same.
“We are just trying to get back to where we were two years ago,” said Perry.
Keep up with the team by following Panther Hardball on Twitter, and myself as I continue writing about the season.
https://twitter.com/PantherHardball?s=20
https://twitter.com/SkylerGillespie?s=20
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A senior year spring is unlike any other season, students prepare to say goodbye to childhood friends and families for the opportunity to commence a new beginning in college. But before they can begin their new journey they need to ask themselves “Where am I going to college?”
There are thousands of options for higher education across the nation, but there’s only one mid-sized school that can make a big difference, Bradley University. Bradley is located at 1501 West Bradley Avenue in Peoria, Illinois.
Bradley University is unique because of its breakdown into five colleges, with more than 185 programs.
Among these five colleges is the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). This college is made up of four academic programs, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and computational sciences.
In an email testimonial, religious studies Professor Daniel Getz shows the impact of selecting a major within the LAS humanities academic program by saying,
“In making a bucket list for your university education, gaining a deeper appreciation of your own humanity, as well as that of others, should be placed near the top. That worthy goal inevitably will bring you to the great questions posed by religion and philosophy.”
The LAS college offers the engaged learning and mentorship of a small classroom with the outside resources and opportunities of a big university. The courses within the LAS college work to prep students for a new beginning at graduate school or the workforce.
As all colleges in the current climate, changes have been made to accommodate Covid regulations.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as of March 19th, 2021, schools must abide by the universal and correct use of masks, physical distancing to the greatest possible extent, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, the cleaning and maintenance of healthy facilities, and contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine if exposures occur.
For this reason, the present-day majority of the courses in the LAS college take place virtually. Though staff and students miss seeing each other greatly, virtual class meetings provide them all with the opportunity to prioritize the safety of the Bradley University family.
Students have also seen an increase in flexibility in their schedule and improvement in their computer skills, allowing them to gain opportunities and build connections not available to them previously.
In an interview in Bradley Hall on April 11th, senior within the LAS psychology program Robert Spencer states “ During my time here at Bradley, I have learned so many things about the brain, and have studied several different fields of psychology”.
As Spencer mentioned, the LAS college works to build experience in several different fields within students inside and outside the classroom.
Science equipment and gear are given to biology and physics students, while political science and sociology students are given access to actual courthouses and social work projects.
These outside opportunities are part of the reason why social work Professor Patricia Saleeby chose the LAS college, as she states in an email testimonial
“The collegial atmosphere and positive interaction within our College truly enhance the student and faculty experience through increased collaboration, mentorship, and opportunities… an attractive aspect that led me to Bradley for the Social Work Director position.”
Staff and students alike can all agree the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Bradley University is the right fit for anyone.
But if for some reason, you’re still not completely sold, check out this two-minute introduction video to help you decide “where should I go to college?”. Let me know in the replies below why Bradley is the right fit for you.
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