2024 All-Area Baseball: Meet the first team

Kollin Asbury

Armstrong-Potomac senior pitcher/third base/center field

Why he made the first team…

Asbury followed his All-Area First-Team basketball season with an even better baseball season, showing why he’ll be playing at Kankakee Community College next year. He compiled a 6-1 record on the mound with a 0.62 ERA and 101 strikeouts, leading the Trojans to a regional title and earning him Class 1A All-State honors. Asbury wasn’t too bad with the bat, either, hitting .359 with 17 RBI.

He needs tickets to see…

the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before he competes, he eats…

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite TV show is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods.

Three things on his bucket list are…

visiting every MLB stadium, skydiving and pitching in the MLB.

Gavin Bailey

Mahomet-Seymour junior Outfield

Why he made the first team … A Class 3A All-State recipient, Bailey was one of the best in the area with the bat in his hands, his nine home runs second among area players behind only Arcola’s Brevyn Whisman

with 10. Bailey led the Bulldogs to their first sectional title since 2000, batting .421 with a .557 on-base percentage, 45 hits, 47 RBI, 36 runs scored, 27 walks and 15 stolen bases. And he has another year to do it all over again.

He needs tickets to see…

the College World Series.

Before he competes, he eats…

at Casey’s breakfast pizza.

His dream career is…

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is…

His favorite movie is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Mike Trout.

Three things on his bucket list are…

visiting all the national parks, going on a Great Lakes fishing trip and attending a College World Series game.

Brayden Elliott

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley junior Pitcher/infield

Why he made the first team … Elliott was the driving force behind the Falcons’ first trip to the state finals in program history. Along with his Class 1A All-State nod, he earned All-Heart of Illinois Conference First-Team honors and GCMS awards for co-MVP with Ty Cribbett

and Pitcher of the Year. Elliott went 6-1 on the mound with a 2.05 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He complemented that with a .429 batting average, 45 hits and 41 RBI.

He needs tickets to see…

a baseball game at Fenway Park.

Before he competes, he eats…

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is … Cody Bellinger.

His favorite TV show is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Three things on his bucket list are…

going white-water rafting, visiting as many MLB stadiums as possible and bungee jumping.

Luke Landrus

St. Joseph-Ogden Senior Catcher/Pitcher

Why he made the first team…

The News-Gazette Player of the Year isn’t going far, as he’ll continue his playing career right down the road at the University of Illinois. Landrus was one of the best around both at the plate and on the mound, leading the Spartans to a regional title. He batted .478 with 55 hits, four home runs, 53 RBI, 55 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. The Class 2A All-State selection also went 8-1 on the mound with a 1.69 ERA and 60 strikeouts.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he eats…

his mom’s homemade spaghetti.

His dream career is…

a recruiting coordinator.

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is…

His favorite movie is…

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

LeBron James, Lionel Messi and Drake.

Three things on his bucket list are…

traveling the world, making the pros as a baseball player and becoming a recruiting coordinator.

Luke McClure

Champaign Central junior Outfield/pitcher

Why he made the first team…

McClure was the Maroons’ best all-around talent this season and a big reason why they nearly won a second consecutive sectional championship. The Wright State commit and unanimous All-Big 12 Conference First-Team honoree batted .410 with 50 hits, 45 runs scored, 37 stolen bases and a school-record-tying 10 triples to go along with a 3-0 record on the mound .

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he eats…

Chipotle and drinks water.

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite TV show is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Ted Williams, Dave Chappelle and Larry Bird.

Three things on his bucket list are…

going to The Bahamas, scuba diving and skydiving.

Finn Randolph

Mahomet-Seymour Senior Pitcher/Infielder

Why he made the first team … Randolph earned the title of MS team MVP, pacing the Bulldogs to their first sectional crown under coach Nic DiFilippo

‘s 18-year tenure and making it one step shy of the state finals. Randolph went 7-2 on the mound with a 2.50 ERA and 49 strikeouts. He was just as consistent at the plate, ending the season with a .336 batting average, a .483 on-base percentage, 38 hits, 23 RBI and 40 runs scored.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he eats…

a peanut butter sandwich.

His dream career is…

a professional Fantasy Football analyst or keeping stats for his favorite professional teams.

His favorite school subjects are …

His favorite athlete is…

His favorite movie is…

any “Star Wars” movie.

