The best senior players in Illinois, including six from the Illinois Valley area, will suit up for the 49th annual Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Baseball Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

Newly retired St. Bede coach Bill Booker, who is an ICA board member and baseball chairman, said “any time you can honor high school seniors for their efforts, it’s special.

“We have kids 1-4A and with nearly 100 nominations, it is a daunting task,” he said. “First of all, players have to be nominated by their respective coaches. Next, our committee tries to narrow it down to 40-50 players and then filling all positions is difficult as well.”

Area players competing will be Hall’s Braden Curran, Anthony Couch of Marquette and Maddux Heitzler of Annawan-Wethersfield for the Red Team and Bureau Valley’s Logan Philhower, Putnam County’s Johnathon Stunkel and Fieldcrest’s Layten Gerdes on the Blue Team.

Longtime Hall coach Tom Keegan and his staff will serve as coaches for the Red Team. He has 444 career wins since taking over the program in 2001, including six regionals, two sectionals and the 2018 2A state championship.

Josh Haley of 2A state champ St. Odgen-Joseph will coach the Blue Team.

“It is an honor for coaches. Tom and his staff have earned it through Hall’s success,“ Booker said. ”Josh Haley’s SJO won state in 2A this year with 40 wins. So the players this season will be guided by two outstanding head coaches of a couple very successful programs.”

The first of two, 7-inning games will start at 5 p.m.