LANSING, Ill. (January 3, 2024) – Most high-school teams never have even one state ring ceremony. For Illiana Christian baseball, it’s turning into an annual tradition.
On Dec. 22, when the Vikings hosted longtime rival Timothy Christian in boys basketball, members of Illiana’s 2023 Class 2A baseball state champs reunited to receive their state-championship rings.
For coach Jeff VanderWoude, his assistants, and several players, there was a sense of deja vu. The Vikings won the school’s first-team state title in 2022 and then repeated the feat last June.
That’s referenced in the phrase “BACK 2 BACK” in gold letters on a green background on the ring. Around the top of the ring are four of the program’s touchstones: “FAMILY FOCUS PURPOSE GRIT.”
VanderWoude couldn’t help but reflect on his good fortune in being able to lead the program he once played for to unprecedented heights.
“I’m very humbled,” he said. “You feel very blessed with the opportunity God has given you, with the people around us: the coaching staff itself, the kids.”
VanderWoude, who is entering his fifth season as head coach this spring, credits much of the program’s success to varsity assistants Shane Zegarac, Kevin Corcoran Sr., and Dale Meyer as well as JV coaches Caleb Jonkman and Bo Hofstra.
He also cites the devotion to the journey, rather than the results.
“We talk about the process of what we’re doing,” VanderWoude said. “Just day to day, brick by brick.”
Baseball is a game of failure, even for elite players and teams. A .400 hitter makes an out 60% of the time. Pitchers are rarely if ever perfect. But there’s also a constant striving to improve.
“We relate it to our Christian faith,” VanderWoude said.
The goal of the coaches is to teach about life as much as how to spin a curveball or lay down a drag bunt.
“If all these kids are getting out of this is baseball, maybe we’re not doing as good a job as we think we are,” VanderWoude said.
Bringing back all of last year’s champs also brought back wonderful memories for VanderWoude. But he’s not living in the past, as tempting as it may be.
The Vikings are in the midst of their offseason work with the first day of practice — March 11 — barely two months away.
“Right now we’re doing conditioning,” VanderWoude said. “A lot of running, agility work, and lifting [weights].”
Illiana heads into the 2024 season without its top pitcher from the past two playoff runs, lefty Kevin Corcoran Jr.
But the next three most experienced pitchers in terms of innings thrown last year all are back: sophomores Spencer Bandstra and Tanner Post along with junior Gavin Meyer.
All of them are also returning starters as position players along with seniors Isaac VanderWoude (the coach’s son), Tyler Balkema, and Aaron Gouwens.
Will there be another title and another ring ceremony down the road? Way too early to tell. But for now, there’s some nice hardware to remember another special season.
Illiana Christian High School is located at 10920 Calumet Avenue in Dyer, Indiana.
Related
- Illiana Christian Baseball repeats as state champion (June 21, 2023)
- Illiana Christian Baseball moves on in dominant postseason – other local scores (June 8, 2023)
- Illiana Christian girls basketball coach teaches the team the value of giving back – plus, local scores (December 23, 2023)
