Olympia High School Weekly Sports Recap

Last Sunday, May 15, the Cincinnati Reds wrapped up their series in Pittsburg by throwing a no-hitter against the Pirates. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, the Pirates managed to get one run across while holding the Reds' offense to no runs in the game. The Reds became the first team since 2008 to throw a no-hitter and lose the game. Reds’ rookie pitcher Hunter Greene and reliever Art Warren combined to allow zero hits in a complete game. Hunter Greene went seven and a third innings and had nine strikeouts and only three walks before the eight inning, when he walked two batters. Art Warren came in and walked one batter to load the bases. The Pirates then managed to get a groundout to the second baseman that drove in their only run of the day. 

Post-season for Olympia High School athletics is coming into full gear. Just this week Girls Track and Field competed in their IHSA Sectional Meet. Anna Beiber qualified for State at the meet with a time of 2:21.68, just 2 seconds under the state qualifying time. Melissa Bieber just barely missed the qualifying time by .29 seconds with a 47.98 in the 300 hurdles, which is less than a second off the school record. Boys Track and Field will compete in their Sectional this coming week on the 18th.

Central Illinois native Reid Detmers threw the first solo no-hitter of the 2022 MLB season on Tuesday night for the Los Angeles Angeles. Detmers, who was making just his sixth start of his rookie year, helped guide the Angeles to a 12-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Detmers threw a career-high 108 pitches and struck out just two batters while walking only one in his no-hitter. Tuesday night’s no-hitter from Detmers was the Angels’ first no-hitter since July 12, 2019, which was a combined no-hitter. Detmers’ two strikeouts were the fewest in a no-hitter since 2011. His solo no-hit performance was also the first for the Angeles since 2012. Detmers also became the youngest Angel to throw a no-hitter and the first lefty since 1970. Detmers tossed the 12th no-hitter in Angels franchise history. Before Tuesday night, Detmers had never gone more than 6 innings in any of his previous major league starts. To make this incredible performance by Detmers even more impressive, the Tampa Bay Rays entered Tuesday night’s game as the only team in the American League that had yet to be shut out in 2022. 

The Spartans started off the week with a win. The girls' soccer team played Decatur Lutheran for their senior night. But, instead of the traditional senior night, they had a foreign exchange student night. The three girls include Kaat Biskanter, Lea Gersdorf, and Sofia del Val. The soccer team won with a score of 4-1. Raquel Birky earned a hat trick. Brooke Rogers also scored a goal. Assists by Tarah Hilt, Grace Birkey, Kensie Kleinschmidt, and Andi Ewalt. Congrats on such a fun game! They had three more games this week too. It was a tie against IVC 2-2, a loss of 0-4 against St. Thomas More, and a lose 1-8 against Bloomington.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker put himself in elite company on Tuesday night when he won his 2,000th game as a Major League manager. If he was not already a lock to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Baker will surely get in after reaching this incredible milestone. At 72 years old, Dusty Baker became just the 12th MLB manager to reach 2,000 wins, and the first black manager to ever join the 2,000 win club. Of the 11 previous managers who reached 2,000 career wins, 10 of them have already been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The only one who has not yet been inducted, Bruce Bochy, has not yet been eligible for induction. It is safe to say that Baker has most likely earned himself a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

The Boys Track and Field Team started off their week successfully in Heyworth with multiple first-place finishes. Owen Dare got first in the 400, Caden Clark got first in the 3200, Keagan Uphoff placed first in the 110 and 300 hurdles, and the 4x200 team came in first as well as the 4x400 and 4x800 teams. In the high jump, Olympia took the top two spots with Chase Litwiller in first and Keagan Uphoff in second, and Chase Ragar placed first in the boy’s triple jump. 

The Chicago Cubs made one huge offseason signing before the 2022 season by going out and getting the highly sought-after Japanese free agent, Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs made the Japanese slugging outfielder their next right fielder for a five-year, $85 million deal. In just his first couple of weeks in Chicago, Seiya is already making his presence felt. As of Thursday, April 28, Suzuki had played in all 18 of the Cubs’ first 18 games. Already, throughout his first 18 games, Seiya has five multi-hit games, including a two-homerun day against the Pittsburg Pirates on April 12th, Suzuki’s fourth game of his MLB career. With a .333 batting average, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.090, Suzuki is in the top 15 of any MLB player in batting average, home runs, RBIs, and OPS. Maybe one of the most impressive things about Seiya Suzuki's short MLB career is his incredible plate discipline. Suzuki very rarely swings at pitches outside of the strike zone, which is a great way to ensure the high on-base percentage which Suzuki has so far. His incredible understanding of the strike zone also helps him hit the ball really hard. Suzuki had the fifth-highest barrel rate in the MLB, as of Tuesday, April 26th. Suzuki’s barrel rate was 21.2%, essentially what this means is that 21.2% of the time that Suzuki hit the ball, it came off the bat with an exit velocity of 98 miles per hour or higher.

