DANS ATTENDANCE NEAR TOP

In spite of a record 5 rainouts, Ballpark Business has placed the Danville Dans 6th in the nation in summer ball attendance for 2009. Joining Danville in the top 50 is Springfield, coming in at 14. Thanks to fans and sponsors for all the support and Happy New Year to All!

PROSPECT LEAGUE EXPANDS FOR 2010

It was announced today that The Prospect League will expand from eleven to fourteen teams for the 2010 playing season. Joining the league as new members will be the Dekalb County Liners, the Terre Haute Rex and the West Virginia Miners.

The Dekalb County Liners will play at Founder’s Field, located in Sycamore Park in Sycamore, Illinois.

The Terre Haute Rex will play at Sycamore Field on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The West Virginia Miners will play in the Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Virginia.

FORMER MAJOR LEAGUER TO HEAD UP DANS

DANVILLE, IL. The Danville Dans have named former major leaguer, Steve Bieser, Dans Head Coach for the 2010 Prospect League Season.


Drafted as a catcher by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989, Bieser played thirteen years of professional baseball for six different Major League organizations, two years at the Major League level with the Mets and the Pirates, and eight at the AAA level. In 1997 he was named New York Mets Rookie of the Year.


A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Coach Bieser is currently employed by St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, MO as an upper level math teacher and Head Baseball Coach. During his tenure, he has led Vianney to two State Championships and holds
a career record of 120-34.


He is the founder and president of the Saint Genevieve Baseball Club and the Head Coach of American Legion Summer Teams with records that include two State Championships (2007, 2008) and a National Championship (2008).


Coach Bieser has coached five players selected in the first year major league player draft (1st, 5th, 22st, 22nd, & 42nd rounds). Over 80% of his high school players have gone on to play college ball with 12 playing at the Division 1 level, 4 attaining freshmen All-American status, and one named a two-time All-American.


Bieser will bring his experience, directing The Pro Edge Baseball Camps, to Danville Dans campers and individual players, sharing his expertise in the areas of hitting, fielding and pitching. He has had an excellent reputation of producing top notch catching prospects as well.


Coach Bieser is married to the former Diahann Lynn Dunlap. The couple has four children, Cole (18), Whitley (15), Briley (11), and Carley (3).

DANS COGHLAN NAMED MLB ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Danville Dans alumni Chris Coghlan has been named National League Baseball Rookie of the Year. The following article appears on MLB.com this morning.

By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com

It's been more than eight years since that fateful summer of 2001, when Chris Coghlan's father was killed just days before the Marlins infielder-turned-outfielder's 16th birthday.


On Monday afternoon, when he was named the winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award for the National League, Coghlan couldn't help but think of his dad, Tim Coghlan, and how he must be beaming with pride about his son right now.

"I know my dad is watching from heaven with a smile on his face," Coghlan said. "It makes me smile outside and inside, because he was the one who instilled the work ethic in me and taught me the game."

A lot of tears were shed when Coghlan suddenly lost his father in a fatal car accident. But there were plenty of smiles to go around on this day.

This was the day Coghlan's astonishing adjustments to a new fielding position and spot in the lineup received its due diligence, the day everything he's been taught about baseball throughout his entire young life -- lessons from coaches, teammates and, of course, his dad -- came to fruition.

With Monday's announcement by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Coghlan -- the Marlins' prized prospect from Tarpon Springs, Fla. -- joined American League winner Andrew Bailey of the Athletics, other Marlins honorees in Dontrelle Willis (2003) and Hanley Ramirez ('06), and former ROY winners like Ryan Howard, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki.

Time will tell whether this award vaults him onto a career path as successful as those of Howard, Jeter, Pujols and Suzuki. But Coghlan isn't one to get ahead of himself.

He didn't do it when trying to adjust to left field after a lifetime of playing second and third base, or when he moved to the leadoff spot for the first time in his professional career this season, or even when on the phone with reporters in a conference call on Monday.

"For right now, I can tell you what it means, and that's an honor," Coghlan said.

"To be in that same sentence for the same award, it's an honor, and I feel very blessed to be in this position and the platform I've been put on."

Coghlan's platform is pretty high right now.

The 24-year-old, called up from Triple-A New Orleans on May 8, beat out a talented slate of promising first-year players that seemingly didn't have a favorite going in.

But in the end, Coghlan and the second-place J.A. Happ finished well above the pack.

Coghlan received 17 first-place votes along with six for second and two for third to give him 105 points. The Phillies' left-hander, meanwhile, scored 94 points after receiving 10 first-place votes. Then, falling pretty far back were Braves right-hander Tommy Hanson, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (two first-place votes each) and Brewers infielder Casey McGehee (one first-place vote).

"We're very proud of him, no doubt," Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said in a phone interview. "We thought he was the Rookie of the Year for quite some time, and it was cemented today."

Coghlan, a lefty contact hitter, posted back-to-back 47-hit months -- becoming the first NL player with 94 hits in a two-month span since Dave Parker in 1978 -- finished sixth in the NL in batting average (.321) and led Senior Circuit rookies in runs (84), hits (162), total bases (232), doubles (31) and on-base percentage (.390).

His batting average was the highest ever by a Marlins rookie -- easily topping the .292 clips of Ramirez and Jeff Conine -- and he is just the eighth Major League rookie in the past 50 years to hit .321 or better.

"He had a great year and deserved the award," Marlins infielder Gaby Sanchez said via text message. "The numbers are just half of what he did. He played great outfield, especially for never playing the position."

In the second half of the season, Coghlan helped keep the low-payroll Marlins in contention with a Major League-leading 113 hits -- 11 more than Jeter -- and added a .372 batting average -- 14 points higher than eventual American League batting champion Joe Mauer.

His hits total in the second half matched Juan Pierre in '04 for the franchise record and was the most in the Majors since 1965.

And through it all, his focus was on one thing: winning.

"At no point when I was playing was my goal to win Rookie of the Year," said Coghlan, the first rookie since Kirby Puckett in 1984 to have 150-plus hits while playing in 130 games or fewer.

"It's an individual accomplishment, and what you're trying to accomplish during the course of the year is winning games. And, so, that wasn't my focus at the time. At the end of the year, I knew that I put myself in a good position to win."

The Marlins were set at the leadoff spot when they had Ramirez hit there the previous three years. But this season, Florida wanted to put its shortstop in a premium run-producing spot in the lineup, and the No. 1 position initially suffered.

That is, until Coghlan took over at that spot on a full-time basis on May 30 and finished leading the NL in batting average (.336) and on-base percentage (.397) as a table-setter.

"You never expect rookies to have those types of years," Marlins vice president of player development and scouting Jim Fleming said in a phone interview. "There's a learning process. We expected him to be a really good hitter, and it just happened a little faster than, I think, you would anticipate."

Coghlan was stopped from playing his natural position of second base because of two-time All-Star Dan Uggla. But that can change next year. The Marlins are reportedly interested in dealing the high-priced Uggla this offseason, and that can open up a return to the infield for Coghlan.

"Hopefully we can retain Danny, but you never know," Coghlan said.

"If there is a change, I think that's something I would like to be looked at or in consideration to move back [to second base]."

Dans Coghlan Honored by USAToday

USAToday Tabs Dans Alum Chris Coghlan National League's Top Rookie

Former Ole Miss third baseman and current outfielder with the Florida Marlins, Chris Coghlan was named the National League's top rookie by USAToday, the publication announced in its Sports Weekly publication.

The selections were made by a panel of 12 writers from USAToday Sports Weekly and the votes were compiled before the playoffs began.

Coghlan had an outstanding season for the Marlins after moving up to the big leagues on May 8, promptly shifting from the infield to the outfield for the Florida franchise. The converted outfielder moved into the top of the batting lineup and adjusted to his new role quickly.

Coghlan hit .321 for the season to lead all rookies in batting average and also posted a .390 on base percentage. He converted that on base percentage into a solid scoring output as he scored 84 runs on the year.

The Baseball Writer's Association will name its postseason awards beginning November 16, with the announcement of their Rookie of the Year winners from both the National and American leagues.

Coghlan played for the Dans in 2004.

DAN ALUM IN RUNNING FOR MLB ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

This article is from ESPN sports. Those fans wishing to vote for Chris for Rookie of the year can vote at: http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2009/tyib/index.jsp

Chris played for the Dans in 2004. Bill and Pat Westphal were his host family, and he was coached by Bill Ferrari.
.......................................

NL: Chris Coghlan, Marlins

Chris Coghlan
#8 LF
Florida Marlins


It isn't every year that two rookie starters as sensational as J.A. Happ and Tommy Hanson swoop in and go 12-4 and 11-4, respectively, with sub-3.00 ERAs for teams that needed every pitch they threw. But who is the last rookie hit machine remotely like Chris Coghlan? Ichiro? Derek Jeter? Nomar Garciaparra? Well, if those are the names we're comparing this guy to, that pretty much ends the debate about this trophy, wouldn't you say? Coghlan has cranked out more hits (157) than all but three men in the entire National League since his May 8 debut, has more hits (108) than anyone in the sport since the All-Star break and has the highest average (.332), on-base percentage (.394) and OPS (.861) of any NL leadoff hitter for the season. His 48 hits in September were the most by any rookie in 81 years (Chuck Klein, 1928). His 95 hits in August and September combined are the third-most in back-to-back months by any NL player in the expansion era, behind only Pete Rose and Dave Parker -- and the most by any rookie in 62 years (Dale Long, 1947). Five months ago, a lot of people thought the Marlins were crazy to drop this guy into their leadoff hole and a position (left field) he'd played for one day in his pro career. Needless to say, they don't look so nuts anymore. Do they?

OF ALL PLACES!

This month's Reader's Digest has a letter in their "React" section noting the Danville Dans, in reaction to a letter on the high cost of attending a major league game. It goes, "Soon after moving to Illinois in 1990, I wanted to take my family to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs. After checking prices for parking, admission, and meals, however, we realized the closest we'd ever get to the Cubs was the TV in our living room. Nowadays, we drive two and a half miles to watch the Danville Dans, a great bunch of guys who pay for the love of the game, not a seven-figure paycheck. Rooting for the Dans is just as exciting as watching a pro game-and a lot less expensive. No, Sean, it's not just you." Jack Nallett. Thanks Jack, and thanks Deb Wolgomot for drawing this to our attention. We are grateful to the fans and to our sponsors, who enable us to provide affordable entertainment to our community.

