LeatherneckNation / Specific Sports Topic Forums / Leatherneck Men's Sports

Western Baseball

WIU712 — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:13:10 GMT

Western won 2 of the 3 games this weekend at home vs Xavier.

We dropped the opener on Friday. But we came back to win on Saturday and Sunday.

Western baseball will be home again this weekend for a 3-game set with Bradley.

Great start in first day of Summit Track and Field!

Neckfansince71 — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:21:43 GMT

The weather has not really cooperated this year as far as the track season is concerned. But Coach Beauchem has them ready for this weekend and they were definitely ready last night. The Necks had top 3 finishes in the mens hammer, mens javelin, and the 10,000 meter and top 3 finishes in the women's with Nicole Manning breaking the school pole vault record with a vault of 13 2! Both groups are still not real deep but definitely have some good competitors so more points will be scored! I have said this before and I will say it again, "the man can flat out coach!"

Coach Mo - Summit League Coach of the Year

KippJones — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:53:30 GMT

Congrats to Coach Mo for being named 2012 Men's Summit League Coach of the Year!

Release, like most items found on here can be seen at goleathernecks.com

Baseball Series With Georgia

catch212 — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:34:01 GMT

Has anybody been following the baseball series we had with No. 8 Georgia?

Game 1: 4-1 Georgia
Game 2: 3-2 Georgia wins.. late error costs Western
Game 3: 7-4 Western wins

If we can compete with a top-10 team from the SEC, then I see no reason we can't win the Summit League. I know it's early and conference play hasn't even started, but this series has been VERY impressive.

Baseball chosen to finish second in pre-season poll.

vatusay — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:01:28 GMT

Just saw this on athletics website. Baseball America ranks WIU second in the Summit.

http://www.goleathernecks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205377315&DB_OEM_ID=12000

Leatherneck Hockey!

Superneck — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:02:42 GMT

http://www.wiuicehockey.com/index.html

Thinking of catching one or both of their games this weekend in Chicago. Anyone else interested?

And as a sidebar...too bad there is no mention on Athletics Page about this club.

Men's Soccer

WIU712 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:10:51 GMT

Northern Illinois scored two goals in the first half. Then they added another in the second half to win the NCAA first-round match 3-0 in DeKalb on Thursday afternoon.

The Leathernecks came out with more energy in the second half, firing three shots in the opening seven minutes. However Western was only able to connect with one shot on goal in the match, occurring in the 84th minute, when Daniel Lewis hit a roller to the NIU goal keeper.

Western finishes the season 13-7-1.

Attendance was 528.

NIU has a combination Soccer & Track facility that was completed in 2008.

http://www.niuhuskies.com/facilities/stc.html

Soccer Game Webcast

WIU712 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:48:19 GMT

Video coverage of the Western vs Northern Illinois NCAA Soccer Match:

http://www.niuhuskies.com/allaccess/?DB_OEM_ID=12000&media=283235

Men's Soccer Wins Conference!

WIU712 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:59:41 GMT

Leathernecks Capture 2011 Summit League Regular Season Title!!

Courtesy: Western Illinois Athletics

The Western Illinois Fighting Leatherneck men's soccer team earned a 3-2 double-overtime victory on the road over the UMKC Kangaroos Saturday night to capture the 2011 Summit League Regular Season Title.

With the win, Western improves to 9-5-1 overall and 4-1 in league-play, while UMKC falls to 5-8-3 overall and 2-2-2 in Summit League matches.

The Regular Season Crown marks the fourth of its kind since the Leathernecks joined the Summit League (1995, 2000, 2006 and 2011); the last three under the guidance of head coach Dr. Eric Johnson.

Finishing atop the regular season standings also guarantees Western the #1-seed in the 2011 Summit League Soccer Championship. The 2011 tournament takes place in Kansas City, Mo. on November 11th and 13th.

Baseball recruits

meganeck — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:58:53 GMT

Looks like the baseball team has a nice recruiting class coming in. I especially like that he has players from various states. Including Michigan where he has connections. I also like to see some are kids, Moline, Galesburg, etc. Also like that he got a kid from Iowa. I know when WIU played Iowa a couple of years ago, I was listening to the Iowa radio broadcast and the announcers could not believe that Western did not have any Iowa kids on the team. I think things are looking up for Western baseball.

Necks take down Purple Aces

Neckfansince71 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:08:39 GMT

Men's soccer defeated the Purple Aces of the University of Evansville tonight by a score of 2-0! The Necks scored one goal in each period and move to 10-5-1 for the season! Next up is Oral Roberts!

