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‘I just think this team is going to be in it’: Pistol Shrimp look to contend for playoff berth in 2026 · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: I just think this team is going to be in it.
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  Pistol Shrimp look to contend for playoff berth in twenty
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  twenty six. Written by Kevin Schlum, This article is being
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  read by an automated voice brought to you by Everlett.
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  The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp are a little bit less
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  experienced and a little bit younger going into the twenty
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  twenty six season. The Shrimp, who went thirty one twenty
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  three last summer, return only six players who have experience
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  with the team and have ten twenty twenty six high
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  school graduates on the roster. Pitchers Daniel Strom twenty six appearances,
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  thirteen starts, sixty four innings pitched, eight point one six ERA,
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  sixty nine strikeouts, seventy three walks, and Joe Richardson twenty
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  one app four gs, forty four and one third IP
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  three point eight six ERA, forty two K twenty four
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  BB and catcher Nick Weaver forty five G point two
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  two one batting appridge twenty nine RBI's thirty one runs
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  fifteen stolen bases have played multiple seasons with the Shrimp.
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  Other returners are Camden Loomis eight app ONEGS, fourteen one
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  third IP three point seven to seven RA fifteen K
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  five BB is exhrust twelve APP three GS twenty eight
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  and one third IP four point seven six RA twenty
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  one K fourteen BB and Tyler de Leskowitz eleven APP
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  three GS twenty IP three point six zero ARRAY eighteen
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  K eleven BB. We graduated a fair number of guys
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  from last year's team, so there's no question we're a
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  younger team this year, manager owner John Jay Kemik said,
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  but I still have some solid veteran leadership, so I'm
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  not worried. I expect the returners to set the tone
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  in terms of how we do things here, what our
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  culture is, how we treat the game, how we treat
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  one another, and to lead from the front when they're
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  in the game. Joe Richardson and Nick Weaver have been
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  with us a long time. They had outstanding seasons for
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  their respective schools, and I expect them to have a
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  fantastic summer. It's great when you get guys like that
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  who call and say they want to come back. The
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  Shrimp's recent high school graduate players are headlined by Mount
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  Carmel first baseman Anthony Chavez and Oswego East outfielder Dominic Battista,
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  who are both top prospects in the state. Chaves will
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  play in college at the University of Illinois, while Battista
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  will play at Illinois Chicago. The other high school players
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  are Mount Carmel's Joey Ireland, Illinois East, Peoria's Ryan Doucchion
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  Illinois State, Brimfield's Caden Shatzik Illinois State, Lane tex Ronan
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  Owens Eumis amerst and out of staters Ethan Silva Hawaii,
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  Jordan Walchaikowski San Diego and Hunter Weller, San Diego and
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  Griffin Carney Illinois State. That's a significant number of younger
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  guys who have not played at this level. Jaki Meeks said,
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  the challenge is going from being the best player on
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  your team to being one of forty facing guys who
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  are four or five years older than you and playing
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  every day and making that adjustment. I do think we've
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  got some really good high school guys who are going
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  to make some noise for us this summer. When it's
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  all said and done, I think most of them are
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  going to be contributors their very first year in college.
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  So I'm excited to get them all in here and
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  get going in the hunt. Jakimiik expects the Shrimp to
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  beat in the mix to make the playoffs this summer
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  after missing the postseason last year. The Shimp opened the
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  season Tuesday at Clinton and play Quincy in Wednesday's home opener.
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  It's a different vibe early than last year. Jackie Miik said,
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  we could stumble coming out of the blocks, but I
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  just think this team is going to be in it.
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  Jaki Meek said he expects the Western Conference's Northwest Division
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  to be a battle. Along with the Shrimp, the division
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  includes the Burlington bes Clinton Lumberkings, Normal corn Belters, and
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  the Quincy Doggie Paddlers. I may be biased, but I
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  do think our division is the toughest in the Prospect League.
