Hopes elevated for stocked team

An offseason addition heightened expectations that already were elevated for the 2010 East Peoria baseball team.

New Raiders pitching ace Ryan Harkins, who transferred from Washington, joins an offense that returns five .300 hitters.

“I feel great about our team chemistry,” EPCHS head coach Matt Plummer said. “They work hard and have a lot of fun.”

East Peoria was the Mid-Illini Conference tri-champion in 2009, along with Washington and Morton, with an 11-3 record.

Overall, the Raiders were 14-17, a mark that is likely to improve with better pitching depth for non-conference contests.

East Peoria’s formidable double-play combination of shortstop Joe Kelch and second baseman Shane Moses returns intact.

Kelch, a junior, is a three-year varsity starter. This will be his second season at shortstop, where he was a first-team all-M-I pick as a sophomore.

Kelch hit .526 with two home runs, 24 RBI and 16 steals without getting caught from the lead-off spot. He was on base at a .600 rate.

“I really think Joe has a bright future,” Plummer said. “He’s got every tool. We’re very excited to have a guy like that.”

Plummer said in his time at East Peoria he has never seen a player recruited like Kelch.

Besides all the nearby Division I schools, national powers like Louisville, Wichita State and Cal State-Fullerton also are pursuing Kelch, who performed well in the offseason in front of scouts in Jupiter, Fla.

Moses, a senior, is lined up for the No. 2 spot in the batting order.

He hit .333 a year ago with two homers and 18 RBI.

Tanner Schofield, a sophomore, will catch this season and is projected to hit third in the batting order.

A pure hitter with the ability to bat in the pivotal No. 3 slot, Schofield posted a .333 average with 10 extra-base hits in a freshman season in which he was inserted for one game, made a great debut and remained with the varsity the whole time.

Junior Robbie Rogers will play third base and bat clean-up initially. In ’09, Rogers was a .326 batter with 13 RBI.

Rogers, who Plummer said is one of the smartest individuals, is a technician of swing mechanics. 

Steve Buttice, a senior, is targeted for the No. 5 slot and center field.

Buttice has great speed and finds the middle of the baseball. A .455 junior season, including .605 in conference games, with 17 RBI landed Buttice first-team all-league honors.

Buttice could go back to the No. 9 spot in the batting order where he was so successful setting the table for Kelch.

Moses, Rogers, Schofield and Buttice all had on-base percentages of at least .380.

Senior Bryce Colvin will switch from catcher to first base, although he could slide behind home plate if needed.

Colvin possesses a lot of power and has been a ferocious worker in the weight room. He will start out hitting sixth after a campaign in which he drove in a team-high 29 runs and launched three homers. A swing adjustment has Colvin getting to the ball quicker.

Sophomores Walter White and Jake Hornung and junior Andrew Wallace are competing for roles in left and right field.

White, Hornung and Wallace figure to hit seventh through ninth, respectively.

Plummer said he is very high on the sophomores, who both have pure swings.

Hornung and Wallace, who owns a solid glove, give East Peoria added speed at the bottom of the order.

Harkins, a senior, has made the move to East Peoria flawlessly.

He was a first-team all-conference pitcher for Washington last year after going 7-2 with a 2.63 earned-run average and 57 strikeouts in 56 innings.

Plummer noted Harkins’ pinpoint accuracy with velocity and outrageous offspeed pitches.
“I’ve never seen a kid move in and become so quickly accepted,” Plummer said of Harkins. “He’s part of the glue that brings this all together.”

Junior pitcher Joe Schartman returns in his role as the No. 2 hurler. He won a team-high five games in seven decisions with a 4.42 ERA in 44 1/3 innings.

Lefthander Sean Clifton, a senior, has transformed himself by becoming a maniac in the weight room. With better location and more power, Clifton hopes to occupy the third spot on the staff.

White, who also can play third and catch, is poised to be the Raider closer.

Another senior, Kyle Deets, will be a middle-inning eater. A reliable hurler, Deets can spot all of his pitches.

Rogers, Schofield, Hornung and Justin Taylor, a junior, also could pitch if necessary.

Junior Nate Hurd offers a good glove and rapid improvement in the outfield. He is a likely courtesy runner.

Sophomore Corey Crotz got a varsity taste last year. He has a tremendous glove with the quickest hands on the team.

East Peoria will be one of the title contenders in the Mid-Illini.

There does not figure to be a drop-off with the Potters or Panthers, and Limestone always is a threat.

Dunlap is viewed as a team that could make strides from ’09.

The Raiders open the season today with a visit from perennial Class 2A power Illinois Valley Central.

East Peoria’s losses to graduation include Bryce Donaldson and Ryan Wenell, both of whom were first-team all-conference selections, and leading home run hitter Chase Perdue.