2012 Baseball Schedule is up

rocky06 — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:55:20 GMT

http://www.goleathernecks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=12000&SPID=4943&SPSID=49930

Looks like a tough schedule for the 'Necks. I like the fact we play 20 games at home..

Coach Johnson is new WINS leader for Western Soccer

Hail Leathernecks — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:32:36 GMT

I saw on Western's site that Coach Johnson has over taken the all time wins record for the soccer program. They won their last game and play a very good Bradley team Friday. I hope some people can make it. I am sure BU will travel a few people this way.

2 QB's Will Continue

WIU712 — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:48:18 GMT

Coach Hendrickson had his weekly interview this morning with Kipp Jones on WKAI-FM.

Coach mentioned that he will continue to use 2 QB's (Wil Lunt and Josh Hudson) for Saturday's game with Jacksonville University.

Coach also mentioned that Jacksonville has a very good quarterback: Josh McGregor. He threw for 208 yards in their first game.

Jacksonville lost their opening game 31-9 at the Citadel (Charleston, S.C). The Citadel had 439 rushing yards in this game! Jacksonville had 25 rushes for a Minus 22 yards.

We Lose a Football Player

WIU712 — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:11:45 GMT

BREAKING NEWS courtesy of the Quincy Herald-Whig:

By THE HERALD-WHIG STAFF

A key member of the Quincy Notre Dame to Western Illinois University pipeline will not play this season.

Junior offensive lineman Max Dancer has been ruled ineligible after violating "institutional and NCAA rules," according to Western Illinois University Sports Information Director Patrick Osterman.

"WIU has been working with the NCAA on the appeals process," Osterman said.

Dancer is one of six former QND players on the Leathernecks' roster. He was expected to be a starter on the offensive line this season. He started six games last season after making 10 starts as a redshirt freshman in 2009.

Osterman said that Dancer, a 6-foot-2, 275-pounder, can still practice with the team, but can not participate in games this season. He's been involved with the Leathernecks preseason drills.

Summer Collegiate Baseball

WIU712 — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:59:19 GMT

Does WESTERN have any baseball players in the summer collegiate leagues ????

The 14-member Prospect League (formerly called the Central Illinois Collegiate League) is the one in this part of the country.

There are 3 Prospect League teams in the Macomb area:

Springfield Sliders
Quincy Gems
Hannibal Cavemen

Last summer, Davis Hendrickson (Coach Mark Hendrickson's son) played for the Springfield Sliders. This summer, he is on the Waterloo (Iowa) Bucks of the Northwoods League. Davis just completed his sophomore year at the University of Illinois.

Garrett Bolt

WIU BB 31 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:22:07 GMT

RH pitcher was drafted no. 704 by the Dodgers yesterday. Congrats to him. Apparently our talent level is going up, as we haven't had a guy drafted since the early 90's.

Baseball Goes To Conf Tourney!!

WIU712 — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:00:19 GMT

WESTERN needed to win one game against North Dakota State on Friday to clinch a spot in the Summit League Tournament.

WESTERN won game one of the doubleheader with North Dakota State on Friday afternoon 4-2 to secure a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The Summit League Tournament will get underway on Thursday with games scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D. at Sioux Falls Stadium.

Our first opponent is unknown at this time as Oral Roberts and South Dakota State are battling for the top spot.

North Dakota State will finish in the 3rd spot with WESTERN in the 4th spot.

Baseball progression

Hail Leathernecks — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:29:25 GMT

I saw that with 17 games left on the schedule the baseball team was 12-28 (4-8 SL). This isn't where we want to be but it is obvious that the program is making progress. 2nd season for Villano, I think a few more years of building will allow for the team to compete for the SL and have Western back over .500. Has anyone had a chance to watch the team much this season? Strengths and Weaknesses noticed?

Where does the softball and baseball clubhouse (locker room) fit in the overall athletic facility plan?

WIU v Iowa

meganeck — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 10:38:35 GMT

Congrats to the baseball team beating Iowa last night. Sounds like Russell pitched pretty good and the team had 7 stolen bases. Let's do it again today.

1st Baseball Win!!

WIU712 — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:33:48 GMT

WESTERN won the final game of the series with Georgia State 8-2 on Sunday.

WESTERN returns to action this Friday (March 4) to begin a four-game series at Kansas State.

Baseball bad again?

WIU BB 31 — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:21:14 GMT

Got swept by Samford 16-8, 4-0, and 18-1. I realize it's early, but this is very disappointing. Samford is certainly no baseball powerhouse. I like Mike Villano and want him to do well. Why can't we recruit any pitching? Seems like very year we give up 10 runs a game.

A drowning program!

