INA, IL (Feb. 14, 2022) – With the baseball season now here, the Rend Lake College Warriors are ready to hit the field and prove themselves once again.
Warriors Head Coach Walker Bullington said this current team is a bunch of hard-working players who are willing to give it all they’ve got.
“I am really excited for these guys to get on the field,” Bullington said. “The biggest thing for them is to go out and play fast, free, comfortable baseball. This group has worked really hard all year to get to this point. Once the season starts, it’s time to just go play. Go be you and let it happen.”
In 2021, Rend Lake held on to a .500 record overall and in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (21-21 and 14-14). Bullington said the 2022 squad is prepared and deep enough to take advantage of all aspects of the game.
“From a baseball standpoint, we run the bases well, we are aggressive in all three phases, and we compete,” he said. “Our guys don’t complain; they just try and go out and embrace the grind. We want to get better in all three phases every time we go out. We have to field it, pitch it, swing it and bring it on the base-paths.”
To start the season, the team will be mostly road-warriors with 19 road or neutral-site games in a row.
Rend Lake has 13 returning sophomores, with experience on the mound, in the field and behind the plate. Bullington said each of the veterans have the ability to step and lead the team.
“Honestly, all 13 sophomores have been unbelievable for us,” he said. “We were a different group this year from Day 1. All of them came in and set a tone and up to this point we have maintained it. That has been from a communication standpoint, work ethic, consistency, aggressiveness, in the classroom and in the community.”
Combine that experience with several eager freshman players, and Rend Lake has a united bench ready to conquer.
“I am really proud of this group,” he said. “The culture shift is entirely related to what that group has done. It is tough to just name one guy. We work and lead as a group and I think that is one of the biggest factors in our growth.”
Bullington said this season’s Warriors will be young enough, scrappy enough and hungry enough to not throw away their shot each and every time they take the field.
“We have such a good mixture of talent, experience, youthful exuberance, and veteran savvy,” he said. “It is going to be a challenge to go out and prove every single day who we think we are versus what may be perceived. I think this group is hungry and wants to go out and prove what we can do. If we can find a way to get the best out of each guy and what they bring to the table individually, the team will continue to grow. “
Bullington said he is also grateful to have assistant Mark Reardanz, who has proven to be a great asset for the program.
“The guy does it all,” he said. “He does all of the little things behind the scenes that aren’t seen. It is impossible to name all of the things he does for our program. If we didn’t have Mark, we would be in big trouble. I am really grateful to have him on staff. He has done a tremendous job and has a really bright future in this game.”
The Warriors opened the spring 2022 baseball season this past weekend in Millington, TN, splitting two doubleheaders. RLC topped Lake Michigan College 9-2 and defeated Glen Oaks Community College 17-2 in five innings but lost to Columbia State Community College (4-2 in 8 innings) and Dyersburg State Community College (5-0).
Next up is a game against Cumberland University on Thursday, beginning at 3 p.m. The first home game will be Monday, March 7, against Kankakee Community College.