The softball team was keeping busy this week. They began at Pontiac on Tuesday, coming away with a 2-0 hard-fought win. Shelby Finchum had a great fake throw to turn into a double play, keeping the Indians scoreless. Danika Frazier followed this with a 2-run home run. The JV team then picked up a 7-1 victory. On Thursday, the girls had a home game against rival Central Catholic. They won 10-0, scoring all 10 runs in the last inning. A double by Kat Springer started the rally by scoring Jordyn Turner. Other highlights include Shelby Finchum hitting a grand slam and a 2-run homer by Julia Winterland. On the defensive side, Danika Frazier threw a 2-hitter while striking out 10. JV softball followed with a 6-5 win. Saturday was a big tournament at Mt. Zion with at least 3 varsity softball games for the Spartans!

The 2022 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 28 and there is a ton of talented football players looking for their next home. The NFL Draft is where franchisees can be turned into dynasties, making every teams’ selections incredibly important to their future. This upcoming Thursday can be a turning point for teams like the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans if they have a great draft. The Draft can also serve as a boost to the already more talented rosters in the NFL like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Rams, three of the top teams in the NFL. Let's take a look at some of the best prospects these teams have been looking at for the past couple of months. 

With lots of meets and games throughout the week, Olympia High School athletes had an eventful, and successful, week. Track and Field had first-place finishes at the Metamora Coed Invite with Brad Schardan in the 400-meter, Owen Dare in the 800-meter, a boys 4x400 meter relay, a boys 4x800 meter relay, a girls 4x800 meter relay, and had a third-place finish from Anna Bieber in the 800 meter. The boy’s track and field team continued their success at the Monticello Invite with Owen Dare once again finishing first in the 800-meter, the 4x400 relay team getting a first-place finish, a second-place finish in the 4x800 relay, and Keagan Uphoff achieved third in the 300-meter.

One of the greatest traditions in the MLB, Jackie Robinson Day, took place on Friday, April 15. Jackie Robinson Day is the only day during the MLB season that you will see the number 42 on a jersey, in fact, you will see 42 on every jersey in the MLB on Jackie Robinson Day. Number 42, Jackie Robinson’s number, was retired by the whole league on April 15, 1997, the 50-year anniversary of Jackie’s first Major League Baseball game. For this reason, the MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson’s legacy every year on April 15th. The decision to retire Jackie Robinson’s 42 was clear and obvious for the MLB, after the incredible impact that he made on the league in the late 1940s and into the 1950s.  Jackie Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in the MLB. Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Before the Dodgers signed Jackie, there was racial segregation in professional baseball. This racial segregation forced African American baseball players to play in the Negro League instead of Major League Baseball. Breaking the color barrier in baseball took a huge amount of courage and bravery from Jackie Robinson. Everyday, Jackie would get racist threats just for being on the Dodgers, regardless of his performance. Still, throughout all the hate and controversy he faced, Jackie Robinson was able to have a hall of fame career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

Olympia High School athletics had a successful week as many teams picked up wins throughout the week. Starting with girls’ track and field, the team placed 3rd out of 17 teams at the overnight meet in Greenville with only 4 points separating them from first. To achieve this placing the girls brought home 25 medals with Amelia Kistner finishing first in the 2-mile, Anna Bieber finishing second in the 800, Abby Litwiller placing third in the mile, Hannah Cleveland getting third in shot-put, Melissa Bieber finishing third in both the triple jumps and 400, Kourtney Fann placing 3rd in the 300 hurdles, and Chrystal Cornwell, Madison Bales, Anna Bieber, and Kaylie Dare got third in the 4x800.

The Chicago White Sox had one of their best seasons in a decade last year. In the 2021 season, the White Sox won the AL Central division for the first time since 2008. Although the White Sox entered the offseason looking like the guaranteed favorite to run away with the AL Central again in 2022, now that the offseason is over, that is not exactly the case anymore. The Minnesota Twins had a huge offseason with their top move being the signing of top free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa. The Detriot Tigers also have a very talented young core of players, so they could have a chance to really compete in the AL Central along with the White Sox and Twins. Although the AL Central may be a little more competitive than originally anticipated, the White Sox should still be everyone’s favorite to come away with the division title and make it back into the playoffs. 

Back from winter sports, Taylor Nowaskie earned yet another basketball accomplishment. She made it on the Pantagraph All-Area girls’ team. Taylor is at the top of the area team averaging 24.7 points per game. 

The Chicago Cubs were in a state of transition during the 2021 MLB season. The team that broke the World Series curse for the Cubs in 2016 fell apart right in front of all of the fans’ eyes. Theo Epstein, an MLB legend when it comes to executives, stepped down in 2021. Epstein also built the Boston Red Sox team that broke Boston’s World Series curse in 2004. That Red Sox team would go on to win three more World Series titles in the 21st century, with Epstein responsible for building all of those championship rosters. The fate of the Chicago Cubs and Theo Epstein championship roster was unfortunately not the same as the fate of those Red Sox teams. After Epstein stepped down in 2021, the Chicago Cubs also shipped off many key members of the 2016 World Series Champion Team. Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and the 2016 National League Most Valuable Player Kris Bryant were all traded for prospects, ending an era of one of the best teams that the Chicago Cubs had ever put onto the field. Taking over for Theo Epstein as the new general manager of the Chicago Cubs is Jed Hoyer. Hoyer has no intention to tank and rebuild, he wants to win as soon as this season with the Cubs. 