His favorite TV show is …

If he could have dinner with anybody from any time period, he would pick …

Three things on his bucket list are…

going to every MLB stadium, riding every rollercoaster at Cedar Point and visiting the best go-kart track in the United States.

Cameron Steinbaugh

Westville junior pitcher/shortstop/catcher

Why he made the first team…

Steinbaugh made a step up after earning All-Area Second-Team honors last year for Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman, fitting right in at Westville this year and helping the Tigers win the program’s first regional title since 1993. He was a big-game pitcher, going 8-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 78 strikeouts against the best teams on the schedule. He was also the Tigers’ best hitter with a .490 batting average, .624 on-base percentage, 47 hits, 49 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he eats…

His dream career is …

a professional baseball player.

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is…

His favorite movie is…

“Everybody Wants Some!!”

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Joe Rogan, Donald Trump and Gavin Adcock.

Three things on his bucket list are…

deep sea fishing, visiting every MLB stadium and playing Division I baseball.

Brock Suding

Unity senior outfield/third base/catcher

Why he made the first team…

Also an All-Area Football First-Team selection, Suding is one of only two repeat First-Teamers for baseball this year. He played three positions while occasionally pitching for a Rockets team that won 21 games and made it to a Class 2A regional championship. Suding tallied a team-high .417 batting average and 33 hits, 13 of them for extra bases, to go along with two home runs and 23 runs scored.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he drinks…

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite movie is…

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Will Ferrell, Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr.

Three things on his bucket list are…

swimming with sharks, skydiving and flying in a fighter aircraft.

Luke Teschke

Monticello Senior Pitcher/Infield

Why he made the first team…

Teschke only pitched 32 innings this season, but he made the most of them, going 6-0 with a 1.31 ERA and 54 strikeouts to earn the Sages’ Cy Young award and another All-Area First-Team nod. He was one of four seniors to lead Monticello to a team-best 22-0 start, program-record 31 wins and third straight regional title, coming up clutch with a two-run, walk-off double in the Class 2A regional semifinals.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he drinks…

His dream career is …

a professional baseball player.

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite movie is…

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Tom Brady, Adam Sandler and Robert Downey Jr.

Three things on his bucket list are…

skydiving, traveling the world and attending a Super Bowl.

Tanner Thomas

Arcola junior Pitcher/center field

Why he made the first team…

Thomas signed with the University of Louisville as a freshman and hasn’t disappointed his future college coaches through his first three years. On the mound, Thomas struck out more than 100 batters in 51⅓ innings pitched and held opponents to a .114 batting average. At the plate, he hit .490 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and 62 runs scored, leading the Purple Riders to a Class 1A regional title.

He needs tickets to see…

the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

Before he competes, he eats…

His dream career is…

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite movie is…

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Jesus, Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Jackson.

Three things on his bucket list are…

going to a Morgan Wallen concert, seeing the Dallas Cowboys win a Super Bowl and shooting a golf round in the 70s.

Chris Timmons

Champaign Central senior Second base

Why he made the first team…

Timmons became just the 10th player in Maroons history to bat .500, ending the season on a 30-game hitting streak and earning him Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Class 3A All-State honors. Along with his batting average, Timmons had a .600 on-base percentage, 56 hits, 37 RBI, 56 runs scored and 31 stolen bases to lead Central to a fourth straight regional title.

He needs tickets to see…

an Ohio State-Michigan football game.

Before he competes, he drinks…

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite movie is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

his mom, dad and brother.

Three things on his bucket list are…

going to the Masters Tournament, attending an Ohio State-Michigan football game and watching the Chicago Cubs win a World Series in person.

Braxton Waller

St. Joseph-Ogden senior catcher/first base

Why he made the first team … Waller was one of the most feared hitters in the area this season, batting .487 with a .583 on-base percentage, 55 hits, seven home runs and 64 RBI. Batting in the three hole right behind Player of the Year Luke Landrus

, Waller feasted on opposing pitchers to earn Class 2A All-State honors and help lead the Spartans to a regional title. He’ll be playing at Danville Area Community College next year.

He needs tickets to see…

Before he competes, he eats…

fruit and drinks an energy drink.

His dream career is …

His favorite school subject is …

His favorite athlete is …

His favorite movie is …

If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick …

Hank Williams Jr., Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

Three things on his bucket list are … killing a 200-inch white-tailed deer, visiting outside the United States and owning a business.