Moreland named minor league Player of the Year

From Scout.com, in a year where Chad Tracy knocked in a Frisco-record 107 runs and Mike Bianucci led the organization with 30 home runs, Danville Dan 2005 alumni Moreland got the nod for minor league Player of the Year because of his remarkable consistency.

Moreland didn’t post a batting average below .296 in any of the minor league regular season's five months. In fact, his next lowest monthly average was .325, which he accomplished in his first full month at Double-A Frisco.

In all, Moreland combined to bat .331 with 38 doubles, 16 home runs and 85 RBIs between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Frisco.

The 24-year-old had little problem sustaining his success after he was promoted to Frisco. Moreland played in 73 games with the RoughRiders, hitting .326 with 19 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs.

Moreland has a line-drive stroke, but he also has above-average home run power. Even with the power, the Mississippi State product is patient and he doesn’t often swing at pitches out of the zone. In 471 official at-bats this season, Moreland struck out just 68 times–seemingly a rarity in today’s game.

For the second consecutive year, the left-handed hitter was more than effective against his fellow southpaws. Between the two levels, Moreland posted a .350/.430/.561 slash line against lefties. More specifically, he had 16 walks and 16 strikeouts in 123 official at-bats.

Moreland’s outstanding 2009 season turned him into one of the top position prospects in the Rangers’ system, and he could get a shot at the Major Leagues at some point next season.

For the time being, Moreland will try to raise his stock even more in next month’s Arizona Fall League. As Moreland told Lone Star Dugout in his interview yesterday, he expects to play about 75 percent of his games with the Surprise Rafters as an outfielder.

Year Team AVG AB 2B HR RBI R SB BB SO OBP SLG
2009 BAK (A+)/FRI (AA) .331 471 38 16 85 85 2/3 44 68 .391 .527

11-1-09, Mitch is currently hitting .397 playing for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.

Wherever he’s needed, Dans Kaczrowski shines in field

YAKIMA, Wash. — Before Dan Kaczrowski embarked on his first professional baseball journey, his college coach made a suggestion.

“He told me it might be a good idea to bring an outfielder’s glove,” Kaczrowski said. “Even though I’d played the infield my entire college career, he said, ‘You never know.’”

It turned out that Jason Verdugo, head coach of the Hamline University Pipers of St. Paul, Minn., was on the right track. He might also have recommended a first baseman’s mitt.

“I didn’t bring one of those, either,” Kaczrowski, a Bears utilityman, said during a recent interview.


Yakima's Dan Kaczrowski warms up to bat as his team plays the Tri-City Dust Devils on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)
And who knows? By the time the Northwest League season ends on Sept. 6, Kaczrowski might need to borrow someone’s catcher’s gear. Or maybe he’ll be summoned to the pitcher’s mound.

Kaczrowski has, after all, played all seven positions other than pitcher or catcher this summer, impressing Yakima manager Bob Didier and others among the Arizona Diamondbacks system.

“He’s also been a DH,” Didier said. “So I guess you’d have to count that, too.”

Have glove, will travel.

That the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Kaczrowski has played so many different positions is one thing. That he’s played each of them well — appearing as well-rehearsed in left field as he has at shortstop or second base — is quite another.

“He’s a baseball player,” Didier said. “I guess that’s the best way to describe him.”

Especially if you trace Kaczrowski’s baseball roots.


The Yakima Bears's Dan Kaczrowski runs for second base as his team plays the Tri-City Dust Devils on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)
“I played everywhere except first and the outfield,” he said of his days at St. Anthony Village High School, located between Minneapolis and St. Paul. “I caught through JVs, and then I was our closer in high school.”

At Hamline (pronounced HAM-lynn), the player known as Kaz to friends and teammates played second base his first two years, then moved to shortstop as a junior and senior.

Early this season Didier, who has a knack for tapping previously unrealized potential, gave Kaczrowski a start in left field. In one of his first games there Kaz made two head-first, diving catches.

“The thing about diving for a ball,” he said, “is you have to know when to do it and when not to. If there are runners on base and you’re in a close game, you don’t want to let the ball to get by you so one or maybe all of them can score. With two out and no one on base — that’s when maybe you dive for one.”

Subsequent moves to center and right revealed similar success. He seems a natural at tracking fly balls, has the speed to reach drives to the gaps and the hands to hang on once he gets there.

Third base, meanwhile, is not called the hot corner for nothing.

“The ball gets on you quick,” Kaczrowski said. “It’s pretty much just reacting.”

His favorite position? “Probably second,” he said.

“The thing with me is, though, that I don’t really care as long as I’m in the lineup. As long as I’m playing — somewhere, anywhere.”

Said Didier, “The good thing about him is has enough arm to play short or third or in the outfield. You can pinch-run him (he began Wednesday night’s game with 10 stolen bases in 12 tries). He has some work to do on his hitting — still tries to pull the ball a little too much (though he had hiked his batting average to .273 prior to Wednesday’s game).

“He’s probably been overlooked some because of his size. But with his versatility, which makes him more valuable to any organization, he has a very bright future.”

And now, a wider selection of gloves.

From sports yakima.com

Dan played for the Dans in 2008, hitting .389 and winning Player of the League honors.

DANS OWE BIG THANKS!

Thanks to all the host families, the fans, the City of Danville, Rep. Black (love the parking lot!), our invaluable sponsors, and all those that participated in and enjoyed the Dans this summer. Here are some pictures of the last home game to enjoy! Special thanks to Deb Edwards who is one of the outstanding photographers for the Commercial News.

DANS TOP LEAGUE IN ALL STAR SELECTION

4 Danville Dans have been named Post-Season All-Stars topping all other teams. Congratulations to 1st baseman Dabo Worthington (Southern), 3rd baseman Jason Nappi (Mississippi State), right fielder Austin Green (San Diego), who also caught for the Dans, and catcher Nate Johnson (Pepperdine). Adding to the accolades, center fielder Mickie Mahtook (LSU) was named Prospect League Pro Prospect of the Year.

A complete list can be seen at www.prospectleague.com

Dans score late in big win over Dubois

Austin Green had a big night at the plate and the Danville Dans scored six times in their final two at-bats to earn a 9-3 victory over the visiting Dubois County Bombers on Friday evening at Danville Stadium.

The game stayed scoreless into the bottom of the third, when Austin Nola got a Danville rally started with a double. After an out, Dabo Worthington knocked a broken-bat single to left to put runners on the corners. Nola was then thrown out attempting to score on a Jason Nappi grounder to third, but Austin Green came through with a two-out, three-run home run to left-center field to give the Dans a 3-0 lead.

The Bombers quickly cut into the lead, as Justin Miller hit a homer to left field on the first pitch of the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1.

Danville squandered chances to extend its lead in the middle innings. In the fourth, the Dans had two runners in scoring position with one out, but Nola grounded out to first and Cody Yount was cut down at the plate on the play on his delayed attempt to score. One frame later, Danville had the bases loaded with one gone, but Scott Schauer popped out to second and Yount struck out looking to end the frame.

The missed offensive opportunities came back to hurt the Dans when Dubois plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Justin Miller led off the inning with a single, albeit on a high pop-up that fell in front of home plate due to miscommunication between the Danville fielders. Kyle Richardson walked, and Jared Broughton followed with a two-run double down the left-field line to tie the game at three.

The Dans again loaded the bases in the bottom half of the sixth, courtesy of the Bombers’ Eric Jarrett walking the first three Danville batters of the inning. But again the Dans could not come through, as Jarrett got out of the jam by striking out Nate Johnson and Worthington and retiring Nappi on a pop-up to second.

Danville finally came through again in the seventh, when Green led off with a triple a scored on Scott Schauer’s RBI single. After Byron Williams reached on a third-strike wild pitch and Lewellyn walked, Nola lined a sharp single to left to plate two more and give the Dans a 6-3 lead.

The Dans added another three-spot in the eighth inning. After Green walked and Schauer singled, Yount rolled a slow grounder to third, and Broughton promptly threw the ball wide of first and into right field. It was ruled a single and two-base error, resulting in runs from Green and Schauer. Yount later scored on a wild pitch to give the contest its final 9-3 margin.

Lambrix got a no-decision for Danville, throwing 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on six hits while striking out six. Kyle Donawerth got the win 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Greg Houston pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Dubois starter Joe Ochs took a no-decision as well, giving up three runs in five innings. Jarrett took the loss, allowing two runs in an inning-plus of work.

Green was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs for the Dans. Schauer was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Miller led the Dubois offense, as he went 3-for-4 with two runs.

Danville improves to 31-21 with the victory and remains in the division race, sitting 1 1/2 games behind the Quincy Gems.

Nola hits for cycle to lead Dans past Dupage

Austin Nola hit for the cycle to lead the Danville Dans to an 11-6 victory over the visiting Dupage Dragons on Wednesday night at Danville Stadium.

The turning point was the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 6-4 entering the frame, the Dans got it rolling in the fifth frame with a one-out walk to Chris Lewellyn. An RBI double from Nola cut the deficit to 6-5, and after Nate Johnson reached on an error and Dabo Worthington walked, Jason Nappi chopped a single into left field to plate the tying and go-ahead runs. Austin Green later singled to right to drive home Worthington and complete the Dans’ four-run onslaught.

Danville trailed early, as Dupage got to Danville starter Justin Amlung quickly, scoring once in the first inning on Dave Reynolds’ RBI groundout. There were two outs with no one on in the third frame when the Dragons started another rally. Catcher Adam Davis walked on a full-count pitch that just missed the strike zone, and Reynolds followed with a sharp single to right. Grant Fillipitch then ripped a double down the left-field line to plate a pair and extend the lead to 3-0.

But Nola erased that deficit with one swing of the bat in the bottom half of the third. After Cody Yount got the Dans’ first hit with a single to left and Lewellyn walked, the shortstop from LSU drove the first pitch he saw just over the left-field fence to tie up the contest.

Dupage came right back with a big inning, this time a three-run fourth. Bryan Roberts led off and was hit by a pitch, and Andrew Brauer reached with one out when his grounder slipped past Worthington, the first baseman, for an error. A passed ball and hits from Sean Flanagan and Brian Martin put the Dragons up 6-3.

