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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Jake Munroe was the center of attention during his senior season with the Champaign Central baseball team in 2022, and he’s following the same trend in 2025 during his first season playing at Louisville.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Going into Thursday night’s home game against Wake Forest, 2022 Champaign Central graduate Jake Munroe is thriving during his debut season with the Louisville baseball program.
➜ 2. Munroe, a third baseman with the Cardinals, carries a .347 average to go with nine home runs, 51 RBI, a .464 on-base percentage and a .574 slugging percentage into the final regular-season series. Louisville is 34-18 on the season and should receive an NCAA tournament berth.
➜ 3. Champaign Central is the only big-school baseball and softball program in the area to receive a No. 1 postseason seed in Class 3A. Central baseball hosts a regional in late May, while Central softball will head to Rantoul for regional action.
Bret Bielema continues to add recruits to his 2026 class at Illinois, with Parker Crim from Ohio the latest to do so on Wednesday.
Numbers game: 11th
is where the Illinois football program is ranked nationally at the moment when it comes to its 2026 class, according to both 247sports and Rivals. Bret Bielema and the Illini added a 14th high school recruit to its next class on Wednesday when three-star Elida (Ohio) edge rusher Parker Crim announced he was verbally committing to Illinois.
Centennial’s Nina Brown, middle, vies for the top spot alongside Ciaune’ Bibb, left, and Rochelle Ngwayah in the 100-meter dash at the Twin City track and field meet on May 6. Brown went on to capture the win in the sprint event.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Class 3A Bloomington girls’ track and field sectional. Nina Brown and Noelle Hunt are among the Centennial athletes to keep an eye on during Thursday’s meet that begins at 3 p.m.
➜ 2. Class 2A Monticello girls’ track and field sectional. Can Unity, fresh off winning an Illini Prairie Conference title last week in Monticello, win a sectional title? Emily Decker, Lauren Shaw and the rest of the Rockets will try at 3 p.m. Thursday.
➜ 3. Class 1A Westville girls’ track and field sectional. Salt Fork, paced by Callie Richardson, and Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, led by Nevaeh Scott, could contend for team title honors when Thursday’s meet gets going at 3 p.m.
John Delaney coaching the 2023-24 STM freshman boys’ basketball team.
Ask an AD
Three questions with St. Thomas More athletic director John Delaney:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Boston Celtics.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Jon Marston, Joe Mazzulla and Bill Belichick.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeves are … people who are scared of taking on a new challenge and excuse-makers.
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