Believe in Ghosts

By Ben Diggle — Peoria Journal Star
 

JOLIET - Illinois Valley Central seniors Chris Shindley and Joel Perez have been best friends since childhood.

In fact, a quick glance at Shindley's MySpace Web page shows a picture of the pair playing in a hotel pool while on vacation at age 11. The picture simply is captioned: "Me trying to drown Joel."

Like many American kids, they planned one day to lead their high school to a state title. On Saturday night, the pair realized that dream and led IVC to the Class A state baseball title at Silver Cross Field, with an 8-3 victory over Trenton Wesclin.

It is the first team state championship in the Chillicothe school's history, and second team trophy. The first was won in March, when the Grey Ghosts basketball team finished second to Seneca at the small-school basketball finals.

Both Shindley and Perez were starters on the basketball team, and Saturday's victory erased the sour taste of a game nearly won on March 11. In the 47-44 loss to Seneca, Shindley lofted a final shot, a 3-point prayer from the right corner. The ball appeared to be on target, but it struck the side of the backboard and bounded away as time expired.

Shindley earned his redemption on the pitcher's mound Saturday. After senior Zach McAllister and freshman Chris Razo pitched the Grey Ghosts (40-2) to the title game with a pair of solid performances, IVC coach Jerry Rashid tabbed Shindley to start the title game. The senior had not made a pitching appearance since May 14, but Rashid started him with these instructions: "Just eat up the innings. I asked him to give us three or four innings and we'd be in good shape."

Eating was no easy task for a 6-foot-4 kid that weighs just 175 pounds, but he did it. Shindley (6-0) got off to a rough start, surrendering one run in the first inning on an RBI double by Richie Derbak, but settled in and allowed just one run the rest of the way. He struck out two and walked four.

"I've been working in the bullpen, but it isn't the same as pitching," Shindley said. "I just had faith in my defense and they made plays behind me."

Rashid lifted Shindley with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, after he let runners reach second and third.

"Coach came out to the mound and said he wanted to win a state championship," Shindley said. "So he brought in Zach."

Rashid brought in ace Zach McAllister to close out the game. McAllister hit the first batter, then surrendered an RBI single before striking out Daniel Covert to end the game.

"We talked about it before the game and decided I had 20-30 pitches," said McAllister, who threw 83 pitches in Friday's quarterinal win over Richmond-Burton. "But my arm felt good."

For Perez, the title was even sweeter. During the Grey Ghosts' basketball run, Perez was hampered by a lung infection and a sprained ankle and didn't perform well in the finals.

"I was a little sick, a little injured," Perez said of his performance on the basketball court. "But that's no excuse and those guys picked me in March.

"I just tried to do the same today."

On Saturday, Perez finished 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs to lead IVC's offensive attack.

"The adrenaline was pumping," Perez said. "I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and give it a poke."

IVC's offense was aided by a state-title game record five errors by Wesclin. Those errors led to starter Justin Litteken giving up six runs, but only two of them earned.

"We didn't make plays in the field and didn't run the bases well," Wesclin coach John Groennert said. "When you kick it around five times, you're not going to win many games."

After the final out was recorded, IVC was feted with a fireworks show and then presented with its trophy and medals. In a bit of a switch from the normal protocol, Rashid placed medals around his players' and coaches' necks.

"To be able to put those medals around such hard-working kids' necks," Rashid said. "There's no better feeling."

After 29 years of coaching, it couldn't have ended any better.

"Look at this," Rashid said while motioning to his players celebrating on the field and the fireworkds roaring overhead. "This is even better than I imagined."

Ghost Boosters © 2006