Jacobs names Sanders baseball coach
Jacobs athletic director Tom Ross announced the hirings of coaches in two varsity sports Thursday.
Eric Sanders was named head coach of the Jacobs baseball program and Jim Dzialo will coach girls soccer.
Sanders brings a lifetime of baseball experience to the Jacobs dugout.
An assistant coach for the past five seasons at Crystal Lake Central, Sanders played four years of college baseball as a catcher at the University of Michigan after he graduated from CL Central in 1982.
Sanders is not a teacher. He owns his own business, which supplies equipment to nursing homes and hospitals.
"I had it narrowed down to a field of three highly qualified candidates," Ross said. "But what sold us was Eric's five years as an assistant at the varsity level and the fact he played four years of varsity baseball at Michigan. I think he'll be able to share a lot of his knowledge and love of the game with these kids."
Sanders replaces Dave Petrosky, who stepped down at the end of the spring season, citing pressure from parents of players in the program. With this in mind, Ross said the calm demeanor Sanders demonstrated throughout the interview process resonated with both he and Jacobs principal Michael Bregy.
Sanders said communication, teamwork and positive energy will be cornerstones of his approach as coach.
"I'm a big believer that baseball is a game of instinct," Sanders said. "To maximize your potential and achieve goals you have to have a positive mindset."
Sanders said he learned much the last five seasons from a good teacher in CL Central head baseball coach Jeff Aldridge and his staff.
"Jeff is a man of personal integrity and character. I feel fortunate to have worked with him and (assistants) Rich Czeslawski and Tom Mueller the last five years."
Dzialo is also the head coach of the varsity boys soccer program at Jacobs, a position he will retain. He coached the freshman girls soccer team last spring.
"We felt that Jim has always run an outstanding boys program, one of the best soccer programs in the area," Ross said. Most importantly, the kids and parents are very excited to have Jim move up and coach both programs."
College soccer
Judson men kick off season today: Picking up where it left off in 2006, the Judson College men's soccer team has been voted No. 8 nationally in the preseason NAIA poll. Judson is coming off of a 17-4-1 campaign in which it finished ranked No. 13 in the nation.
With a total 209 points in the poll, just 7 points behind No. 7 Auburn-Montgomery (Alabama), the Eagles will face two teams among the Top-25 in Columbia (No. 22) and Ohio Dominican (No. 23) in back-to-back contests at the Judson Tournament September 14-15.
Defending national champion Graceland University of Iowa was given the nod for the No. 1 slot in 2007 with 11 first-place votes. Azusa Pacific (California) is ranked No. 2 followed by William Jewell at No. 3.
Last season, Judson won its third consecutive CCAC regular season and tournament championship along with its third straight NAIA Region VII championship. The Eagles also advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for the third year in a row. In CCAC action, they have won 24 of their last 26 matches in regular-season play.
With the loss of seven key starters from last year including NAIA All-American selections Arron Craggs, Jesus Saiz and Bruno Pradines, Judson will have some large shoes to fill. However, the Eagles do welcome back NAIA All-American choices in Milos Bajic and Mark Howlett along with NCCAA All-Region player Steve Moldenhauer.
Judson will kick off the 2007 season today in the Judson Tournament against Taylor University of Indiana at 4 p.m.
Judson women: After a standout 2006 campaign, the Judson women's soccer team has earned itself a tie for the No. 4 slot in the NAIA Region VII poll. Judson is one of five teams in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference to be ranked as it tied with CCAC opponent Robert Morris College. St. Xavier claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Trinity International and Trinity Christian.
The Eagles are coming off off their best season in program history with a 15-7-1 record which included a third-place finish in the CCAC.
Judson has all three All-CCAC award winners returning in Emma Mugg, Christina Thorton and Samantha Vestal. Mugg was All-CCAC first team along with being named a NAIA All-American, NAIA All-Region and NCCAA All-Region. Thornton, a Dundee-Crown product, was voted the CCAC Freshman of the Year and was selected to the CCAC First-team. She also garnered NAIA All-American status, NAIA All-Region and NCCAA All-Region honors.
The Judson women's team will kick off the 2007 season on Saturday at Lewis University at noon.