February 12, 2025
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Baseball: Panthers have a high 5 for college

By Kevin Hieronymus
Five Putnam County seniors have signed to play baseball collegiately. They are Austin Mattingly (from left) Nicholas Currie, Andrew Pyszka, Jackson McDonald and Troy Petty.

Five Putnam County seniors have signed to play baseball collegiately. They are Austin Mattingly (from left), Nicholas Currie, Andrew Pyszka, Jackson McDonald and Troy Petty. (Photo courtesy PCHS)

Putnam County will take the baseball field with 10 seniors this spring. At least five of them will be going on to college to play.

Last week brought a high 5 of college signings to PC.

Andrew Pyszka (position player) and Jackson McDonald (pitcher) signed to play for St. Charles Community College. Pyszka batted .512 with five homers and 13 RBIs last year. McDonald batted .333 and posted a 6-0 wIth a 1.88 ERA.

Nicholas Currie signed as a pitcher with the University of Missouri Science & Technology. He went 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA.

Austin Mattingly signed as a position player and a pitcher with Sauk Valley Community College. He batted .257 with a homer and 24 RBIs and posted a 2-0 record with a 2.51 ERA.

And Troy Petty signed as a pitcher with Elgin Community College. He went 6-5 with a 1.87 ERA.

PC coach Chris Newsome said it’s a big moment for the Panthers program.

“Having these guys committed to play at the next level is awesome. It’s great for our program, but more importantly it is a testament to the commitment and dedication these young men and their families have had to the game of baseball since they were old enough to play,” Newsome said. “It is certainly exciting for all of us in our baseball program to see these young men lead the way for everyone else in our program including our junior high and even our elementary school.

“We talk about being role models for our younger kids because, like it or not, our younger kids look up to our high school athletes. I couldn’t think of a better collective group of guys to be the role models for our next generation of PC ball players and leaders of our program. Hopefully the success these guys have and the success of our team will have a trickle down effect on our baseball youth that will only grow and strengthen the storied tradition of baseball excellence in Putnam County.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys for their recent college baseball commitments and I’m excited to see their continued growth as well rounded young men and leaders of our team this spring.”

Princeton players commit

Two Princeton seniors have made their choice where they will be playing baseball collegiately.

Infielder Ryan Brucker (.423, 11 RBIs) has signed to play for Southeast Illinois Community College in Harrisburg while , a pitcher Danny Cihocki (3-1, 2.15) has committed to Lake Land College in Mattoon.