It could have been worse for Danville, as Martin initially scored on Adam Davis’ fly ball to center field to give Dupage a four-run lead. But the Dans appealed the tag-up, and Martin was called out for leaving the third base too early, keeping the score at 6-3.

Before its big fifth inning, Danville chipped away at the lead with a run in the fourth, when Worthington walked to lead off the frame and advanced to second on a Nappi single. From there, Worthington stole third and scored when the catcher Davis’ throw sailed into left field.

Nola’s RBI triple in the sixth inning left him only needing a single for the cycle and extended the Dans lead to 9-6. Danville later added a couple insurance runs in the seventh on a Richie Goodenow RBI single and a Ryan Van Amburg RBI groundout.

There was plenty of excitement left, though, with Nola leading off the eighth inning and needing just a single for the cycle. He achieved just that on a two-strike pitch, flicking a ball into shallow center field that fell between two Dupage fielders.

The unsung hero for Danville was its bullpen, as three relievers combined for five perfect innings. The Dragons chased Amlung after four innings, rocking the righty for six runs on six hits and a walk. But Kyle Donawerth picked up his third win of the season by throwing three perfect innings. Brett Huber and Greg Houston followed with perfect innings of their own, as the last 16 Dragons batters to come to the plate were set down in order.

Nola finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs. Nappi was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.

Taylor Dennis took the loss for Dupage, allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings. Martin led the Dragons offense with two hits and a run, and Fillipitch had two RBIs.

With the win, Danville improves to 29-21. The Dans have three scheduled games left and also will likely play a make-up game this Sunday at home.

Dans outlast Quincy for sweep

It took awhile, but the Danville Dans swept a doubleheader against the Quincy Gems on Saturday night at Danville Stadium. The Dans took the first of two scheduled seven-inning games 5-2 before outlasting the Gems 4-3 in 11 innings in the nightcap.

In the second game, Danville’s Mikie Mahtook came through with a clutch home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the contest at three. The game stayed tied through the 10th inning, thanks to solid relief pitching from reliever on both squads. But the Dans finally ended it in the 11th, when Austin Green led off with a double and scored on Austin Nola’s single to deep right center.

The game had been scoreless through three innings, as Quincy starting pitcher Jimmy Foster and Danville hurler Jacob Lee each stayed out of trouble and induced double plays. Quincy broke the ice in the fourth, when Jacob White doubled to lead off the frame. He then advanced to third base on a groundout and scored on a Brian Farris sacrifice fly that put the Gems up 1-0.

The Dans came back quickly, though, with a run of their own in the bottom half. Nappi led off with a single, advanced to second on a balk and scored on a single to left by Austin Green. Danville had a great chance to add more, but runners were stranded on the corners when Austin Nola struck out and Lewellyn flied out to end the inning.

A big play by Green in right field kept the game tied in the top of the sixth. After a walk, a single and a sac bunt put Gems runners on second and third with one out, Farris lifted a fly ball to right field. Green circled the ball, made the catch and fired a rocket right on target to home plate, where Johnson tagged out Quincy’s White on a very close play.

In the bottom of the inning, Green came through on the offensive side, singling and later scoring from second base when Quincy third baseman John Lorenz let a routine grounder slip past him for an error and a 2-1 Danville advantage.

That lead was short lived, however, as the Gems came back with two runs in the top of the seventh. Jake Hibberd’s one-out RBI single tied the game at two, and he advanced to second on a groundout. The Gems’ Fayard then lined a ball off Danville reliever Greg Houston that deflected into short left field, enabling Hibberd to score from second for a 3-2 lead.

But with his team’s back against the wall, Mahtook came through for the Dans in a big way, leading off the bottom of the seventh with a towering solo home run over the left-field wall to tie the game and send the crowd into a frenzy.

Josh Tols took the loss in the nightcap, allowing the 11th-inning run. Matt Smith, typically a starter pitcher for the Dans, picked up the win with a scoreless inning of work. Green, Cody Yount and Nola each had two hits for the Danville in the game.

Game one wasn’t as eventful. Danville jumped out to a quick lead when Chris Lewellyn and Mahtook led off with back-to-back singles in the first inning to put runners on the corners. An errant pickoff attempt by Quincy starter Lee Valencheck sailed into foul territory in right field, scoring Lewellyn and sending Mahtook to third. Mahtook then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

The Dans widened their lead with a three-run third inning. A Nola single, a Lewellyn walk and a Mahtook single loaded the bases to open up the inning. Catcher Nate Johnson then hit a chopper through the right side of the infield for a two-run single, and two batters later Jason Nappi lined a single to right to plate another run and give Danville a 5-0 lead.

Danville starter Aaron Lambrix took over from there. The right-hander was on top of his game, going the distance to pick up his sixth win of the season. In seven innings of work, Lambrix allowed two runs on six hits while striking out six. The only trouble Lambrix ran into was in the seventh, when Quincy strung together four hits and scored runs on a Richie Derbak RBI single and a Hibberd sacrifice fly.

Valencheck took the loss for the Gems in game one. He threw a complete game and allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out three. Myers led the Quincy offense with two hits and a run. Mahtook and Nappi each had two hits for Danville.

Danville is now 27-21 on the season.

MC PACK THE PLACE RETURNS!

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Sat., Aug. 1 is McPack the Night. Tickets are still available at your local McDonalds. McDonalds tickets from the July 11 rainout will also be accepted that evening.

This game is an unusual 5:30 PM Double Header against Quincy.

CHIEF ILLINIWEK NIGHT AT THE STADIUM

Logan Ponce, the reigning Chief Illiniwek will appear at Danville Stadium on August 7th. The Dans play Dubois at 6:30 PM in their last regular season home game of 2009.

Tickets for the game may be obtained from Bud's Car Cellular and Home Theatre and from Thrivent Financial of Champaign Urbana.

Watch this site for further details.

Dans defeat Dragons with late rally

Three runs in the late innings propelled the Danville Dans to a 3-2 win over the visiting Dupage Dragons at Danville Stadium on Thursday evening.

Danville shortstop Austin Nola led off the eighth inning of the 2-2 game with what might be described as a rarely seen bloop triple. Nola was jammed on a ball that fell along the line in shallow right field and between three sprinting, diving Dupage fielders, who couldn’t retrieve it in time to prevent Nola from getting the key three-bagger. The next batter, Chris Lewellyn, lined an RBI single into center field to plate Nola with the deciding run.

It wasn’t looking good for Danville early, though. The Dragons opened the scoring with a run in the third. Brian Martin led off with a single and stole second on a confusing play, as he jogged slowly to second on an 0-2 pitch with the Danville infielders initially standing frozen. Dupage made Danville pay two batters later when Adam Davis knocked an RBI single into center for the early lead.

Dupage tallied another run an inning later. Danville seemed to be in good shape when the Dragons’ Sean Flanagan struck out with two outs, but he advanced to first when the ball got past Danville catcher Jason Hamm. Dupage's Andrew Brauer followed with an RBI triple down the right-field line that fell just out of the reach of a diving Austin Green.

Dragons starter Steve Sabatino cruised through the first six innings. After allowing a one-out Byron Williams single in the first and walking Jason Nappi, the lefty retired 16 of the next 17 Dans. Defying conventional pitching wisdom, Sabatino got nine of those 18 outs via fly balls. But his penchant for the flyout caught up to him in the seventh inning, when Dabo Worthington followed a Nappi leadoff single with a towering two-run home run far over the fence in left field to tie the game.

Despite his early brilliance, Sabatino took the loss, throwing seven innings and exiting after giving up hits to Nola and Lewellyn in the eighth. He allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.

Danville reliever Kyle Donawerth grabbed the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Greg Houston picked up the save with a 1-2-3 ninth and was aided by a great play from first baseman Worthington, who reached into the Dupage dugout on a foul pop-up and secured the second out of the final frame. Starter Donavan Drake turned in a quality start for the Dans, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings while striking out five.

Williams led Danville with two hits, and Worthington was 1-for-3 with the home run, two RBIs and a walk. Martin and shortstop Barrett Serrato each went 2-for-4 for the Dragons.

Danville improves to 25-20 with the win. The Dans play at division-leading Quincy on Friday evening before returning home to again face Quincy in a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch for the opener Saturday is 5:30 p.m.

AT BAT FOR A CURE TONIGHT

Reminder - tonight (Thursday, July 30) is At Bat for A Cure! A portion of the gate proceeds will go to support area breast cancer programs. See you there!

Pro Ball Update

Looking for your favorite Dan? Here are a few currently playing in pro ball. Players below are listed by name, year with the Dans, current club, level & affiliate.

1 Kaczrowski, Dan 2008 Yakima Bears A-Short Season Dbacks
2 Flanagan, John 2008 Burlington Royals Rookie Kansas City
3 Bowen, Ricky 2007 Billings Mustangs Rookie Cincinnati Reds
4 Roling, Kiel 2007 Asheville Tourists A Rockies
5 Schimpf, Ryan 2007 Dunedin, FL Rookie Toronto Blue Jays
6 Powell, Jordan 2005-06-07 Lancaster JetHawks A-Advanced Houston Astros
7 McGuiness, Chris Lowell Spinners Rookie Boston Red Sox
8 Black, Dan 2007 Kannapolis Intimidators A White Sox
9 Coleman, Louis 2006 Burlington Bees A Kansas City
10 Weatherford, Aaron 2006 Tri-City Dust Devils A-Short Season Rockies
11 Button, Evan 2006 Yakima Bears A-Short Season Dbacks
12 Duron, Denny 2006 Spokane Indians A-Short Season Texas Rangers
13 Roark, Tanner 2006 Bakersfield Blaze A-Advanced Texas Rangers
14 Alvino, Billy 2006 Lakeland Flying Tigers A-Advanced Detroit Tigers
15 Stowell, Bryce 2006 Kinston Indians A-Advanced Cleveland Indians
16 Pecina, Ricardo 2006 Hagerstwon Suns A Baltimore O's
17 Born, David 2006 Casper Ghosts Rookie Nationals
18 Cryer, Justin 2005 Auburn Doubledays A-Short Season Toronto Blue Jays
19 Moreland, Mitch 2005 Frisco Rough Riders AA Texas Rangers
20 Napoleon, Dusty 2005 Kane County Cougers A Oakland A's
21 Roemer, Wes 2005 Mobile Bay Bears AA San Diego
22 Snyder, Justin 2005 Trenton Thunder AA NY Yankees
23 Worth, Danny 2005 Erie Sea Wolves AA Detroit Tigers
24 Flagg, Jeff 2005 Kingsport Mets Rookie NY Mets
25 Schenk, Neil 2005 Bowling Green Hot Rods A Tampa Bay Rays
26 Coghlan, Chris 2004 Florida Marlins MLB Florida Marlins
27 Hammond, Steve 2004 Fresno Grizzlies AAA Milwaukee Brewers
28 Abruzzo, Jordan 2004 Savannah Sand Gnats A NY Mets
29 Feiner, Korey 2003 Carolina Mudcats AAA Seattle Mariners
30 Pope, Van 2003 Gwinnett Braves AAA Atlanta Braves
31 Daley, Matt 2003 Colorado Rockies MLB Colorado Rockies
32 Holt, J.C. Gwinnett Braves AAA Atlanta Braves
33 Stults, Eric 2001 LA Dodgers MLB (currently AAA rehab assignment)
34 Papelbon, Jon 2001 Boston Red Sox MLB Boston Red Sox
35 Tolbert, Matt 2001 Minnesota Twins MLB Minnesota Twins
36 Ruiz, Randy 1999 Las Vegas 51s AAA Toronto Blue Jays
(MLB with Twins 2008)
37 Anderson, Jason Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs AAA Philadelphia Phillies
(MLB 1st with Yankees)