Neckfansince71 — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:01:24 GMT

I like to keep track of WIU athletic programs no matter whether it is men's basketball or women's golf. Of course I am just a bit crazy when it comes to football. I really enjoy listening on the internet broadcasts when ever available and in fact as I type this post I am listening to baseball. I also kept track of the swimming championship and of course, Oakland won both the men's and women's championship. Both South Dakota and EIU are associate members of the Summit League in swimming at present. After the off-again on-again or resurrection of our swimming program, things are not really going very well. I like the new head coach, and I am sure if he is given the opportunity which would be time and money he will succeed. But that's is the problem! Now I know that alot of you will instantly yell about TVA and his lack of support, but the demise of the swimming program is not something he created! No, the university presidents of the Summit League did when they decided that there were certain sports that they wanted to see become more competitive and swimming was not on that list. I think you can see that besides volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, and softball, men's baseball was added to that list. Of course that has definitely had an effect on recruiting for this sport. The result, more support for that program, and less for swimming and other sports such as cross country and track and field. You just have to wonder how much longer the swimming program will exist in the state its in. Wrestling, gymnastics, and field hockey, have all gone the way of the Dodo bird. I think swimming will follow sometime in the future no matter how loud the screaming is. It just makes sense to me!

Just more thoughts on this sunny Saturday!

Another Soccer Alum w/MLS Success

NeckSoccer11 — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:51:02 GMT

Great to see another Leatherneck Soccer player have success in his life after Macomb. Hard work, perserverence, and a great attitude will get you a long way. Way to go Kosuke!

http://www.goleathernecks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=205034189

Summit Baseball

TheBlueliner — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:32:44 GMT

With Southern Utah & Cent. leaving by 2012, the Summit will be down to six baseball schools. What happens?

Can they add North and South Dakota as affiliate baseball members?

Biggest Crowd This Season!!

WIU712 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:42:47 GMT

A nice dry day brought out the crowd for the football game with Youngstown State.

A season-high crowd of 13,404 watched this great victory.

People were sitting on the hillsides on the west side of Hanson Field.

New hires?

Neckfansince71 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:54:35 GMT

Okay, from the cheap seats both new hires look really good. Tennis coach has good connections in burbs, and track coach has long time connections in state and in Peoria which is where our athletes should be coming from. Plenty of track and field talent in P town and Springfield. The hiring of a new Dwaine should complete the process. Villano was a great hire, could TV really be on his game?

Soccer goalie training tips

ganesh — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:54:46 GMT

1. General fitness:
As much as they might like to skip it, goalkeepers are required to take part in the punishing cross country runs and sprint sessions that the outfield players are also put through!

2. Weights work:
Goalkeepers also do a lot of gym work to build up their strength and general fitness. Goalkeepers, of course, rely on being agile and carrying weight reduces their effectiveness. Strength of wrists is also vital when dealing with powerfully hit shots.

3. Dealing with crosses:
It's common for a club's first choice and reserve goalkeepers to work together in training. One goes in goal and the other delivers ball after ball into the penalty area for his team-mate to come and deal with. This is a vital element of a goalie's game and repetition is the best way to build confidence.

4. Shot stopping:
An obvious one. Another player (or players) takes multiple shots and the goalkeeper tries to keep them out. This should cover both long range and shorter range shots, plus penalties.

5. Speed of reactions:
Perhaps the most important attribute for a goalkeeper isn't their ability to simply save a shot but how quickly they can then react to make the next save. Goalkeeper training should always include a session where the keeper is asked to make rapid saves, one after another. This is achieved by throwing or kicking multiple balls at them from a short distance, in rapid succession.

6. Goal kick and throwing practice:
Goalkeepers have to take goal kicks, both from their hands or from the ground. A faulty kick can lead to a goal-scoring chance for the other team, so it's important to practice this skill as well as the saving-related training drills.
Additionally, it's worth practicing throwing the ball to a team-mate. This is a skill that can help your team launch a rapid counter attack but if mistimed it can backfire badly!

7. Ball work:
Unless you happen to be a maverick South American goalkeeper, with a penchant for dribbling the ball upfield, it's unlikely that you will be required to be hugely skilled on the ball. However, you will need to control back passes and at times you will need to clear the ball by foot or possibly pick out a team mate with a pass. For this reason, it's vital that goalkeepers don't ignore basic ball skills work.

8. Study of opposition:
Okay, this one's just for professional level players. They will study opposition penalty takers to see which side they favour when taking penalties. Sometimes it's these kind of small details that can make the difference at the very top level.
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This Year's Radio Coverage

WIU712 — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:25:37 GMT

What's the word (if any) about our radio coverage for the 2010-11 school year ???

