Matt McDonald giving it the old college try

Matt McDonald had a highly successful and enjoyable run as assistant/pitching coach for the Hall High School baseball team.

The Red Devils won six conferences, three regionals championship, one sectional championship over his six-year run from 2016-21, capped by the 2018 Class 2A State Championship.

He’s now giving it the old college try and fulfilling a dream as the pitching coach for Black Hawk Junior College.

“Definitely wanted to do this for a long time. I’ve loved every minute,” McDonald said. “It’s probably a little more busy than I thought it would be in a good way though. It just never ends with the injuries, helping get guys through with some mental struggles not just pitching as well as they want, stuff like that.

“The difference between high school and this, you have 20 pitchers on the roster as opposed to six or eight and those guys are playing positions. It’s nice that I have them just as pitchers. We do have a couple two-way guys. You’ve got to be very careful monitoring their throwing so their arms are always staying fresh. Pick and choose to plug them in.”

McDonald’s new job selling gaming slot machines for Excel Entertainment has allowed him to take on this endeavor while he commutes from his home in Ladd. His territory takes him from Princeton to the Quad Cities right in the back yard of the Black Hawk campus in Moline.

“It’s really a blessing (new job/baseball) came at the same time. They’ve worked with me really good. My boss has been awesome,” said McDonald, a 1992 Princeton High School graduate who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 16th round of the 1994 MLB Draft.

Black Hawk head coach Josh Keim was pleased to bring McDonald onto his staff.

“It was a no-brainer when the opportunity came up last summer. I’m lucky to have him here,” he said. “From day one, we became a better baseball program with his addition. The professionalism, knowledge, and want to win that Matt brings every day to the field is infectious. Our pitching staff has improved greatly, and I credit that to his plan for development, approach and relationships with our pitchers, and the will to get our guys better every day.”

Under McDonald’s watch, Hall developed seven pitchers who went on to pitch collegiately, including two right on his Braves’ staff - freshmen Payton Plym and Jack Savitch. The list also includes Ty Rybarczyk (Parkland/U of I), Luke Kelty (Monmouth) and Trez Rybarczyk, Alec Bulak and Jimmy DeAngelo all at Southwestern Illinois College.

McDonald said it’s been good for the Hall alums at Black Hawk, including sophomore utility player Chance Resetich, who is batting .379 with a team-high nine homers, to have someone they know to turn to.

“I think it’s good when things aren’t going right, because it’s definitely not like in high school, ‘OK, you’re going to work through it, because you’re our best guy. Now there’s other guys that want your innings,” McDonald said. “So, I think that struggle and that added pressure of being able to talk to somebody that they trust, and that have been in the trenches a little bit with, it’s probably helping them through the freshmen struggles that they all have.

“I just tell them, it’s the next level, for a reason. It’s not supposed to be easier. Each level you move you’re going to face more adversity. That’s the beauty of it. Really this game is how many times you can get knocked down and keeping getting back up for more with the same energy and same passion for it. Once it becomes work to do that, you know the end is close.

“This game is hard. The minute you think you have things figured out, you’re going to get your feet knocked out.”

The Braves stand 31-15 and winding down their regular season this weekend with a doubleheader at home Saturday vs. Kishwaukee and two more Sunday at Triton. McDonald said they are trying to get everyone healthy as the cold spring seems to have taken on toll with nagging injuries.

“It’s been up and down. The good thing we haven’t played our best baseball yet,” McDonald said. “We’ve definitely showed glimpses and getting closer. It’s just kind of getting all our guys back. We’ve been having to move guys all over the field, because of injuries that it’s hard to get in that flow. We’re kind of finding our lineup and our arms and their roles have been established over the last month how we’re going to attack in the postseason.”

McDonald is hopeful the Braves have a good weekend to put them in a better position for the postseason, which starts next weekend.

• Blumhorst brothers: What a great moment for the Blumhorst family to have brothers Chance (LaMoille) and Trae (DePue) land their first varsity boys basketball jobs at the same time. The first time I wrote about the brothers was when they were in automobile accident in 1999. Trae, then 4, went to get help when Chance, 8, and their dad, Brian, were trapped in the vehicle. We always say they had a Chance.

Trae’s first name, by the way, has a two-fold meaning, He is third of three children and it’s another way to say the 3-point shot. His middle name is Jordan, as in Michael.

• Last second shots: Cam McDonald, Matt’s son, extended his on-base streak to 53 games for the University of Illinois baseball team dating back to last season, now just four games away from the school’s all-time record. ... Andrew Rupcich, son of 1992 PHS graduate Bill Rupcich, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans. He is a 6-7, 322-pound offensive lineman out of tiny Culver Stockton University. ... Congrats to former Princeton High School football coach Jesse Snyder on the birth of his son, Stone, born Wednesday. .. Condolences to the family of former PHS coach Scott Carter, who passed away at the age of 67 on April 9.

Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com