Rain Alters Dans Schedule

Sadly, last nights 2 buck Tuesday game against the Quincy Gems was rained out right at game time.

Happily, it will become part of a McDonalds McPack the Place double header this coming Saturday, Aug. 1. Game time has been changed to 5:30 PM......an old fashioned twi-night double header for Dans fans!

BOWEN INKS WITH REDS

Dans alumni Ricky Bowen (2007 - Miss State) has signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization and will report to their Billings Montana (Pioneer League) team. Bowen was selected by the Reds in the 43rd round of this year's player draft.

Two Buck Tuesday

The Danville Dans are home tonight for a 6:30 game vs the Quincy Gems on Two Buck Tuesday.

Thursday night the Dans are home again for Provena Foundations At Bat for a Cure Night.

Friday night - McDonalds will "McPack the Place" as the Dans take on Quincy.

Dans Alumni Signs with Blue Jays

Ryan Schimpf (Dans 2007), LSU outfielder/infielder has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and will join the club's Rookie League affiliate in Dunedin, FL.


Ryan helped lead the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series Championship hitting .336 on the year with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 22 home runs, 73 runs and 70 RBI's.

At Bat for a Cure

Thursday, June 30th, is Provena Foundation and Danville Stadium "At Bat for a Cure" Breastcancer Night. One half of the night's gate will go to support local breast cancer programs.

The Dans will also be selling pink hellium balloons for $2 each. Names will be written on the balloons in memory of, or in recognition, of a breast cancer patient. The Dans will carry the balloons to the field for the National Anthem before they are released.

In addition, the Dans will use pink bats through their 1st at bat. Those bats will be signed by the Dans and become part of a silent auction. 2010 season tickets and souvenir baseballs will also be part of the auction.

GAME ON FOR CELLULAR ONE POSTER NIGHT

TONIGHT'S GAME AGAINST THE RICHMOND RIVER CATS WILL SEE THE FIRST PITCH AT 6:30 PM. IT IS CELLULAR ONE POSTER NIGHT WITH THE 1ST 1000 PEOPLE RECEIVING A POSTER OF THE 2009 DANVILLE DANS.

IT IS ALSO 1ST ILLINOIS CREDIT NIGHT. THE DANS ALSO WELCOME EMPLOYEES OF AUTOZONE.

Dans fall 8-2 to Cavemen

The Hannibal Cavemen used eight unanswered runs to top the Danville Dans 8-2 on Thursday evening at Danville Stadium.

Danville didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard. Byron Williams walked with one out in the bottom of the first, and Nate Johnson followed with a home run to right field for a 2-0 lead.

But it was all Cavemen from there, as they came back in third inning. Curtis Ford walked to open the inning, and Colin Hofmann reached safely when Danville starter Matt Smith’s underhand toss to first on Hofmann’s bunt sailed high. Ashley Graeter followed with a single that hit the third-base bag and popped into left field, scoring Ford. Hofmann later scored on a Grant Dozar sacrifice fly to tie the game at two.

The Cavemen broke the tie in the fourth with three runs with the help of some more shaky Dans defense. Tommy Diibon was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Brett Frantini followed with a single. Garrison McLagen then rolled a grounder to second base that got over the glove of the Dans’ Frank Rawdow, scoring Diibon and sending Frantini to third. Ford singled home Frantini, and McLagen crossed the plate two batters later on a Graeter RBI double to make to 5-2.

The Danville offense was held in check by Graeter, who earned the win for Hannibal and allowed two runs in seven innings while striking out six. The Dans two on with one out in the sixth, but Graeter struck out Richie Goodenow and Austin Green to get out of the jam.

Hannibal added two runs in the seventh on four hits, the damage coming on a Frantini RBI single and a Ford RBI double. Danville again had a chance to rally in the bottom half, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. But Graeter thwarted the rally by retiring Rawdow and Williams on pop-ups in the infield to preserve the 7-2 lead.

The Cavemen scored once more in the ninth on Ford’s RBI double. The second baseman finished 3-for-3 on the night with two RBIs and a run scored, and he reached base in every at-bat, also drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch. Graeter had three hits and a pair of RBIs, while Frantini was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs.

Johnson led the Danville offense, going 2-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs. Smith took the loss for the Dans. The righty allowed five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

With the loss, Danville falls to 21-19 and sits four games behind division leader Quincy.

Dans take two from Hannibal

Danville swept Hannibal in a pair of seven-inning games in a doubleheader Wednesday evening at Danville Stadium. Danville won both games by the score of 3-2.

The Dans won the nightcap in dramatic fashion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Austin Nola got the rally started with a lead-off single and advanced to third with two outs. Dabo Worthington then lined a clutch single into left with to tie the contest, and two batters later pinch hitter Richie Goodenow singled to center for the win.

Game two was a pitcher’s duel in the early going. The game remained scoreless into the sixth inning, as Hannibal pitcher Jon Gulbransen and Danville hurler Codie Rollins were terrific. Gulbransen allowed just one hit in his first four innings of work and retired eight in a row at one point. The only Danville runner get into scoring position in the first four innings was Ryan Van Amburg, who singled to right with two outs in the second and advanced to third when Cavemen right fielder mishandled the ball. But Gulbransen retired Jason Hamm on a strikeout to keep zeroes on the board.

Rollins matched Gulbransen, throwing four scoreless innings and running into his only real trouble in the fourth inning, when he got in a bases-loaded, one-out jam. But Rollins got out of the inning unscathed when he caught Bryce Tafelski looking for strike three and retired Tommy Diibon on a groundout.

Gulbransen got out of a jam of his own in the fifth. With runners at first and second and one out, he induced a foul pop-up off the bat of Austin Nola. Danville’s Lewellyn then got on via an infield single up the middle, but Van Amburg, running from second on the play, was gunned down at the plate trying to steal a run.

Hannibal got in the board in the sixth inning. After two singles and a walk loaded the base with no outs, Bryce Tafelski grounded a ball to short, where Danville’s Nola muffed it for an error, allowing the first run to score. Tommy Diibon followed with a pop-up to right center that deflected off the glove of Mahtook, the Danville center fielder. He threw to second for a force-out, but another run scored to give Hannibal a 2-0 lead.

Danville got a run back in their half of the sixth on an Austin Green RBI single and had a chance to go ahead with the bases loaded and two outs later in the inning. But Johnson’s liner to right was grabbed by a sliding Burton in right field to end the inning and preserve the Hannibal lead for just an inning, until Danville won it with late heroics.

Gulbransen allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision. He struck out seven, allowed four hits and walked three. James Hudelson took the loss for Hannibal, allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Cabral got the win for Danville, throwing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

In game one, Hannibal opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second without a hit. Kyle Gaedele walked to lead off the inning and quickly stole second. After advancing to third on a groundout, he scored on Matt Burton’s RBI groundout to first to give the Cavemen a 1-0 lead.

That advantage didn’t last long, though, as the Dans scored a run of their own in the bottom half. Three walks sandwiched around a pair of outs loaded the bases, and Danville’s Byron Williams came through with a single to center to tie it at one apiece.

Danville tallied another run in the third inning, when Mikie Mahtook led off with a double to left-center field and scored on a Nate Johnson single to right. The Dans missed an excellent chance to extend the lead in the fourth, as they loaded with no outs. But Hannibal starter Karl Whitley dug deep to get out of the jam, retiring Williams on a foul pop-up, Frank Rawdow on a fielder’s choice and Mahtook on a pop-up to second base to get out of the inning unharmed.

The Cavemen tied it in the fifth inning. A walk, a hit by pitch and wild pitch put runners on the corners, and with one out Ashley Graeter singled in Brett Frantini. But Hannibal also squandered any further scoring chances on the play, as Frantini got caught in a rundown between first and second while trying to advance on the throw in. The Danville fielders soon abandoned that rundown to get Curtis Ford, who was running from first on the play. Ford reached third and tried for home before getting tagged out in a rundown for the rarely seen 9-6-3-4-5-2-1 putout.

Danville scored the deciding run in the last of the sixth. Chris Lewellyn led off and reached when his bunt was bobbled by Cavemen first baseman Grant Dozar for an error. Two out later, Lewellyn stole second, and he scored when Johnson, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, lined a single to left.

Danville starter Jacob Lee held Hannibal pitched effectively, giving up two runs in 4 2/3 innings on just one hit while walking three. Greg Houston threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the victory, and Brett Huber picked up the save with a scoreless seventh. Whitley allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings and got a no-decision. Hannibal reliever Justin Lucas took the loss, allowing a run in 1 1/3 innings.

With the sweep, Danville is now 21-18. The Dans and Cavemen play again Thursday in Danville.

Dans top Dragons with two late runs

The Danville Dans rode strong pitching and two eighth-inning runs to a 3-1 victory over the Dupage Dragons on Tuesday evening at Danville Stadium.