We had heard last year that WIUS-FM was looking into raising its broadcasting power and installing a new transmitter. Both of those would expand the current limited coverage area.

Was any of that completed ??????

WIUS only broadcasts with 120 watts which is very low power.

The irony here is that the Macomb High games are broadcast on WKAI-FM (K-100). I have picked up K100 60 miles away from Macomb. In contrast, WIUS struggles to reach Good Hope on a good day.

For WESTERN to have any credibility, the university will have to remedy its radio coverage of athletic events.

Very sad news

ladyneck02 — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:50:39 GMT

Prayer to the family, friends, and teammates

http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/newsnow/x1560842506/WIU-baseball-player-killed-in-Tuesday-night-accident

Baseball??

Leatherface — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:52:42 GMT

Whats up with Baseball? Very poor year- lose to NAIA school (Culver-Stockton), and last in the Summit.
I thought things were looking up here.

Football Spring Practice Schedule

WIU712 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:19:07 GMT

2010 Spring Practice Schedule:

Friday, March 26 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 27 - 10 a.m.
Monday, March 29 - 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31 - 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 - 10 a.m.
Monday, April 5 - 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7 - 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 9 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 - 2 p.m. (at Naperville North HS)
Friday, April 16 - 3:30 p.m.
Monday, April 19 - 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21 - 3:30 p.m.
Friday, April 23 - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 24 - 1 p.m. (Annual Spring Game)

Baseball wins again

WIU BB 31 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:21:56 GMT

Beats St. Louis U 4-3 today. Record now 3-1. Considering the circumstances, Villano has done an unbelievable job already.

Stan's best recruiting class!

Neckfansince71 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:54:25 GMT

There was a nice article in the Burlington Hawkeye about WIU's baseball program! One of the comments was that there were 20 new faces at the first baseball meeting of the season along with a new coach. Stan did a great job recruiting this group, now Mike V. is gonna get them to be the surprise team of the year. Discipline!!!!!!! I really think that that was what was missing in the past! I think Stan put up with some antics that Mike will not stand for. Sounds like he is organized and in control. I compared the lineup from the first 3 games we played last year to the lineup from this year and found only one position player the same. Now don't get me wrong, alot of the starters from last year were seniors so even Stan would have had a lot of new faces in the lineup. But holy cow, did they his the crap out of the ball yesterday and today. The pitching staff will come along in time and MV go as many pitchers into the game as he could. The Necks are 2-1!!!!! Stan would have played Oklahoma for four games and the Necks would be 0-4. I like the fact that Mike's gonna build this in a consistent manner. Stan took the program to the next step, Mike is gonna take them to the next level!

New baseball coach a real find!

Neckfansince71 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:45:08 GMT

For all of the grief that has been sent in TV's way this last week, I think he did a great job finding the guy to replace Coach Hyman. He definitely has the credentials to take the program to the next level, that is of course if there is enough moola to go around in the near future!

Congrats to Men's Soccer!

WIU712 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:33:17 GMT

The Men's Soccer Team had a great year.

They won the Summit Conference Tournament and went on to the NCAA Tournament.

They fell 2-1 to #24 Drake in Des Moines on Thursday night.

Congrats to all for an exciting year!

You all should be ashamed!

Neckfansince71 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:51:44 GMT

Lets see, the field is crappy, the stands are antiquated, the west side needs to be done, our offense is crap, our defense (well they are much better), we need a new coach, we need a new AD, our radio station stinks, yada yada yada!

But, not one comment regarding our men's soccer championship and NCAA berth! NCAA berth!!!
If this were Bradley, the PJstar would be going bonkers with articles and would be ready to take a picture spread at the pairings announcement at 4:30! But no, its just quiet here! I suggest that we celebrate the positive when we have a chance!

So its Drake!

Neckfansince71 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:06:30 GMT

The Necks will play Drake in the opening round of the NCAA tournament! Game time 7:00 pm. The Necks lost to Drake 1-0 during the regular season, have improved alot since that time! A win will take them to Buckeye Land! I think they are on a roll, and will play on Sunday!

Leathernecks beat UMKC for NCAA berth!

Neckfansince71 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:53:48 GMT

The men just beat UMKC 1-0! It means they have qualified for the NCAA tournament! Our soccer teams have improved continually throughout the season! Dr. Eric Johnson, well done!
Lets get a win in the tournament!

New baseball coach

WIU BB 31 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:34:27 GMT

I didn't know if anyone had heard anything about who we may be considering.

I personally would like to see an assistant coach from a top tier program, regardless of where that would be.