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  Jakey Miik said, Normal is significantly better this year. Clinton
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  and Burlington are always tough. If we can get out
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  of our division, we can make some noise at the
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  end of the year and be one of the last
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  teams standing. I'm excited. Local Flavor Shrimp fans will likely
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  recognize several players on the roster who were standouts in
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  the area during their high school careers. The Shrimp have
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  more than twenty players on the roster from Illinois, including
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  six from the Illinois Valley. In Loomis, an Ottawa graduate,
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  in Rust a Hall alumnus, along with Halls Max Bryant,
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  Saint Bede's Alan Spencer and Serena's Bow Rax and Carson Baker.
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  Andrew Piska, a Putnam County grad who plays for Illinois Chicago,
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  is expected to contribute later in the season after recovering
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  from a broken hand. I wouldn't say it was necessarily
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  a conscious choice to have more local players, but we
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  always want to have local guys who can play at
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  this level because it's good for the fans, it's good
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  for their families, and it's good for the players. Jacky
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  Meek said, I like what we have. Jakimi Yak said
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  he doesn't think the offense is going to be a
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  problem this summer. I like what we have. Jacka Meek said.
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  A pair of players from Penn State are expected to
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  be key contributors and catchered. Outfielder Jimmy Gray and shortstop
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  Chase Roberts both red shirted this season. They're the typical
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  di athlete we get a lot of who didn't play
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  a lot this spring for their school, but the school
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  is counting on them next year, so this summer becomes
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  really important for guys like that. Jaki Miik said, you
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  just have to have patients with guys like that and
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  trust their athletic ability will come through. Brothers Justin Semanski
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  Northwestern State and Dawson Semanski Louisiana Tech also are expected
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  to play key roles. I really liked what I saw
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  from them offensively, Jacki Miik said, I think they're going
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  to be very, very good for us. Braden Stuffed is
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  a catcher who hit point four zero seven with nine
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  home runs, fifteen doubles, sixty three runs, forty four RBIs
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  and thirty eight steals for Northeastern Junior College and is
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  transferring to Kansas State. He'll start as a temporary player
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  who could potentially be on the roster the whole season.
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  The Shrimp will add Illinois infielder aj Putty for the
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  second half of the season. Putty, who was named to
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  the All Big Ten Freshman team, hit a team best
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  point three to one three with nine home runs, thirteen doubles,
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  a team high fifty two RBIs and forty one runs
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  for the fighting Illini this spring plenty of arms, Jakemik
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  expects several local products to log a lot of innings
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  for the Shrimp and rust fifteen app eight gs forty
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  four IP four zero five point one one ERA fifty
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  two K twenty b B at Des Moines Area CC,
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  Spencer sixteen app one GS twenty four and two thirds
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  IP twenty five K sixteen b B at Danville Area CC,
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  and Bryant eighteen app eight GS fifty IP five three
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  five point two two ERA fifty twenty three BB at
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  Southwestern ILLIN. The Shrimp also have a graduated college senior
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  with plenty of experience in Matt Hannafan, who started nine games,
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  went four to five, had a three point nine to
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  one ERA, and struck out fifty batters with seventeen walks
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  in forty eight and one third innings at Dominican University.
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  Jakemik said the Shrimp will add two pitchers later in
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  the season, coming off Tommy john surgery and Cole Scott,
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  who was red shirted at Southeast Missouri, and Carson Kuni,
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  who was recruited by Alabama out of high school and
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  who Jakimik has had several schools contact him about I've
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  seen their bullpens and their schools are ready for them
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  to come back and get active. Jakiemik said, I think
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  we're going to have those guys in a couple weeks
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  and they are going to really turn some heads possible
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  Pistol Shrimp draftds. The Shrimp have had players drafted each summer,
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  and Jakemiik said there are a couple players this season
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  who could add to that list. Tate Foxen played for
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  the Shrimp in twenty twenty four and will return as
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  a temporary player this summer as he's been invited to
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  a bunch of pre draft workouts with a lot of
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  different major league clubs. Jakimik said fox will pitch in
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  the home opener Wednesday. Jakimik said Batista is getting a
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  lot of looks from area scouts.