Danville opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out singles by Mikie Mahtook and Jason Nappi put runners and first and second. After Mahtook advanced to third on a flyout, Nate Johnson followed with a single to left that gave the Dans a 1-0 lead.

The score would stay that way into the fifth, as Danville starter Justin Amlung and Dupage starter Tom Zelasko were on top of their games. Zelasko allowed just one run in seven innings of work while striking out five. Amlung retired the first seven Dragon batters of the contest, and threw 5 2/3 innings while allowing one unearned run on three hits..

The only time the Dupage got to Amlung was in the top of the fifth. After Barrett Serrato walked to lead off the frame, Matthew Mirabal laid down a sac bunt in front of home plate. Amlung got to the ball in time to make a play, but his throw sailed up the line and Dans first baseman Dabo Worthington couldn’t make the grab with Mirabal arriving at the bag. The runners advanced to second and third on the play, and Serrato eventually scored when Johnson, the Danville catcher, made a throwing error trying to pick off Brian Martin from first.

A great “strike ‘em out, throw ’em out” double play prevented Dupage from scoring any more in the inning and taking the lead. With Martin still on first and Mirabal on third, the count ran full on batter Dan Scahill. With Martin running, Scahill went down swinging, and Johnson fired to second. But Danville second baseman Austin Nola cut the throw off and fired a bullet back to home plate to nail Mirabal, who tried to steal home on the throw, by just an eyelash.

The game remained tied until the Dans half of the eighth, when Worthington led off with a double to left center. He advanced to third on Johnson’s bloop single to left and then scored on Scott Schauer’s sacrifice fly to deep center. Walks to Nola and Byron Williams later in the inning loaded the bases, and the Dans got an insurance run when Ryan Van Amburg scored on a wild pitch to give the game its final margin.

Ryan Cabral picked up the win for Danville. He struck out four in two scoreless innings of work and got the final out when Worthington made a nice running, over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory to end the game with the tying run at the plate.

Taylor Dennis took the loss for Dupage, as he allowed the two runs in the eighth inning. The Dragons were led offensively by Martin, who went 2-for-3 with a walk.

Danville outhit Dupage 10-4 in the game. Johnson, Nappi, Mahtook and Frank Rawdow each had two hits for the Dans. Richie Goodenow was strong in a middle relief role, tossing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and striking out three.

With the win, Danville improves to 19-18. The Dans host Hannibal in a doubleheader Wednesday.

Late rally propels Danville past Springfield

The Danville Dans used a furious late-inning rally to come from behind and defeat the Springfield Sliders 8-7 on Saturday evening at Danville Stadium.

The Dans, who trailed 7-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, scored in each of the last four innings, capping their win with a lone run in the bottom of the ninth on Austin Green’s one-out single to right that scored Austin Nola, who led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.

Danville tied the game in a wild eighth inning that featured three runs, two errors, an ejection and a double play. The inning got started when Chris Lewellyn walked, and Richie Goodenow followed with a routine grounder that got past Sliders first baseman Dennis Vaughn. After a sac fly made the score 7-5, Nate Johnson singled and Dabo Worthington doubled, cutting the deficit to 7-6 and putting runners at second and third.

A walk to Ryan Van Amburg loaded the bases, and it appeared Danville tied it when a 3-1 pitch to Jason Hamm was high and initially not signaled a strike by the home plate umpire. But after the ump raised his hand belatedly to call a strike – prompting Danville manager Pete Paciorek to argue and get ejected – Hamm hit a slow roller to up the middle that was booted by Sliders shortstop Trevor Adams to tie the game at seven. Cody Yount then grounded into a double play to end the inning and set up the last-inning heroics.

Mark Lamm picked up the win for Danville by throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Swank took the loss, throwing 1 1/3 innings and allowing four runs, two of which were earned. Danville starter Matt Smith struggled, going just three innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Springfield controlled the game early behind starter Phil Schreiber, who allowed two runs in six innings.

The Sliders took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Adams. The Dans responded quickly, tying the contest at one in the bottom half when Nola drew a bases-loaded walk after a lengthy at-bat.

But Springfield scored the next six runs with a trio of two-run innings. In the third, Sean Finucane led off with a single and scored on Josh Parr’s RBI double. Parr then came around on a Ryan Mooney single for to give the Sliders a 3-1 lead.

Adams ignited Springfield in the next two innings. In the fourth, he tripled into the right-field corner to plate Scott Thornburg, and two batters later another Finucane single made it 5-1. One frame later, Adams again hit an RBI triple and scored to give Springfield a 7-1 lead.

Danville slowly chipped away at the lead, though. After one-out singles by Van Amburg and Hamm in the sixth inning, a Yount RBI groundout cut the deficit to 7-2. Yount again came through in the seventh, when he drove a two-out, two-run single into left field to make it a 7-4 ballgame.

Until late, the Dans couldn’t fully capitalize on all their chances. In addition to leaving two runners stranded to end the seventh inning, Danville left the bases loaded in the second, fifth and sixth innings. A big reason was the play of TJ Blanton in center field for the Sliders. He ran down a rocket off the bat of Nate Johnson to end the bottom of the fifth, and an inning later he one-upped himself with a sliding catch on Richie Goodenow’s sinking liner.

Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for Springfield, and Parr was 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Nate Johnson led the Danville offense, going 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Yount had three RBIs.

With the win, Danville improves to 17-17 on the year.

GAO GROTTO RESCHEDULES GAME NIGHT

Gao Grotto Night at the Dans has been rescheduled to July 22nd. That night will be a double hearder against Hannibal beginning at 6:00 PM.

MCDONALDS MCPACK THE PLACE RESCHEDULED

Tonight's game against the Danville Dans has been called for rain. McDonalds McPack the Place and WDAN night will be rescheduled for August 1. All McDonalds tickets will be accepted at the gate.

The game against Hannibal will be rescheduled as part of a 6 PM double header on July 22nd.

Watch this site for a Quaker employee night reschedule date as well as the Gao Grotto.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

Tonight's game against the North Coast Knights was called approximately 1 hour after game time due to rain and field conditions.

If the game is needed in the standings, it will be rescheduled late in the season.

For current game information call 217-497-2261.

July 8 Game

At this time, crews are working on the field. We will do everything possible to play tonight's game. Expect the possibility of a late start.

Dans top Quincy in rain-shortened contest

Danville Stadium was home to a pitcher’s duel amidst a driving rain Tuesday night, and it was the home team Dans who came out victorious with a 2-0 win over the Quincy Gems in a game that was called in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the rain.

The game was scoreless into the bottom of the fifth, when Danville’s Jason Nappi drew a one-out walk. Two batters later, Dabo Worthington provided the only offense of the game when he hit a high fly to left field that carried through the rain and just over the fence for a two-run homer.

The starting pitchers were on top of their games early on. Danville hurler Aaron Lambrix worked around a bases loaded jam in the first inning by striking out the side. Nine of the first 12 outs Lambrix got came via the strikeout, and he fanned 11 in the contest.

Lambrix (2-2) allowed just four hits and walked two in his six-inning, rain-shortened complete game. At one point, he retired 10 consecutive Quincy hitters.

Quincy starter Jarred Hippen was strong in the early going as well. The lefty allowed just one hit in the first four frames and struck out seven in the game. Hippen was helped by strong defense from center fielder Luke Schlecte, who threw out Danville’s Scott Schauer at the plate in the second inning after Chris Lewellyn’s single up the middle.

Hippen (4-2) gave up two runs on two hits and walked four, with Worthington’s home run being his only blemish. He was relieved by Aaron Brett to begin the bottom half of the sixth, but the game was called after Quincy third baseman John Lorenz slipped and fell while attempting to field a slow roller off the bat of the leadoff man, Schauer.

There were only seven total hits in the game, and no player had multiple hits. The Gems left runners in scoring position in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

Danville manager Pete Paciorek was ejected in the bottom of the fourth for arguing.

With the win, the Dans improve to 15-15 while Quincy drops to 19-9.

Dans split with Dubois

The Danville Dans and Dubois County Bombers split a pair of seven-inning games Wednesday night at Danville Stadium. Danville took the first contest 5-1 with some timely late hitting, and Dubois responded with a 5-4 win in a back-and-forth battle in game two.

In game one, Justin Miller and John Hotta each doubled in the second inning to give Dubois an early 1-0 lead. The Bombers kept that advantage behind some great pitching early on from starter Joe Ochs, who was perfect through the first four innings.

But Danville got to Ochs in the fifth. Dabo Worthington led off with a double, and Austin Green knocked him in with a triple to deep left-center field that just deflected off the glove of diving Bombers center fielder Gavin Green. Jason Nappi then followed with a sharp single up the middle to give the Dans a 2-1 lead, even though they’d been outhit 6-3 at that point.

Danville added on in the sixth inning. Chris Lewellyn reached on an error, and Jason Hamm singled. Nate Johnson then ended any hope of a Bombers comeback with a three-run shot to right field that chased Ochs and gave the game its final 5-1 margin.

Aaron Lambrix (2-1) picked up the win for Danville, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and kept the game close early by escaping a one-out jam with runners on second and third in the fourth inning. Greg Houston got his second save of the year by stranding two runners in the sixth inning and pitching a scoreless seventh.

Ochs (0-1) took the loss for Dubois. He allowed five run – four earned – in 5 1/3 innings. At the plate in game one, the Bombers were led by Miller, who went 3-for-3 with a run and two doubles.

Danville had five players with one hit and – in the quirky stat-of-the-day column – didn’t strand a runner in game one.

In the second contest, the Bombers went ahead 1-0 on a Miller RBI single in the first inning. The Dans responded in the bottom half with two runs on an Austin Green RBI groundout and a run-scoring wild pitch.

It stayed that way until the fourth inning, when Dubois’ Brennan Malham had an RBI triple and scored on a Hotta sacrifice fly. That lead was short-lived, however, as Ryan Van Amburg drilled a pitch into deep center and raced around the bases for a rare inside-the-park home run

The Danville lead didn’t last long either. In the top of the fifth, Chadd Krist laid a perfectly-place bunt down the third-base line for a single. He then scored on Malham’s second extra-base hit of the contest, a double to left field that tied the game at four.

It was Hotta who came up with the biggest hit, though. The right fielder smacked a two-out RBI triple to score Malham with the winning run in the top of the seveth.

