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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Homewood-Flossmoor's Shai Robinson relishes being taken by Minnesota Twins in 10th round of MLB draft. ‘A 1% moment.'
Hearing his name called in a professional sports draft was something Shai Robinson had envisioned just about his whole life. Except Robinson, a Homewood-Flossmoor alum, didn't initially expect it would happen in baseball. 'It's been a dream for a long time,' Robinson said. 'I think everyone has those aspirations when they start playing a sport. Now, did I think it would be baseball I'd be playing professionally? No. I would have definitely thought football. 'But obviously baseball was what ended up working out for me and now it's got me here.' Robinson, a 2022 H-F graduate who has spent the last three seasons playing shortstop at Illinois State, was selected Monday by the Minnesota Twins in the 10th round of the MLB draft with the 299th overall pick. 'It was a great moment,' Robinson said. 'Who doesn't want to appreciate this moment? This is like a 1% moment. I've fallen into the 1% of people that actually get to play professional baseball. 'That's definitely something I'm going to cherish.' Robinson was the second of five players from the Southland who were drafted, following Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg going to the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round. Lewis outfielder George Bilecki, a Marist graduate, was taken by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round. Louisville outfielder Eddie King Jr., a Marian Catholic alum, went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round, while Lincoln-Way Central pitcher Luke Mensik was chosen by the San Francisco Giants in the 17th round. Robinson, meanwhile, had eligibility remaining at Illinois State but said he plans to sign with the Twins. It's been a winding journey to pro baseball for Robinson, who played quarterback for two seasons of lower-level football at Mount Carmel before transferring to H-F for the second semester of his sophomore year. That was at the start of 2020, and although the pandemic wiped out his sophomore season of baseball, Robinson saw his future starting to shift in that sport's direction. 'COVID happened and then my recruiting started to pick up for baseball,' Robinson said. 'Baseball kind of took off from there. I ended up committing to Illinois State. 'I think I always had a natural love for sports, whether it was baseball, football or basketball. I kind of came to that realization that, 'Baseball is your sport and you can really go somewhere with it.'' Lincoln-Way East coach John McCarthy was Robinson's coach at H-F. He also saw a bright future in baseball for him. 'When I think of him, I just think smooth,' McCarthy said of Robinson. 'He's so smooth as a baseball player in every way. Everything he does, it just looks so easy. He's a great kid and he was a joy to coach. 'I'm really, really happy for him. He just needed a shot. There's no question he's deserving of this opportunity.' Robinson had his freshman and sophomore seasons at Illinois State cut short by injuries, playing in about half of the team's games each year. Finally healthy for a full spring this spring, he made 54 starts at shortstop and hit .269 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. He's also developed a reputation as a first-rate defensive player. Robinson said dealing with some adversity in college made him appreciate the sport more. 'I went through some trials and tribulations with injuries,' Robinson said. 'I think it's important to experience ups and downs in a sport and realize that you can be humbled and it can all be taken away in the snap of a finger.' Now, Robinson is ready to realize his dream of becoming a professional athlete. He's waiting to see where that journey will begin within Minnesota's organization, but he knows that wherever it happens, the first game will be special. 'I'm looking forward to that first at-bat and I think I'll be just walking up to the plate and thinking, 'It's real now,'' Robinson said. 'I think that will be a surreal moment where all the work you've done over the course of your lifetime has paid off.'
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Colorado football Top 25 players: cornerback Teon Parks
Colorado lost its superstar, Travis Hunter, to the NFL, leaving a gaping hole at cornerback. DJ McKinney is primed to hold down one of the outsider corner positions, but what about the opposite side of the field? The answer could be several players, but Illinois State transfer Teon Parks could be considered the top option. Parks is coming off a breakout season with the Red Birds and seems ready to make that jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Since Deion Sanders took over as head coach, Colorado has never had a shortage of talented cornerbacks, but they need at least one to step into a significant role in 2025. Parks, as one of the top FCS cornerbacks in the transfer portal, can be a key contributor for the Buffs this season. Top 25 player profiles: No. 25, No. 24 2024 in review Parks was one of the top cornerbacks in the FCS last season and Illinois State's top graded defensive player according to Pro Football Focus. Parks finished the year with 38 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and an impressive 11 pass breakups. He proved himself as a solid all-around cornerback and at 6-foot-1, the perfect size Colorado is looking for at corner. Biggest question in 2025 Parks showed last season that he has the talent to be a top-end coverage corner, but as is the case with most transfers making the jump to the FBS level, can he produce similar numbers against better competition? Based on his grades from Pro Football Focus, the underlying numbers suggest his production is sustainable. 2025 will be a success if... He will be given a shot to win the starting cornerback job opposite DJ McKinney, and I think that should be considered a win for the former FCS standout. It is hard to predict the exact statistical output from a corner, but he has a nose for the football, and Parks should come up with a handful of pass breakups and around 30 tackles if he wins the starting job.
