‘It was an honor to be picked’: State’s best seniors play in ICA All-Star Games

PERU - DeKalb graduates Brodie Farrell and Nik Nelson are continuing their baseball careers together next year at Parkland College.

Before they move on to the next level, Farrell and Nelson had one more opportunity to represent the Barbs.

The DeKalb duo helped the Red team rally for a 12-12 tie in the first game and win the second game 9-5 in the Illinois Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium, home of the Prospect League’s Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.

“To represent DeKalb meant a lot,” Farrell said. “We love DeKalb. DeKalb was very good to us.”

Farrell and Nelson were one of several sets of teammates who got to play together one last time at the prep level, including Hall’s Jack Jablonski and Izzaq Zrust, Newman’s Chase Decker and Daniel Kelly, Dwight’s Owen Dunlap and Luke Gallet, Plainfield North’s Brendan Henderson and Pablo Herrera, Morris’ Jack Wheeler and Brett Bounds and Marquette’s Keaton Davis and Sam Mitre.

“It was great to have one more game with him,” said Davis, who will play at Spoon River College. “It was nice to play together again for the last time.”

The event featured 45 of the top senior baseball players in Illinois as selected by a panel of 15 coaches. The games include players from Classes 1A-4A from all over the state, including as far away as Mount Vernon, with Alex Kiefer traveling nearly four hours to play.

“It was an honor to be picked for it and play with other people from a higher level,” Davis said. “It was great talking to new people and playing a few games with them.”

In the first game, the Blue team built an 8-1 lead, helped by a five-run fourth inning. Henderson, who was named Blue Team MVP, hit an RBI double to left-center field and later scored on a wild pitch.

Crystal Lake Central’s James Dreher launched a three-run home run to right field to extend the lead to 8-1.

Red rallied within 8-6 - with the help of a two-run homer by Heyworth’s Maddox Klawitter - before Blue pushed its advantage to 11-6 with three runs in the sixth, including an RBI triple by Davis.

Red scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and completed the comeback with two more in the seventh.

Nequa Valley’s Joe Barkley ripped a line drive off the wall in left field for a two-run double with two outs, but the game ended in a tie when the next batter popped out to Mitre at first base.

“We just started having fun,” Farrell said about Red’s comeback. “I feel like everybody was kind of nervous at the start. We just started hitting.”

In the second game, St. Bede’s Alan Spencer started on the mound for Blue and struck out the first two Red hitters before Red got its bats going, scoring five runs in the frame with the big blow being a three-run shot by Alleman’s Gavin Awbrey. DeKalb’s Nelson smacked a two-run double in the inning.

Spencer also struck out the first two batters of the second, but allowed one more run on an RBI double by Newman’s Decker. Spencer finished with five strikeouts in two innings.

The Red Team’s arms made things difficult for Blue.

Normal West’s Ryder Coone started and gave up just one unearned run through three innings before Farrell came on for a dominant two-inning outing.

“Everybody pitched well in the second game,” Farrell said. “We kept them to five runs, which is pretty good for an all-star game.”

Farrell retired all six batters he faced, including three strikeouts.

“I thought I pitched pretty well,” Farrell said. “My curveball was working really well.”

Annawan-Wethersfield’s Kellen Keane had an RBI single in the sixth.

Blue made things interesting in the seventh with three runs before the game ended with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate. Fieldcrest’s Jordan Heider reached on a walk in the inning and later scored on a wild pitch.

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Marquette's Keaton Davis grabs his catcher gear during the ICA Senior Baseball All Star Game on Monday, June 30, 2025 at Schweickert Stadium in Peru. (Scott Anderson)