The two starting pitchers took no-decisions. Danville’s Codie Rollins allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings, and Dubois’ Phillip Byrd gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Mark Lamm took the loss for Danville, while James Page picked up the win. Matt Antos threw a 1-2-3 seventh for the save.

At the plate, the Bombers were led by Malham, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs, a double and a triple. Danville only managed three hits in the loss and was paced by Van Amburg’s 1-for-2, two-RBI performance.

With the split, the Dans are now 12-13. Their next home contest is Tuesday against the Quincy Gems.

Dans top Blue Sox 5-4

The Danville Dans got some luck in a crazy ninth inning to break out of a skid and grab a 5-4 win over the Butler Blue Sox on Tuesday evening at Danville Stadium.

With two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game, Danville’s Jason Hamm hit a blooper into short center field. Butler shortstop Aaron Ordy got to the ball in plenty of time and appeared to initially make the catch. But the ball found its way to the outfield grass for a game-ending hit, giving the Dans a victory after they had lost six of their last seven.

Before the final heroics, Danville’s Byron Williams drew a two-out walk and stole second. But he was injured on the stolen base, forcing the Dans to put in pitcher Jacob Lee as a pinch runner. After Chris Lewellyn walked, both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch to set up the wild last play.

Danville used some small ball to strike first in the bottom of the second. Austin Green led off with a walk, and a Jason Nappi single put runners on first and second. Ryan Van Amburg then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, and Donavan Drake followed with an RBI groundout to second to plate Green for a 1-0 lead.

The Dans widened the lead with a three-run third inning. Nappi had an RBI double into the right-field gap, and Van Amburg followed with a clutch two-out, two-run single that bounced just in front of Blue Sox right fielder Brian Youchuk to make it 4-0.

Smith ran into his only trouble in the fifth inning, when Butler scored three runs. Zachary Noonan’s RBI single got the Blue Sox on the board, and Ordy scored when Smith made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt with runners on the corners. Noonan, who had advanced to second on the error, then scored on Brian Youchuk’s RBI single that took a crazy hop over the head of shortstop Lewellyn.

Smith turned in a quality start, allowing three runs – none earned – on six hits in six innings of work. He got a no-decision, though, because the Blue Sox got to Danville reliever Kyle Donawerth in the eighth, when Ryan McChesney hit a bloop RBI single into left field to score Youchuk.

Donawerth was solid, throwing three innings of one-run ball on two hits while striking out four. He picked up his first win of the year with the Dans’ ninth inning heroics.

Butler starter Tom Kahl went five innings and allowed four runs, all earned. He struck out eight and got a no-decision. Reliever Derek Peluso was the hard-luck loser, allowing just the one unearned run in 3 2/3 innings of work and striking out five.

Nappi and Hamm each had two hits for Danville, and Van Amburg had two RBIs. The Blue Sox were led by Youchuk’s three-hit performance.

With the win, Danville improves to 11-12 on the season. The Dans are at home for a doubleheader against Dubois on Wednesday.

Dans suffer fourth straight loss

Danville came out on the losing end of a game that began as a pitcher’s duel Thursday evening against the Springfield Sliders at Danville Stadium. The contest was tied 1-1 heading into the seventh inning, when the Sliders scored three times en route to an 8-1 win.

Springfield struck first in the top half of the opening frame. Mike McQuillan singled, stole second and scored on Ryan Mooney’s RBI single. The game stayed scoreless for the next four innings in large part to quality starting pitching. Dans starter Aaron Lambrix allowed just one run on four hits in four innings of work. He was aided by a great defensive play in the fourth inning. With one out and a runner on first, shortstop Frank Rawdow made a diving stop on a ball up the middle and made a backhanded flip to second baseman Chris Lewellyn, who barehanded the ball for the out.

Sliders starter Dillon Napolean was on top of his game as well. The right-hander allowed one run on four hit in five innings of work. His only blemish was when Dans center fielder Byron Williams knocked a two-out RBI single to center field in the fifth inning to tie the game at one apiece. Reliever Sam Dawes followed Napolean, throwing three no-hit innings and picking up the win when the Sliders came through with a big inning.

Sean Finucane and Scott Thornburg led off with singles in the seventh for Springfield. Jarred Peper then reached safely to load the bases when Danville reliever Kyle Donawerth hesitated and had no play after fielding the sacrifice bunt. TJ Blanton was hit by a pitch to force in the go-ahead run, and a wild pitch and a Mooney sacrifice fly gave the Sliders a 4-1 lead.

Springfield increased their lead with two runs in the eighth inning on a Thornburg RBI single and a Peper RBI double and added two more in the ninth.

Mooney batted 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run. Thornburg was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and McQuillan had two hits and two RBIs. Springfield finished with 14 hits.

Ryan Livingstone threw two scoreless innings of relief for Danville. At the plate, the Dans only had four hits. Ryan Van Amburg was 1-for-3 with a run.

Danville falls to 9-10 on the year with the loss. The Dans next home game is Saturday against Slippery Rock.

Dupage defeats Dans, 10-3

The Dupage Dragons used four multi-run innings to run away with a 10-3 win against Danville on Wednesday evening at Danville Stadium.

After Dupage scored a pair of runs in the top half of the second inning, the Dans responded. Dabo Worthington was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, and Jason Nappi followed with a single. Two outs later, Cody Yount then lined a two-run single to right field that tied the contest at two.

The Dragons took the lead for good in the fourth inning on a Sean Flanagan two-run double down the third base line that made the score 4-2. Danville had a great chance to tie it in the bottom half. Nappi scored on a Jason Hamm RBI single to make to 4-3, and with no outs, the Dans had runners at second and third. But Dragons starter Eric Wagner got out of the jam with a strikeout and two flyouts to escape further damage.

Dupage stretched its lead to 7-3 with a three-run fifth inning, which was highlighted by Grant Fillipitch’s two-run single. The Dragons put the game out of reach in the eighth with three more runs on RBI singles from Greg Stolzenburg, Brian Riegler and Austin Kingsolver.

It wasn’t Wagner who got the win for Dupage; rather it was reliever Casey Webber, who came on to start the fifth and threw four scoreless innings on three hits while striking out three. Wagner allowed three runs on six hits in four innings of work.

Danville starter Codie Rollins went 4 1/3 innings and took the loss. He allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two. Richie Goodenow came on in relief and continued his strong pitching. He threw 2 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, but both were unearned.

Hamm was 2-for-4 with a run and two stolen bases. Nappi and Byron Williams each had two hits as well for Danville, and Yount finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

Flanagan batted 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run for the Dragons. Dave Reynolds was 3-for-4 with two runs, and Stolzenburg and Fillipitch each had two RBIs. Dupage outhit Danville 11-10. Everyone in the Dupage lineup reached base at least once, and eight of nine had hits.

Danville falls to 9-9 with the loss, while Dupage improves to 8-8. The Dans are at home twice more this week, on Thursday against Springfield and Saturday against Slippery Rock.

Dans fall 4-2 to Springfield

Despite a late rally, the Dans fell 4-2 to the Springfield Sliders on Tuesday evening at Danville Stadium. After being silenced by seven shutout innings from Sliders starter Calvin Gunter, the Danville offense came to life in the eighth inning.

Frankie Rawdow and Jason Nappi drew walks, and with two outs Nate Johnson lined a two-run double to right field to cut a four-run deficit in half. But that would be all the offense in the game, as the Sliders got out of the inning and TJ Swank threw a 1-2-3 ninth for the save and the West Division win.

Gunter (2-2) was on from the start. The lefty allowed just three hits on the night, and two of those were infield singles. He also struck out five while picking up the win.

Springfield scored single runs in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings. In the second, third baseman Ryan Mooney walked and scored on David Allday’s RBI double off the wall in right-center field.

In the third, Denny Vaughn walked, stole second and scored on a single off the bat of Adam Muenster. The Sliders added runs later on another Muenster RBI single and a wild pitch that plated Josh Parr. Muenster finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while teammate Mike McQuillan batted 3-for-5 and scored a run.

Matt Smith (2-1) took the loss for the Dans. He threw five innings and allowed three runs on six hits and three walks. The Danville bullpen was strong, as Donavan Drake gave up one run in three innings of relief and Ryan Livingstone threw a scoreless ninth inning.

Johnson batted 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Chris Lewellyn tripled for the Dans. Nappi reached base three times for Danville, going 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run. But the rest of the offense struggled. The eighth inning was the only frame in which the Dans put multiple runners on base, and Danville was outhit 10-4.

With the loss, the Dans fall to 9-8 on the year. Their next home game is Wednesday against the Dupage Dragons. Danville also will be at home Thursday and Saturday.

DANS AT HOME TONIGHT

The Danville Dans are home tonight against Springfield at 6:30 PM. The game is sponsored by Danville Light Opera. The Dans are also home tomorrow against Dupage, Thursday against Springfield again, and Saturday against Slippery Rock.

Special thanks to McLane Midwest, Iroquois Federal, Provena, and Toyota for sponsoring fireworks after the game on Saturday night the 27th!

We will also welcome Fiberteq employees Saturday night who found their night rained out.

Dans take two from the Sliders

The Dans used two big innings and solid pitching to take a pair of 4-3 games from the Springfield Sliders on a hot and humid evening at Danville Stadium on Saturday.

Due to inclement weather Friday, the teams played a pair of seven-inning games. In game one, Danville did all its damage in the first inning. Chris Lewellyn and Frank Rawdow led off the game with back-to-back singles, and Austin Green followed with a shot down the left-field line for a two-run double. After a walk to Dabo Worthington put runners at first and second, Nate Johnson drilled a one-out single that the Sliders right fielder Adam Muenster misplayed for an error, allowing two more runs to score.

Danville would need all of its 4-0 lead. Springfield scored a run in the second inning on an Anthony Clark RBI single. Then in the fourth inning, the Sliders cut the lead to 4-3 when they plated a pair of runs on a Mike McQuillan RBI groundout and a TJ Blanton RBI infield single.

But there would be no more scoring in the contest. Dans reliever Richie Goodenow (1-0) came in to shut down the Sliders, as he threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win. With one out in the seventh inning, Goodenow turned the ball over to Aaron Lambrix, who picked up the final two outs to earn his second save of the year.