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Always learning, Mundelein's Daniel Pacella seeks new challenge in the SEC. Or, after MLB draft, in the pros.
There's plenty of baseball ahead for Daniel Pacella, but where the Mundelein graduate plays it is very much up in the air. In the wake of his third straight standout season at Illinois State, Pacella has transferred to national power Mississippi. But there may be another option on the horizon. The MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, and the 6-foot-4, 235-pound outfielder has had at least informal conversations with nearly every team. 'I honestly haven't thought about the draft much,' Pacella said from Oxford, Mississippi, where he has been working out for the past three weeks. 'The round projections are pretty loose. You get a call and then analyze what they're willing to give you.' Unpredictability isn't the only reason the draft doesn't weigh on Pacella's mind. He's genuinely excited about playing for Mississippi, which won the Men's College World Series in 2022. 'Securing a spot at a school where I feel I can make an impact was very important,' he said. 'Right now, I'm taking care of business here, getting comfortable with the school, my teammates and the facility. I know I'll have two really good avenues to choose from, which is awesome.' Pacella is in this position largely because he can really hit. That was evident when he was promoted to Mundelein's varsity team for the stretch run of his freshman season in 2019, and he became a key contributor for the 2022 Class 4A state runner-up. 'One thing you could always see was that he enjoyed the conversations about hitting a baseball,' Mundelein coach Randy Lerner said. 'He always had a good feel for how he felt when pitchers were beating him and potentially how to adapt. He was always willing to ask questions and responded well to feedback. He never felt that he was too good to do that.' Pacella's success has continued at Illinois State. In 2023, he tied the program record for home runs by a freshman with 16 and broke the freshman record for RBIs with 56. He was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team in each of the past two seasons and leaves Illinois State ranking second in both career home runs with 45 and career RBIs with 169. Pacella capped his Redbirds career by hitting .355 with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs as a junior. But every baseball season has pitfalls. Pacella has had to maneuver through some of those in college, beginning with the first two weekends of intrasquad scrimmages during his freshman year. He went 0-for-13 with 11 strikeouts. 'I called him into my office and told him he'd have to be willing to make some adjustments,' Illinois State head coach Steve Holm said. 'He's an extremely talented young man, and he came in pretty highly regarded. But there's also a mental side to baseball, and him being receptive to making some changes helped unlock his skills.' Pacella looks back on that meeting as a crucial moment in his career. 'I remember feeling like whatever we needed to do to get me back on track, I'd be willing to do,' he said. ''Tinkering' would be a good word to use. We simplified a lot of things in my swing. We took out my leg kick, widened my base and got my hands to the ball faster. 'Coming out of high school, you can easily be overwhelmed by velocity and spin, and that really made a big impact on my career.' Pacella performed well enough that season that agents began reaching out. He picked Chicago-based Mark Pieper, whose client list includes Justin Verlander and Paul Skenes. 'That was the first time I felt like playing pro ball was doable,' Pacella said. 'I didn't want to be my agent's No. 1 focus so I'm not the main guy they're making money off of. I can play my game, and he'll support me.' Pacella's well-earned reputation as a middle-of-the-lineup slugger created another obstacle this season. Pitchers chose not to throw him many strikes. 'It was about the middle of the season, and I was chasing a lot and getting myself out,' he said. 'I was feeding on the food they were giving me. I talked to coach, and that helped add a level of plate discipline I never had.' Learning that lesson will only help Pacella later, whether he's a senior in the SEC or a minor leaguer. But as he continues to refine his approach, certain principles aren't likely to change. 'I've never been one to hold the bat on my shoulder,' he said. 'My whole approach at the plate has always revolved around doing damage.'
