Bloodlines carrying through from Bureau County athletes

Lance Harris and Nicole (Coates) Schaefbauer were standouts in their own right coming through the ranks of Bureau County sports.

Harris was a first team all-stater for Ohio’s 1986 runner-up basketball team, scoring 1,936 career points. He went on to play for Sauk Valley and Division 2 Lewis University.

Coates Schaefbauer, now the Executive Director for the IESA, helped lead the 1990 Princeton volleyball team to the Class A State championship and was a first team all-stater. She went on to star for the University of Notre Dame.

Their bloodlines are flowing strong in their children.

Brett Harris, Lance’s son, has recently been called up to the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple A team of the Oakland Athletics. His family was with him in Idaho over the All-Star break when he got the call.

The younger Harris is a spitting image of his father, who he credits helping to prepare him for this opportunity growing up.

Harris, 25, a seventh-round draft pick of the A’s in 2021 out of Gonzaga, is the A’s No. 12 prospect. A third baseman, who has played some short stop, Harris batted .283 for the Double A Midland Rockhounds. He was 9 for 33 (.273) with two doubles and an RBI in his first eight games in Triple A.

I asked Lance a couple of years ago if his son had the makings to make the Big Show and he said, yes, with no hesitation. He is certainly heading in that direction and it will be great for him and the Harris family to see him realize his dream.

“It’s fun to see him getting close to his dream,” Lance said.

Coates Schaefbauer has two daughters following in their mother’s footsteps. Their father, Skipp, was a Division I basketball player for East Carolina and lllinois State.

McKenna Schaefbauer, a rising tennis talent, has transferred to the University of lllinois for her sophomore season after one year at South Carolina.

She said she made the move to Illinois “because of the unique combination of quality academics and a track record of excellence on the court. Being from central Illinois (Normal), I have had the opportunity to train at the Atkins Tennis Center as a junior player and know the athletic department is full of wonderful people.”

Schaefbauer was the 2018 Illinois 1A singles state champion and was tabbed the No. 1 recruit in Illinois and No. 14 overall recruit in the class of 2022. She then played at Hilton Head (SC) Prep.

Illini coach Brett Clark is excited to bring Schaefbauer back home to her native Illinois.

“What excites us the most, is that we believe McKenna has great potential both as a teammate and as an individual tennis player. She has the ability to have a tremendous college tennis career and we believe her best tennis is ahead of her in an Illini uniform,” he said.

Schaefbauer’s sister, Isabel, also made a move to continue her collegiate career in volleyball. She transferred to Youngstown State University in 2022 after two seasons at Winthrop University.

The senior setter led the Penquins (14-16) with 622 set assists (5.22) in 32 matches played a year ago.

Schaefbauer led Normal U-High to two top-four finishes in the IHSA State Class 3A Tournament and three conference championships. She was selected for the USA Girls’ Holiday Training Program and the USA Girls’ National Continental Team Program.

Like her sister, Isabel is an accomplished tennis talent, crowned as an IHSA doubles state champion in 2016. Their mother was also a state tennis qualifier around playing volleyball for the Tigresses. Both Schaefbauer sisters played in the Tiger Classic in their mother’s hometown as young players.

The son shall rise: Another area family connection with bloodlines going strong are the Junises. Jody was a star player for the Annawan Braves basketball team, which twice beat the Ohio Bulldogs and Lance Harris during the 1986 season. His son, Jakob, has pitched seven seasons in the Big Leagues, now in his second year with the San Francisco Giants.

Junis, 30, broke in with the Kansas City Royals in 2017, posting a 9-3 record with a 4.30 ERA as a rookie. He stands 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA and one save over 25 relief appearances for the Giants this season.

Like his father, the younger Junis was a top basketball talent. He was a sharp-shooting guard at Rock Falls, in range the moment he got off the bus. He especially liked playing at Princeton, firing in nine 3-pointers in a career-high 39-point effort as a junior in 2009-10 and 31 points, including 11 points in two overtimes the next year.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com