Each team had just four hits in the opening contest. Otto Roberts took the loss for Springfield. He pitched five innings and allowed all four runs – three earned – while striking out six and walking four. Starting hurler Codie Rollins got a no-decision for Danville. He threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs – one earned – on four hits and three walks while striking out three.

Just as they did in the first game, the Dans had an early four-run inning in game two, this time in the second frame. Worthington opened the inning with a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. He then scored Jason Nappi’s RBI groundout. Danville was far from done, though. After Nate Johnson and Ryan Van Amburg reached base, Goodenow laced a two-run double to right field. He later scored on a throwing error by Springfield starting pitcher Joe Neff that put Danville in front 4-0.

Justin Amlung (1-0) was stellar on the mound for the Dans. The right-hander allowed just one run in four innings of work and left with a 4-1 lead. Springfield made it close again, scoring twice in the sixth inning when Blanton crossed the plate on an error and Clay Cuno followed with a sac fly to give the game its final margin. But the Dans’ Mark Lamm relieved bullpen mate Kyle Donawerth with two outs in the sixth inning and the Sliders threatening. He struck out McQuillan with runners on the corners and went on to pick up a four-out save.

Goodenow batted 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs in game two, and Dabo Worthington was 1-for-1 with two walks and a run. Neff took the loss for Springfield, as he allowed four runs on six hits in four innings.

The wins give the Dans a four-game winning streak and improve their record to 8-6 on the year. Danville has home games at 6:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.

RAINOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tarp was down, but the downpour was too severe to begin play this evening. Tomorrow night, Sat. July 20th, will become a 6 pm double header against Springfield.

DANS AT HOME ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

The Danville Dans are home tonight, Friday, June 19 for a 6:30 PM game vs the Springfield Sliders. Sponsors are the Vermilion County Farm Bureau, Westville American Legion Post 51, and C.U.B.S. (Champaign Urbana Baseball Stalwarts). Calvary Baptist Church and the Vermilion County Speedway are special Guests tonight.

Tomorrow night, Saturday, June 20th, is sponsored by D.A.R.E. and Health Alliance.

Our next home game is Tuesday, June 23.

Smith throws gem as Dans top Dupage

In a game that featured only eight total hits, Matt Smith was brilliant on the mound to lead the Danville Dans to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Dupage Dragons on a muggy Thursday evening at Danville Stadium. Smith (2-0) allowed just two hits in six shutout innings while striking out three to pick up the win.

Ryan Van Amburg provided all the support Smith would need with a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the fourth. Dabo Worthington’s double to left and Nate Johnson’s walk set up Van Amburg’s two-out homer, his first of the season.

The game was scoreless through three innings. After giving up a one-out single in the first inning, Smith retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced, including seven in a row at one point. Dupage starter Steve Sabatino matched Smith pitch for pitch in the early going, as he gave up just one hit in his first three innings of work.

Despite taking the loss, Sabatino (0-2) was solid on the hill for Dupage. He allowed the three runs on the homer while giving up four hits and striking out two in six innings. Casey Webber relieved Sabatino and threw two scoreless innings to keep the game close.

The only time the Dragons seriously threatened was in the seventh inning, when they picked up their only run on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. But with runners at second and third and one out, Dans reliever Mark Lamm struck out Barrett Serrato and induced a groundout from Brian Riegler to get out of the inning without further damage.

Richie Goodenow pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Dans, and Aaron Lambrix picked up his first save of the year with a scoreless ninth of his own. The Danville pitchers combined to walk just one Dragon on the night.

Only four players had hits in the contest. Dabo Worthington led the Dans at the plate, as he had three of his team’s four hits, including two doubles. Van Amburg finished 1-for-3 with the home run and three RBIs. Dupage got two hits each from shortstop Grant Fillipitch and left fielder Matthew Mirabal.

With the win, Danville improves to 6-6 and trails division-leading Quincy by three games, pending the Gems’ result Thursday evening. Dupage falls to 5-6 with the loss.

DAN NAMED ALL-AMERICAN

The American Baseball Coaches Association have announced the ABCA/Rawlings Sporting Goods All-American teams. Among the honorees is Dans' Louis Coleman (2006), named 1st team. Coleman is currently with LSU participating in the College World Series. He was recently taken in the 5th round by Kansas City.

Pre-game report, June 19th

Currently, tonight's game vs Dupage is scheduled to start on time.

FORMER DANS SIGNS FREE AGENT

Former Dans infielder (2006), Denny Duron, (Pepperdine)has signed a free-agent contract with the Texas Rangers. Duron is en route to play for their short-season class A affiliate in Spokane, Washington.

Duron completed he career at Pepperdine as the West Coast Conference's Defensive Player of the Year after making just three errors at the shortstop position through 173 changes. He also helped turn 20 double plays and led the team with 119 assists.

Nappi returns to Dans

Jason Nappi (Mississippi State-Dans 2007) has joined the Dans roster. A sophomore from Birmingham, AL, Nappi is expected to play in a utility outfield, third base, and DH role for the Dans. Jason is majoring in banking and finance and is a 2 time SEC Academic Honor Roll student.

THIS WEEK WITH THE DANS

The Dans are scheduled to be home for 4 games this week of June 15th. They are home Tuesday night against Dubois (unsponsored). Don't foret Two Buck Tuesday Night in the Beer concession. The Dans meet Dupage at home on Thursday night (Thrivent Thursday). See your Thrivent Financial representative or a Lutheran Church member. On Friday, against Springfield, we will honor our veterans with the game sponsored by Westville American Legion Post 51, the Vermilion County Farm Bureau, and C.U.B.S. (Champaign Urbana Baseball Stalwarts). We will also welcome employees of Fiberteq that evening.

Dans fall, 7-4, to Quincy

An exciting game preceded an exciting fireworks display, but the Danville Dans came out on the wrong end of a Prospect League contest and lost to the Quincy Gems, 7-4, on Friday evening at Danville Stadium.

Quincy struck first when designated hitter Zach Miller scored on a wild pitch in the second inning. But it was the fourth inning that undid the Dans, as the Gems scored six times in the frame. Jon Myers got it going right away with a solo homer on the first pitch of the inning off Dans starter Donavan Drake. The Gems then used two walks and four more hits, including a two-run double from left fielder Jordin Hood, to take a 7-0 lead.

Danville chipped away at the deficit in the middle innings, scoring once in the fourth and the fifth and twice in the sixth. A Ryan Van Amburg walk and a Cody Yount single started the fourth. After advancing to third base, Van Amburg scored on an RBI groundout by Richie Goodenow.

In the fifth, Austin Green doubled to with one out. Dabo Worthington followed by drilling a ball off the left-field wall for another double to plate Green and cut the score to 7-2.

The Dans had an eventful sixth inning. Jason Hamm reached on an error to lead off, and with one out, Byron Williams and Chris Lewellyn drew walks to load the bases. Frank Rawdow then singled to left to score Hamm, but Williams was thrown out at the plate for the second out.

The Dans weren’t done, however, as Lewellyn stole third and scored an overthrow by the catcher to cut the score to 7-4. After another Quincy error and a walk to Worthington loaded the bases, it appeared Danville added one more run, as the field umpire called time and seemed ready to call a balk. But after conferring with the home plate ump, he thought otherwise and Van Amburg popped out to shortstop following a lengthy at-bat to end the inning.

The Danville offense couldn’t get anything going late, though, as it was held scoreless in the last three innings. Matt Tracey picked up the win for Quincy, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing four runs on four hits while walking six and striking out four. Donavan took the loss for the Dans, as he gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Brett Huber, Goodenow and Mark Lamm pitched well in relief for Danville, combining to throw 5 2/3 innings of two-hit ball without allowing a run. No one on the Danville offense had more than one hit. Worthington, Goodenow and Frank Rawdow each had an RBI. With the loss, Danville drops to 4-4 on the season.

MBL BASEBALL SELECTS 1 MORE DAN

Ricky Bowen (Dans 2007 - Miss State) was drafted in the 43rd round by the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the 9th Dan drafted in this years Major League Draft.

Goodenow's homer propels Dans to win

Richie Goodenow's three-run homer in his Dans debut led Danville a 6-3 win over Hannibal on Thursday evening at Danville Stadium.

Goodenow's blast over the right-field wall came in a big fourth inning for the Dans. The inning started with back-to-back singles from Dabo Worthington and Ryan Van Amburg. Cody Yount then followed with a walk to load the bases, and Worthington scored the first Danville run on a wild pitch. With runners at second and third, Jason Hamm grounded a ball back to the mound, prompting Van Amburg to be tagged out in a rundown between third and home despite it appearing that he was interfered with. That made Dans fans angry, but the tide quickly turned when Goodenow homered to put the Dans ahead 4-3.

Matt Smith got the win for Danville, throwing five innings and allowing three runs - two earned - on five hits while striking out four. Justin Amblung was terrific in relief of Smith, holding the Caveman scoreless in three innings on one hit while striking out five. Ryan Cabral walked two men in the ninth inning to load the bases after an error, but he picked up the save by catching Hannibal's Matt Burton looking on a called third strike.

It didn't look good for Danville early, as the Caveman scored three runs in the first three innings. Hannibal used four hits, including two infield hits and a bloop single to shallow right field, to score twice in the second inning. The Caveman added a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Matt Gaudet after two Danville errors put runners on second and third. Both team's defenses were shaky in the contest, as Danville made four errors and Hannibal made three.

Hannibal would not score in the last six innings, and Danville got a couple insurance runs in the fifth inning on Hamm's two-out, two-run single to center that made the score 6-3.

Frankie Rawdow, Worthington and Van Amburg each had two hits for the Dans. Hamm had two RBIs and Goodenow, who attends Vanderbilt, had three. Worthington scored twice. Hannibal's Roy Metter was hit hard, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

With the win, Danville improves to 4-3 on the season. The Dans next game is at home Friday night against the division-leading Quincy Gems.

DAN ADDED IN FINAL DAY OF DRAFT

2007 Danville Dan, A.J. Griffin (Univ of San Diego) became the 8th Dan drafted in this year's major league draft. A.J. was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 34th round.

DANS TAKE DUPAGE

The Danville Dans defeated the Dupage Dragons tonight (Weds) by a score of 5-4. A key hit by Frank Rawdow, and a sparkling defensive play by Chris Lewellyn contributed to the win.