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC men's basketball finalizing deal to face Illinois State at Intuit Dome on November 14
With the start of the 2025-2026 season just a few months away, USC men's basketball is continuing to fill out its nonconference schedule. On Tuesday, college basketball analyst Rocco Miller reported that the Trojans are finalizing an agreement to face Illinois State at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on November 14. According to Miller, the game will be one half of a doubleheader in Inglewood that day. The other matchup will feature an old Pac-12 showdown between UCLA and Arizona. USC is coming off an underwhelming debut season in the Big Ten. With high-profile newcomers such as Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara and highly-touted freshman Alijah Arenas, the Trojans will be looking to take a major step forward in year two of the Eric Musselman era. The game will be part of a massive sports weekend for USC's Homecoming. The following day, the Trojans football team will host Iowa at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In addition, Saturday will feature a high profile women's basketball matchup between USC and South Carolina at Arena (formerly known as Staples Center) in Downtown Los Angeles. USC alumni who are in town for Homecoming will certainly have plenty of opportunities to watch the Trojans that weekend.
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Despite winding road, Aurora's Will Easley sticks with college weightlifting. And excels. ‘Created this monster.'
Time flies, but Aurora weightlifter Will Easley is still going strong despite an unexpected twist in his career path. Easley is a second-year graduate student at East Tennessee State, working on a master's degree in healthcare administration while on scholarship for weightlifting. Last February, Easley was second in his weight class at the USA National University Championship to earn All-American honors. Two weeks ago, he was fourth at the USA Weightlifting National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 'As far as goals, I want to get back on the podium at nationals,' said Easley, who took second in 2024 when the meet was held in Pittsburgh. How he got here — to Johnson City, Tennessee — is an interesting story. The last time I used this space to delve into Easley's exploits, the 2020 West Aurora graduate was completing his senior year and revealed his college plans to attend Marian in Indianapolis on an athletic scholarship and compete for its fledgling weightlifting team that had started in 2017. Unfortunately, the full impact of the pandemic began to be felt and Marian's program was cut a week before Easley was scheduled to leave for school. So much for the team setting he looked forward to joining. 'I had also applied to Illinois State as a backup option,' he said. Three older siblings were graduates, giving him access to a legacy scholarship. He also earned other academic aid. Illinois State, like most colleges, does not offer weightlifting as a sport. 'It's never been a NCAA sport,' Easley said. 'It's one of the main reasons for the inconsistency with scholarships.' The move left him pretty much alone in his individual sport. Easley, however, made the best of it. He joined the Bloomington-Normal Barbell Club and found a Bloomington gym — Power and Fitness — that fit his needs. He continued training the next four years while earning a bachelor's degree in exercise science. 'I don't want it to seem like I was competing on my own,' Easley said. 'I had a really great coach.' And more than one, actually. Dan Brown, who had recruited him to Marian, stayed in touch and provided training lessons and tips from 2020 to 2022. 'I'd send him video of my training, too, and he'd give me feedback,' Easley said. 'It worked out well but then got to the point where he got really busy with business.' Easley also connected with Bronson Mintun, the general manager and a coach at his gym with competitive experience in Olympic-style lifting and powerlifting. East Tennessee State's Stoneage Weightlifting Club also is on solid footing, being run in conjunction with the school's sports science research department. It's been around for decades. Dr. Michael Henry Stone, who started the program, is highly regarded for his research. Dr. Satoshi Mizuguchi currently heads a team that numbers 18. 'I like it here,' Easley said. 'It's nice looking out at the horizon and seeing the mountains instead of nothing but flat land. 'With my bachelor in exercise science, the goal was that I go on to become a physical therapist, but I decided I wanted more opportunities when I'm out of school.' The demands of the graduate program took some getting used to, and he has an internship at a local hospital working 33 hours a week. He still finds time to lift twice three days a week, followed by another session on Saturday. 'I feel like I've adjusted well and I'm getting back into the groove,' he said. 'One of the guys on the team took second at nationals and is a bit stronger than me. Working with him and some of the others I can get different perspectives. 'It's more like the atmosphere I'm used to over at West Aurora when I had friends working with me.' Easley stays in touch with Thomas Kraus, the West Aurora teacher and coach who got him started in the sport. 'He just keeps doing what Will does — grinding,' Kraus said. 'Will just has an internal motivation that I'm sure many high-level athletes have, but I've never experienced working with someone with that kind of drive in my 30 years at this. 'He's the epitome of consistency and has all the things you need to be successful.' Easley's mother, Colette Gosselin-Easley, believes Kraus deserves credit, too. 'That guy is amazing,' she said. 'They continue to stay in touch. Kraus created this monster.'