Cold weather, rain, and harsh winds prevented many Olympia High School sports from competing this week with many of the games being canceled. Olympia boys and girls track and field didn’t face these cancellations due to their indoor season. Just this week four members of the boy’s team qualified for the Class 2A Illinois Top Times Indoor Championship Track meet held at Wesleyan’s Shirk Center. Of these members are seniors Owen Dare and Brad Schardan who will run the 800 and 400-meter races and will also be competing with sophomore Keagan Uphoff and freshmen Cohen Alexander in the 1600 meter relay. From the girl’s team, Anna Bieber qualified for Illinois Top Times in the 400-meter dash and will also be competing at the Wesleyan Shirk Center.

The Indianapolis Colts are making big-time moves at arguably the most important position in football this offseason, quarterback. Their first move in the offseason was trading quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. After this trade, many Colts fans began to worry about the aggressiveness of the team to find a replacement for Wentz for the 2022 season. While the rest of the NFL was going all in making signing after signing and improving their teams to a championship level, Indy took a more patient approach before ultimately settling on a couple of well-calculated moves. The Colts landed their quarterback by sending just a third-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Matt Ryan. 

Softball opening day was on Monday at Tri-Valley High School. Both the JV and varsity teams came out with big wins this night! Shelby Finchum and Casey Wissmiller both hit home runs, too! The final score for varsity was 16-2. On Thursday, the softball team played their home opener game against Brimfield. Varsity had a walk-off win in the bottom of the 8th inning with a score of 2-1. The Spartans overcame Brimfield in this game with 11 hits, 2 runs, and 0 errors compared to Brimfield with 3 hits, 1 run, and 2 errors. 

After just 40 days of being retired from the NFL, Tom Brady announced on Monday that he will be unretiring and playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 season. This is really great news for the NFL and all of its fans. The NFL and its fans will have at least one more year to enjoy watching the greatest to ever do it go after his 8th Super Bowl Title. Brady went on social media to announce his return to the NFL, where he said, “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come, but it’s not now. I love my teammates and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished Business.” There will be a time when there is no more Brady in the league, and his haters will rejoice, but for now, the league is more fun to watch with Tom still in the NFL. 

With all of the winter sports having come to a close, within the next few weeks spring sports will be starting up. These sports at OHS include; softball, baseball, girls soccer, and girls and boys track and field. Many of these spring sports had successful seasons last year that will hopefully transfer into this year’s season.

For more than three months, Major League Baseball was in a lockout. On Thursday, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association ended their stalemate and came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. After the lengthy lockout and multiple deadlines for delaying the regular season, the MLB Players Association accepted MLB’s new offer that will change a couple of things in baseball. One of the biggest changes that the MLB was able to implement in the new collective bargaining agreement is a new 12 team postseason format. 12 of the 30 teams will now reach the postseason in Major League Baseball. The owners had originally wanted to implement a 14 team format, but the 12 team format is still a 50% increase in playoff teams from 2011. Essentially, this means that it has been historically difficult to make the MLB playoffs, but the MLB is continuing to devalue the importance of the regular season, as the MLB is drawing closer and closer to the 16 team brackets that the NBA and NHL both utilize. Maybe the best outcome of the MLB going to an increased playoff format would be an increase in spending. Players have said that they do not think an extended playoff format will increase the team's spending, but perhaps an easier path to the postseason will lead to less tanking and more spending from teams that are chasing an extra playoff berth that was not there beforehand. Another anti-tanking measure that was instituted on Thursday was a draft lottery. I do think that a salary cap could have been more impactful to help stop MLB teams from tanking, but a draft lottery should be a good start. 

The Chicago Bears entered the offseason with plenty of issues to be addressed. On January 5th, the Bears decided that it was time for them to move on from head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. Most, if not all, Bears fans were more than ready to get rid of Nagy and Pace and start fresh with a new head coach and general manager. After just 13 days of interviewing for a new general manager, the Chicago Bears found their guy, Ryan Poles. 

All winter sports at Olympia High School have officially come to a close. Starting within these coming weeks Olympia’s spring sports will startup, all of which include; softball, baseball, Boy’s and Girl’s Track and Field, and Girl’s Soccer.

Spring sports for Olympia High School are officially underway. Olympia offers baseball, softball, girls’ track and field, boys’ track and field, and girls’ soccer at this time. All of these sports welcome athletes in each grade to participate at their appropriate level. 

College basketball in the Big Ten Conference has been some of the most competitive college basketball that we have seen this season. Right now, there are three teams that stand above the rest of the conference are in contention for the Big Ten Conference Championship. The Purdue University Boilermakers are in first, the University of Wisconsin Badgers are in second, and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini are in third place. The Boilermakers and Badgers both had 13-4 conference records as of Thursday and the Fighting Illini had a conference record of 12-4 before their game against the fourth-place team, Ohio State on Thursday night. Purdue and Wisconsin will both have had games on Saturday, so there could be some shifts in the rankings depending on the outcomes of the three games.