Athletics
News
[print] [athletics home] [sports news home]
Before all-star coaches, she was a hit
ICC third baseman Gordon on NJCAA All-Star team at Canada Cup softball tourney
July 5, 2003
By JOE BATES
Reprinted with permission of the Journal Star
When ICC coach Marty Pump nominated the third baseman for a junior college all-star team that will play in the prestigious Canada Cup tournament that begins today, it helped that Gordon posted a .400 batting mark.
But Gordon may have stood a better-than-average chance of making the team anyway, since the coaches selecting the all-stars saw the Cougars' leadoff hitter firsthand in an April tournament in St. Louis.
"Amy didn't realize it at the time, but she was being scouted," Pump said.
Those scouts were Ken Passante of Briarcliffe (N.Y.) and Mark Dicus of Seminole State (Okla.), the coaches who will lead the NJCAA All-Star Team at Surrey, British Columbia.
The Bloomington Lady Hearts - whose roster includes three ex-ICC players - are also entered in the Canada Cup, which runs through July 13. The 16-team field features national teams of five countries, including the two-time Olympic gold-medal winning United States squad and two-time bronze winners Australia.
Of the roughly 5,000 players involved in NJCAA softball, Gordon was among 15 selected for the all-star team. She's the first ICC player chosen since Nicole Kurth in 1999.
Kurth is now a pitcher for the Lady Hearts, who are making their second consecutive Canada Cup appearance.
Gordon, who plays for the Pekin Lettes this summer, earned all-Region XXIV first-team honors last spring as a freshman at ICC.
"Amy can bunt for a base hit or she can just as easily put it over the fence," Pump said. "She has a wonderful combination of ability to do whatever the defense gives her."
Gordon, from Illini Bluffs High School, demonstrated that ability when ICC was matched with Briarcliffe and Seminole State at St. Louis.
"One of the things that made a first impression on (Passante) in a big way was Amy ripped this ball like a lightning strike right by the first baseman's head; it whizzed by her ear (for a leadoff double)," Pump said.
"The thing is she hit it hard to right field against Briarcliffe and hit it hard to the opposite field (for a double) against Seminole. She also bunted for a base hit."
To make the all-star roster, players also have to be top notch off the field, Pump said.
"Players get X'd out if they are not decent people," Pump said. "Amy's an example for all younger players to be like."
The current ICC player will be joined in Canada by former Cougars Cathy (Peverly) Stone, Shae Wesley and Kurth.
All three are part of a 16-player Lady Hearts contingent that also includes ex-area high school standouts Priscilla Welch-DeLaere (Pekin), Tricia Gaither (Olympia), Brynn Hasse (IVC) and Stephanie Hieser (Olympia), plus Eureka College's Mollie Springer.
In last year's Canada Cup, the Lady Hearts went 4-4 and tied for seventh place with Team Canada.
"It was an impressive showing last year," said Stone, the Lady Hearts head coach. "It was just amazing to have the opportunity to play against that kind of competition because not a lot of people get that chance. I was on the same field with Lisa Fernandez."
The Lady Hearts even jumped ahead of Team USA last year on a two-run homer in the first inning by ex-Illinois State player Cutie Taylor. Springer later added a homer in what turned into an 11-3 loss.
"When it was 2-0, we took all kinds of pictures of the scoreboard," said former Lady Hearts head coach Lyle Day.
Copyright © 2009 - Illinois Central College :: 1 College Drive, East Peoria, IL 61635-0001 :: (309) 694-5-ICC