Mattoon trio bolsters Lake Land softball program

By RICK DAWSON Staff Writer
rdawson@jg-tc.com

MATTOON n- Lake Land’s softball program is establishing a Chicagoland recruiting base, but Denny Throneburg is also laying groundwork for the future by looking much closer to home.

A trio of Mattoon players highlights Lake Land’s 2007 softball recruiting class. Jenna Bradley, Megan Glosser and Lauren Covington gave Throneburg verbal commitments late last year and are in the process of signing letters of intent.

The NJCAA spring softball signing period arrived on Jan. 15, but in an effort to increase oversight of its member schools’ recruiting activities, the NJCAA has required each college to submit letter of intent forms online, an action that has slowed the signing process.

The rest of Throneburg’s class consists of Chelsey Sullivan, a former Shelbyville pitcher who transferred to Casey-Westfield, Effingham’s Alicia Wittenberg and Momence’s Stephanie Mattocks.

Bradley, who shifted from outfield to second base after Glosser was injured last season, was one of the area’s top hitters with a .490 batting average and two home runs, while Covington batted .455 at third base with two home runs. As a sophomore, the speedy Glosser led the Green Wave with a .600 batting average.

Bradley and Covington were members of a Mattoon Pride 16-and-under team that made it to the championship game of the National Softball Association’s Class A Eastern World Series last summer. Glosser was recovering from knee surgery.

All are key contributors on Mattoon’s girls’ basketball team, but Glosser insists no one took the lead when it was time to choose a college.

“I think we all kind of did it on our own,” she said.

Bradley, along with Covington a two-time all-Big 12 selection, had considered an offer from St. Louis University before deciding to attend Lake Land.

“I was thinking about it, but I figured staying home for a year would probably be the best thing for me,” Bradley said.

Covington did speak for all of them when she offered a reason for staying in Mattoon.

“Coach Throneburg,” she said.

Sullivan was a dominant pitcher at Shelbyville each of the past three seasons. She had an 11-8 record with 214 strikeouts in 129 innings as a junior, while also hitting .446 at the plate.

Wittenberg was a Pride teammate of Bradley and Covington. She finished with a 13-2 mark and 2.50 earned run average in the pitcher’s circle, striking out 112 in 78 1/3 innings. She also had a .396 batting average.

Mattocks was selected to the Illinois Coaches Association’s Class A all-state second team last year as an infielder.

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Tuesday, March 6, 2007 10:50 PM CST From the Journal Gazette

Dow to join new
Heartland softball program

BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com

MATTOON n- Helping starting a junior college softball program to begin play this coming fall, Nic Nelson’s recruiting began years ago with Hannah Dow.

“I’ve seen Hannah play since she was in seventh grade,” Nelson said of the current Mattoon High School senior. “I’ve seen her as an opponent and I’ve seen her on my team when we went to Australia. In every case she was very enjoyable to watch.

“You cannot find an athlete with more class and style than Hannah Dow.”

So as an assistant coach at Heartland Community College in Normal, Nelson has helped land the All-Big 12 Conference pitcher/first baseman as part of the school’s first softball team to begin play next school year.

Known as Greg Nelson to those who remember him as a 1971 Mattoon graduate but Nic Nelson to most others around softball with his showcase camps, the assistant coach won at least one “friendly recruiting battle” as Nelson called it against Lake Land coach Denny Throneburg, who teams with Nelson to run Elite Softball showcase events for high school players during the off-season.

Throneburg has signed Mattoon’s Jenna Bradley, Megan Glosser and Lauren Covington.

Dow decided she wanted to go a bit farther from home and on Tuesday signed with Heartland, which is in its 12th year as a community college but is just starting athletics with softball, baseball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer.

“I visited Heartland and as soon as I got there I knew where I wanted to go,” said Dow, who also was considering Central College in Pella, Iowa. “It’s a good distance away but it’s not too far. I kind of wanted to go somewhere where I was going to meet new people.”

Earning All-Big 12 softball honors last year when she had a 14-3 pitching record and .338 batting average and then being named all-conference in basketball this year as a senior, Dow probably chose her college sport before deciding on a college.

“I had a great time this season and the past seasons playing basketball but softball is my first love,” the versatile 6-foot senior said.

Her softball love probably began years ago learning basics from her father, Mike, a former three-sport All-Big 12 standout at Mattoon.

“He was my first coach in T-ball and even when I was younger we were throwing the ball around outside,” Dow said.

Years later, the daughter has found her own stardom.

“The best part of it is she’s remained coachable all four years,” said Mattoon High School coach Dave McDowell, who like Nelson is a 1971 Mattoon graduate. “She will play any position. She’s a role model as far as conditioning, in striving to be the best she can be and by her character. She’s always been one to abide by the athletic code.

“Statistically, she’s become an All-Big 12 selection and it’s not just when she’s pitching. It’s when she’s playing defense and batting.”

Dow indicated no preference between her two main positions as a pitcher or first baseman.

“Both of them,” she said. “Either way, whatever gets me on the field, just being part of the game.”

Nelson said: “We see Hannah as our first baseman and in our pitching rotation with Amber May and Maddey Butterfield.”

May is an all-stater from Normal and Maddey a pitcher from Loves Park Harlem also among those set to play on Heartland’s first team where former Illinois State All-American Shea Wesley is to be the head coach

“It’s a new program but it’s deceiving,” Nelson said.

The program might find some instant success in the middle of the strong Bloomington-Normal softball area with the access to Champion Fields in Maxwell Park as well as access to the Pekin Dragon Dome’s indoor bubble for practice.

“It’s only natural when we were starting a team we looked at Mattoon,” Nelson said. “They have a great high school program and even greater summer program.”

He has landed at least one player from home in Dow, who ranks 35th in her class of 265 and plans to major in special education.

Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.