Rice grad Payton is Buster Posey Catcher of Year finalist
By Mike Walsh
Correspondent
Louisville catcher Jack Payton has been named a finalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Payton, an Orland Park resident who prepped at Brother Rice, is one of three finalists along with Kyle Teel of Virginia and Ryan Snell of Lamar. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series.
The finalists will be invited to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 25th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29.
Payton, a junior, is the second Louisville player to be named a finalist for the award since its inception in 2000, following Henry Davis in 2021.
Payton led the Cardinals (31-24) in hitting for the second straight season in 2023, finishing with a .374 batting average. He was also first in OPS (1.114), hits (67), total bases (115), slugging (.642) and on-base percentage (.472), and was co-leader in runs (43) and home runs. He had 10 doubles and 41 RBI.
The 12 home runs are a career best for Payton, who appeared in 48 games for the Cardinals this season, starting all but one.
Behind the plate, Payton posted a .994 fielding percentage and threw out 32 percent of potential base stealers.
Dynamic Duo
Two Loras men’s volleyball players form the area have been lauded for their excellence on the court during the 2023 season.
Graduate student Patrick Mahoney was chosen the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year.
The Oak Lawn native is a three-time CCIW All-Conference First Team performer after leading the league with 98 blocks. His 27 solo blocks were the most in the league. The Marist alum finished with an attacking percentage of .473) and 35 service aces.
Fellow Oak Lawn resident Joe Horn also was recognized as a CCIW First Team member. The St. Rita graduate, who was named to the All-CCIW Second Team in 2021 and 2022, finished this season second in the league with 727 total assists for an average of 9.82 per set.
Horn was named the conference’s Defense/Libero/Setter of the Week twice during the 2023 season, giving him three of those honors for his career.
Both Mahoney and Horn were feted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as they were named to the AVCA’s All-West Region Team for the 2023 campaign. In addition, they were honored as AVCA All-Americans, with Mahoney on the Second Team and Horn an honorable mention selection.
Mahoney is a two-time All-American after garnering honorable mention status in 2021. This is Horn’s initial appearance.
Loras was 18-6 overall on the season and 6-4 in the CCIW.
Local News
Bears, not fans, should buy sports stadium
Spread the love. By Ray Hanania . Sports has really changed over the past few generations. When I was young, going to a baseball or football game was very affordable. That’s because the sports teams weren’t paying the outrageous contracts to get the best sports stars. Sports competition used to be in person. We would…
Johnson shows poor timing in Springfield
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Much of the Illinois Statehouse appeared to be girding itself for battle with Mayor Brandon Johnson before his Springfield visit last week. After dramatically announcing to Chicago reporters earlier in the week that the city’s families are “owed” $1 billion from state government, particularly education, Gov. JB Pritzker…
Rashid calls college demonstrators ‘student heroes’
Spread the love. Rips Israel over “apartheid’ and ‘genocide’ . From staff reports The crisis in Palestine is taking a terrifying turn as the Israeli military is preparing to invade Rafah where more than one million Palestinians have been forced to after their homes in northern Gaza were destroyed, State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (D-21st) said…
Titanic memories haunt Worth Library
Spread the loveBy Kelly White This year marks the 112th anniversary of the Titanic’s fateful ship crossing. Bringing the ship back to life was the Worth Public Library on April 15 with a program called, The Haunted Titanic, with local historian Bob Trzeciak, who walked patrons through the history, the lasting impact, and why it…
Spring cleanup day in Bridgeview set for Saturday
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Any Bridgeview resident with clutter to clear will be busy Friday night, May 10. That’s when they will be putting all kinds of things on the parkway as the village prepares for its annual spring cleanup day set for Saturday, May 11. All items must be at the curb by…
Family of man killed in McCook struggling with his absence
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch On what would have been his 37th birthday, the family of Morales Ricardo Lopez gathered at his grave in Evergreen Park Cemetery. Lopez, of Blue Island, was gunned down in McCook early Feb. 17, leaving behind a widow and three children. His family, other relatives and friends gathered at his…
Southwest Symphony presents ‘American Song Book’
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Southwest Symphony Orchestra will perform “The American Song Book” this weekend at Trinity College in Palos Heights. The performance will feature Grammy nominated Helen Welch under the direction of David Crane at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Auditorium. Welch will perform some of America’s best loved classics.…
Shoppers welcome back Evergreen Park Farmers Market
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Rain was forecast for the morning of May 2, but nothing could dampen the spirits of customers who dropped by the Evergreen Park Farmers Market. The large crowd that attended were instead greeted with mostly sunny skies. Beth Novotney, director of the Evergreen Park Office of Citizen Services that oversees…
Evergreen Park recognizes police for valor
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The Evergreen Park police have been cited for valor after several key arrests that occurred the past couple of months. Police Chief Michael Saunders requested commendations for the officers during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night. Mayor Kelly Burke and the board applauded the efforts of the force.…
Hickory Hills police bid adieu and say welcome
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam The Hickory Hills Police Department bid a fond farewell to Lieutenant Glenn Tienstra and welcomed new Officer Daniel Balzhiser. On a memorable Thursday evening, April 25, city hall was filled with the warmth of community family, friends, officers, and council members, all gathered to joyfully celebrate Officer Balzhiser and respectfully…
Neighbors
For Many Illinoisans in Flood-Prone Areas, Buyouts Are the Only Way Out
By Laura Stewart, Illinois Answers Project April 23, 2024 DIETERICH, Ill. – Every day, Berdeena Leturno checks her email for an update on when the state of Illinois will finally pay her $80,000. It’s been over two months since she signed the paperwork to sell her flood-damaged home as part of a buyout program, and…
Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…
Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Stateville Correctional Center could close as early as September under a plan laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday. Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. The 12 members on the General Assembly’s…
Labor-backed bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings awaits House action
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand. Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com When Gov. JB Pritzker proposed his budget for the upcoming fiscal year in February, he sought authority from lawmakers to raise more than $1 billion in revenue through various changes to the state tax code. Among other things, he sought to raise $526 million through extending an expiring…
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…
Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…