Wilmington relentless in toppling Coal City

COAL CITY – Monday’s Illinois Central Eight showdown of its top two teams Wilmington and Coal City started a few minutes early.

As it turned out Wilmington was more than eager to get started.

Wilmington’s first batter of the game, Ryan Kettman, swatted a home run to start off a 15-hit Wildcat attack and Lucas Rink limited Coal City to just two hits in a near complete game as the Wildcats rolled to a 9-0 victory.

“I think the kids just came with the right mindset today,” Wilmington coach Mike Bushnell said. “They were ready to go. I’ve really got nothing negative to say about today’s game, I thought it was all positive. All around they were hyper-focused, with great approaches at the plate. Couldn’t ask for anything better.”

After Kettman led off the game with a solo home run it did take a bit for Wilmington (11-6, 7-0) to dent the plate again. But seemingly every inning the Wildcats threatened and stretched the lead to 4-0 in the third on a two-run blast from Kyle Farrell and tacked on two more in the sixth to blow the contest open.

All the support that Rink needed came with Kettman’s homer as he comfortably worked his way through the Coal City (14-4, 6-1) lineup. He finished with 11 strikeouts, allowing just a second inning single to Donnie Ladas and a sixth inning base knock to Connor Henline.

He just missed getting a complete game effort too having been removed for a relief pitcher because of pitch count for Kettman, who promptly picked off a Coal City baserunner to end the game without retiring a batter the traditional way.

“I felt good,” Rink said. “I mean, the slider that’s neen my number one pitch for the past couple of years and whenever that’s working, I seem to find success.”

Rink never faced more than five batters in an inning and only one Coal City baserunner advanced past second base.

And while he didn’t need much offensive support, the Wildcats definitely supplied it as every spot in the Wilmington lineup reached base at least once with Shawn James leading the potent attack with a four-hit day while Farrell, Dierks Geiss, Cooper Holman and Drew Jackson all chipped in two hit performances.

“We just took the momentum and we never gave it back,” Rink said. “It’s always good to see that and especially when you leadoff man who’s been struggling finally comes out of his shell and unloads on one that’s great to see. And everybody gets behind him and the momentum carries over.”

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Wilmington's Declan Moran, front, dives to field a throw to third base as Coal City's Dylan Young dives into third during a game at Coal City Monday, April 21, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

The Wildcats, who finished third in Class 2A last season, finally seem to be catching their stride after maneuvering its way through a brutal nonconference schedule. Wilmington has lost just one game to a Class 2A school (Bishop McNamara in the season opener), but has experienced other setbacks against some of the state’s stronger and much larger programs.

“It is by design,” Bushnell said. “And even though you tell the kids, you know what we are doing here? It can still be tough and making sure that those kids stay together and they don’t lose confidence.

“I think we started 1-4 and it doesn’t matter who you are playing that can be tough on a team. That might not work out for every team, but this team, I knew they can handle something like that and I think it is really going to benefit us down the stretch.”