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CM■ Continued from Page D1Monday at 4:30 p.m. for the right to move on to the state tournament June 8-9 in East Peoria.The Eagles have had plenty of fun on their magic carpet ride. It’s just that they have a hard time showing it. Under the direction of veteran coach Steve Carey, this club prefers to temper its enthusiasm, at least on the field.No rhythmic clapping or cheering from the bench. The high-fives are kept to a minimum. Even the Eagles on-field celebration moments after beating Edwardsville in the title game of the Alton Regional last weekend was somewhat subdued.“We take the game seriously,” says Carey, who returned to the coaching ranks with abang after a four-year hiatus. “And we approach it seriously too. The players realize they have a job to do and they go out there and do it They try their hardest and they expect everyone on the team to do the same.”Carey frowns on players jumping up and down and chanting on the bench in support of their teammates.“That’s just not me,” he says. “I have a hard time listening to that.”His players agree with his philosophy.“We don’t want to get too excited out there,” explains sophomore pitcher Lauran Clendenny. “We want to concentrate so we can do our best.” •Lately, that plan seems tobe working to perfection. CM has won 15 of 19 games since a lackluster 7-11 start. At one point, the Eagles reeled off 12 victories in 13 tries including a nifty string of seven successive wins.Carey’s crew carries plenty of momentum into sectional play. Thanks to the pitching of Clendenny and an air-tight defense, the Eagles are favored to beat the upstart Carbondale squad.But this youthful squad isn’t about to take any opponent for granted.“We’re not that good yet,” said Carey.Clendenny carries a 14-6 mark and a 1.50 earned run average into the contest. She has struck out 101 batters and walked just 16 in 142 innings.She is coming off one of the best outings of her career - a two-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Edwardsville in the Alton Regional final on Monday.CM boasts a balanced offensive attack. Junior Mallory Downs, sophomore Casey Law and freshman Haylee Eubanks have come up big in post-season play. Mighty-mite Sammy Unsell, at 4-foot-ll, keys the attack from the top of the batting order. Megan Eddy and Courtney Tobin pose threats at the bottom of the order.Carey has been especially pleased with the play of his defense. Outfielders Unsell, Katie Trimm and Tiffany Bauswell have performed extremely well of late.“I don’t think we’ve had a ball fall in our outfield in morethan a month,” he said.Should the Eagles get past Carbondale they will have their hands full in the sectional final. Belleville West, led by standout pitcher Casey Hunter, beat CM 10-0 and 13-0 in a twin-bill on April 14. O’Fallon has 9-2 and 2-0 victories over CM to its credit. The 2-0 loss came on May 5 and ended CM’s seven-game winning streak.Still, this club is on a roll having passed every test with flying colors over the past several weeks. CM definitely appears to be a team of destiny .“You never know why, but sometimes a group of kids will come together and surprise you,” Carey said. “That’s this group. They’ve come a long way.”
Newspaper Details
Alton Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Sat, Jun 02, 2001
Page 29
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 18 Jan 2024
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