DANS DRAFT UPDATE.....

Seven Dans were drafted in day 1 and 2 of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

Dans alumni Louis Coleman (2006-LSU) was drafted by Kansas City and teammate Ryan Schimpf (2007-LSU))by the Toronto Blue Jays, both in the 5th round. Schimpf and Coleman are currently headed to Omaha to particpate in the College World Series, which begins June 13.

Dan David Born (2006- Long Beach) & Evan Button (2006-Ole Miss) were drafted in the 22nd round. Born by Colorado and Button by Arizona.

Chris McGinnis (2007-Citadel) was drafted by Boston in the 13th round, and Dan Black (2007-Purdue) was drafted in the 14th round by the Chicago White Sox.

Dan Kazrowski (Hamline University), 2008 League MVP, was drafted by the Diamondbacks. The 2nd/SS went in the 26th round.

Day 3 is the last day of the draft which begins at 10:30 AM tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Dans lose, 5-2, to Dubois County

Playing the Dubois County Bombers for the fourth time in their first five games, the Danville Dans couldn’t muster much offense and fell 5-2 on Tuesday night at Danville Stadium.

Danville opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Chris Lewellyn and Nate Johnson led the game off with back-to-back singles, and with one out, Dabo Worthington singled to left to plate Lewellyn.

Dubois County responded quicky, though, scoring two runs in the top of the second. After doubling to right field, the Bombers’ Jared Broughton scored on an RBI single by Dan Nichols. Nichols then stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Brennan Malham that gave Dubois County a lead it would never relinquish.

The Bombers added a run in the third on another Nichols RBI single and pulled away in the fifth inning when catcher Chadd Krist drilled a two-run double to left for a 5-1 lead.

A scary moment occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Bombers left fielder Gavin Green crashed headfirst into the wall while diving for a long drive off the bat of Worthington that ended up going for a double. After staying down for several minutes, Green walked off the field under his own power.

With two outs and Worthington on second after the play, the Dans had a chance to cut into the score but couldn’t capitalize. Austin Green grounded a ball to shortstop and reached safely via an error when the Bombers’ first baseman Wes Fink couldn’t hold onto the low throw. But Worthington took a wide turn around third on the play and had little choice but to try for home, where he was thrown out by a couple steps to end the inning and the potential rally.

The Dans chipped away at the lead in the seventh inning. With one out, Cody Yount singled to left and Frankie Rawdow followed with a walk. Two batters later, Lewellyn knocked an RBI single to right to cut the score to 5-2. But with Ryan Cabral at the plate, Lewellyn was tagged out in a rundown trying to steal second before Rawdow could cross the plate and score a run.

Jaehne Llanas picked up the win for Dubois County. Llanas threw six innings, allowing just one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five. James Murrey took the loss for Danville. After throwing four innings without allowing an earned run against Dubois County in the season opener Thursday night, the righty struggled, allowing five runs on nine hits in five innings of work.

The Bomber didn’t score after the fifth inning, as Cabral pitched three inninsg for the Dans without allowing a run. Green, who moved to the mound from right field, threw a scoreless ninth inning.

Worthington led the Danville offense in the game, batting 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. For the season, the first baseman is hitting a scorching .529. Lewellyn batted 2-for-4 with a run, and Yount was 1-for-4 with a run. The Bombers outhit the Dans 11-7, and Danville managed just four hits in the last eight innings of the game. With the loss, the Dans fall to 2-3 on the young season, while Dubois County improves to 2-3.

CWS Schedule

See Dans alumni & incoming players in the CWS - Sat., June 13, Game 2 @ 6:00 PM CT - LSU vs Viginia (ESPN). Sunday, June 14, 1:00 PM, Arizona St. vs North Carolina (ESPN2).

WHEN YOU CAN'T GET TO THE BALLPARK

For live audio broadcasts of all home games this year, go to www.vermilioncountyfirst.com or www.1490wdan.com. You can also access from this blog on the upper right hand side of the opening page.

For live stats home and away, go to this site, http://danvilledans.blogspot.com. In the righthand corner, you will see pointstreak stats. Click and you will be on a scoreboard page. Look for the Dans in one of the boxes, and click the launch button at the bottom of the box.

Selected games will also be broadcast live, by the WDAN A-Team, on WDAN 1490.

DANS HEAD TO COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Congratulations to the Danville Dans who are heading to the College World Series (June 13th to June 23/24).

Seven Dans will be represented in Omaha. From Arizona State, Andrew Pollack (2008). From LSU, Ryan Byrd (2005), Louis Coleman (2006), Ryan Schimpf (2007), Austin Ross (2008), Mikie Mahtook (2009), and Austin Nola (2009).

The CWS can be followed on the following web sites, and will be broadcased on ESPN.

http://www.cwsomaha.com/
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-basebl/ncaa-m-basebl-body.html

DANS AT HOME

The Dans are at home this week on Tuesday vs Dubois (St. James Fellowship Night), Thursday vs Hannibal (Thrivent Thursday-every Thursday) and Friday vs Quincy (Fireworks sponsored by Danville Township, Vermilion County Federation of Labor). Game sponsor only is Thrivent Financial-Vermilion County. We also welcome Fiberteq employees.
All games begin at 6:30 PM.

Remember that every Tuesday is Two Buck Tuesday at the beer concession and that every Thursday is Thrivent Thursday night.

Dans top Dubois County to take Prospect League opener

The Dans used speed, a timely hit and a few helpful walks to win their Prospect League opener Thursday night in Danville.

Austin Green’s RBI single to right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Danville a 3-2 win over the Dubois County Bombers. The rally started when Byron Williams drew a one-out walk and stole second. Williams then took third base on a passed ball on ball four to Frankie Rawdow. Following that, Ryan Van Amburg was intentionally walked and David “Dabo” Washington struck out to set up Green’s heroics that moved Danville to 1-0 on the season.

Aaron Lambrix took the win in relief for the Dans by striking out the side on just 11 pitches in a scoreless ninth inning. Brett Merkley took the loss for the Bombers, who fell to 0-1.

Dubois County opened the scoring in the fourth inning with the help of some shaky defense from the Dans. The Bombers’ Daniel Nichols and Brennan Malham reached on errors to open the inning. With one out, Nichols scored on a slow-rolling RBI groundout to second base off the bat of Sean Estand.

The Dans responded in the bottom half with a run of their own. Worthington walked to lead off the inning, then stole second. Worthington advanced to third base on Austin Green’s single to left before scoring on Jason Hamm’s RBI groundout to shortstop.

Starting pitcher James Murrey was strong in four innings of work for Danville. Murrey allowed just one run, which was unearned, on four hits and no walks while striking out six. Jacob Lee threw three innings of relief and struck out five and walked three without allowing a hit. The only trouble Lee ran into was in the fifth, when he walked the Bombers’ John Hotto to lead off the inning. Hotto quickly stole second and third before scoring on a passed ball to give Dubois County a 2-1 lead.

But Lee settled down from there, and Kyle Donawerth threw a scoreless eighth inning to set up the Dans’ rally in the bottom half, when Van Amburg, Green and Jason Hamm each drew walks in the span of four batters to load the bases. Cody Yount then took four straight pitches out of the zone to tie the game 2-2.

There wasn’t much scoring early, as Dubois County starter Shawn Marquardt allowed one run on three hits and three walks in six innings while striking out three. Reliever Joe Ochs allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings before being replaced by Merkley, who was charged with the ninth-inning run and the loss. Merkley struggled with his control, walking four in 2/3 innings of work.

Green, who plays his college ball at San Diego, led the Dans on offense, as he went 2-for-4 with a walk and the game-winning RBI. Worthington was 1-for-4 with a walk, a run and a stolen base. The Dans had just four hits in the game but did draw 11 walks. The Danville pitchers combined to strike out 15 Bombers batters.

DANS ALUM TAKE TOP HONORS

Five Danville Dans earned All-WCC (West Coast Conference) honors this season. Junior outfielder, James Meador (Univ of San Diego - Danville Dans 2007)has been named Conference Player of the Year where he led the league in batting (.438) hits (39), and total bases (60) during conference play. He was very consistent for San Diego as he recorded multiple hits in 15 of 21 league games.

Denny Duron, (Pepperdine University – Dans 2006),was named WCC Defensive Player of the year. He led the Waves with 115 assists. His strength as a defender was taking away hits up the middle and through the hole on the left side as he routinely displayed great range and a strong arm.

Joining Meador and Duron on the All-conference team were A.J.Griffin (University of San Diego – Dans 2007) and Zach Walters (Dans 2008). The 6’5” Griffin entered the season as the all-time leader in career saves, which now stands at 28, before having to move into a starting role for the Toreros, due to injuries on the USD pitching staff. Zach Walters, a 6’3” sophomore, had a break out season. In league games, Walters hit .383 with 31 hits, 6 doubles, 3 triples and 1 home run. Overall, he led the team with a .377 batting average and 24 RBI.

Rounding out those honored is Matt Bywater (Dans 2008), who registered a perfect 4-0 record against conference opponents through 5 starts. He struck out 33 and limited opposing hitters to a .205 batting average.

DANS TAKE SEC'S TOP HONORS

LSU's Louis Coleman (Danville Dan Dans 2006)has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year. Coleman went 10-2 on the mound with a 2.99 ERA to lead the SEC in wins. He also struck out 105 batters this season while walking only 19 in 90-plus-innings pitched.

LSU's Ryan Schimpf (Dans 2007) has been named to the All-SEC team and Mikie Mahtook (Dans 2009) to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

In addition, Coleman and Tyler Whitney (Miss. State - Dans 2007) have been named to the SEC Baseball Community Service Team. Coleman is the leader of the Tigers's community service effort, frequently scheduling visits on his own to schols and hospitals in the Baton Rouge area, meeting with patients and their families. He participated Hurricane Gustav relief work, in the ALS Walk (promoted awareness of Lou Gehrig's Disease) and the Buddy Walk (Down Syndrome). He also engineered the baseball team's Adopt A Child program to help raise money so underprivileged families could give gifts to their children.

Whitney, a 3 time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, participated in the MSU M-Club's annual Thanksgiving canned food drive, the Bully's Book Blitze to encourage the development of reading skills, and served as vice-president the MSU M-Club (letterman's organization). He was elected president for 2009-10.