The NJCAA Division I Region 24 tournament is set to kick off this Thursday, May 8th. Eight teams, split up into two different host sites at John A. Logan JC and Southwestern Illinois College, will compete for the tournament’s title. 

We’re taking a look at the four teams playing at John A. Logan this weekend below, with a full preview on the four clubs that SWIC will be hosting coming soon. Continue reading below to learn more about John A. Logan JC, Lake Land College, Kaskaskia College, and Olney Central College. 

NO. 1 JOHN A. LOGAN VOLUNTEERS

The Volunteers have been the cream of the crop of Region 24 in 2025, finishing the regular season with a 47-8 record with a 27-3 showing in GRAC play. They lost one game at home all year and won 21 games in a row at one point, with a recent 12-game winning streak coming to a close as well. They’ll be the top seed on their side of the bracket and host, drawing Olney Central CC in the first round on Thursday at noon. 

John A. Logan’s strengths are plentiful, as they’re one of the top teams in the Midwest on both sides of the ball. Bryer Arview (Sophomore) was a key piece in the center of this lineup all spring, leading the team with a .405 batting average in 163 at-bats, posting an OPS of 1.202 and homering eight times, while also leading the Volunteers with 58 RBI. Five different Volunteer bats homered eight or more times, led by OF Trey Swiderski (Sophomore; Purdue), who left the yard 12 times and finished the regular season slashing .335/.400/.622 in 188 at-bats with 18 doubles and 57 RBI. Bryce Nevils (R-FR), Austin Wiegand (Sophomore; Northern Illinois), and Cruz Harlan (Freshman) all fit into that bucket too, and all three hit over .385 on the year in 140+ at-bats. Hayden Bates (Freshman) launched seven home runs in 92 at-bats, slashing .391/.555/.717 with three doubles, three triples, and 26 RBI. 

One huge piece to John A. Logan’s offense is their ability to create havoc on the basepaths coupled with their lack of strikeouts. The Volunteers stole 200 bases as a club and had five different players steal 20+ bags, led by Jaden Hart (Sophomore), who swiped 42 bags and was caught twice. With that, John A. Logan had five different regulars walk more than they struck out, and two others who struck out one more time than they walked. 

Pitching has always been a strength for John A. Logan, and this group has a multitude of arms they can roll out on any given day that give them a chance to win. Thomas Howard (Sophomore; Purdue) anchored this staff with a 62 ⅓ inning workload, punching out 70 with just 18 walks to the tune of a 2.89 ERA. Taylor Waldron (Sophomore; Jacksonville State) had a staff-high 78 punchouts across 54 innings of work, walking 16 with a 3.50 ERA. Cole Noreuil (Freshman), Carter McKinney (R-FR), and Evan Lopez (Sophomore; Morehead State) all made five-plus starts and threw well in their opportunities. Eli Porter (Freshman) and Levin East (Sophomore; Southern Indiana) are weapons out of the ‘pen for this club. Porter is an athletic left-handed arm with advanced feel for a changeup that struck out 34 in 26 ⅔ innings, while East fills up the zone with a high spin, high carry fastball, striking out 40 to just six walks in 33 innings of work. Connor Hughes (R-FR), Brady Davis (FR), and Corbin Payne (Sophomore; Charleston Southern) are three other arms to know as well. 

NO. 2 LAKE LAND LAKERS 

Lake Land is coming off its best regular season under head coach Julio Godinez, finishing 34-17 with a 21-9 record in conference play. They’ll travel to John A. Logan on Thursday and matchup against Kaskaskia College on Thursday at 3:00 PM in the first round. 

The top half of this Lakers’ lineup is fairly dangerous and led by a duo of left-handed hitters in Vinny Spotorofa (Sophomore; Northern Illinois) and Drew DuPont (Sophomore). Spotofora led this team with a .408 batting average in 169 at-bats, posting a 1.111 OPS with twice as many walks (36) as strikeouts (17), seven home runs, and tied for a team-high 55 RBI. DuPont also drove in 55 runs, finishing the regular season with a .349/.471/.634 triple-slash in 172 trips to the plate, homering seven times with 20 doubles, three triples, and more walks (34) than punchouts (23). Kiefer Tarnoki (Sophomore; Bradley commit) sets the table from the top spot in this lineup, batting .346 over 153 at-bats with a .972 OPS and 14 extra-base hits. Sharif Colon (Freshman) has had an excellent first season at the collegiate level, hitting .350 as an everyday regular with 16 extra-base hits and 32 RBI. 

Turning to the mound, the Lakers have a multitude of arms they can trot out on any given day that can quiet an opposing lineup. Two sophomores, Jack Helms (Eastern Illinois) and Jacob McPherson (Uncommitted), each have 45+ innings under their belt with quality production to pair. They’ve both made 10 starts, as has freshman southpaw Lucas Bixby, who has a 2.39 ERA with 57 strikeouts to 16 walks in 52 ⅔ innings. Nathan Trimble (Sophomore; Oakland City) has a 2.92 ERA in 37 innings out of the ‘pen, and Kayden Althoff (R-Sophomore; Charleston Southern) has been a relief weapon for this club, striking out 34 with a 1.52 ERA in 23 ⅔ innings of work. 

NO. 3 KASKASKIA BLUE DEVILS 

Kaskaskia enters the Region 24 tournament as the three seed, matching up with Lake Land in the first round. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with a 21-25 record and a 14-16 mark in conference play. 

Offensively, the Blue Devils are led by Wade Pauley (R-FR), who slashed .358/.433/.606 in 109 at-bats. The physical left-handed hitter drove in 28 runs and totaled 16 extra-base hits, four of them home runs. Michael O’Brien (Freshman) is a scrappy, competitive switch-hitter that sets the tone from the top of this lineup. He walked 41 times (.497 OBP) to 26 strikeouts, and paired 37 stolen bases with a .331 batting average in 145 at-bats. Parker Price (Sophomore; Memphis commit) is another left-handed hitter at the top of this lineup that can really run, swiping 32 bags and slashing .315/.414/.488 over 168 at-bats. Michael Oates (R-FR), Gabe Schlimme (FR), and Conner Freeze (R-FR) are three regulars to know for this club. 

The Blue Devils have a true ace on the mound in uncommitted sophomore Mason Tibbs. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander has a 2.70 ERA in 60 innings pitched, striking out 70 while only walking 17. He’ll give this team a chance to win each time he’s on the mound, and he’ll toe the rubber in their first game of the tournament. Landon Geragosian (R-Sophomore; Morehead State) is a strike-thrower with four pitches that’s tossed 32 ⅔ innings for this club, while Mason Robinson (Sophomore) and Lucas Winburn (Sophomore) are a pair of physical, power-armed right-handers to know. Dillan Elam (Freshman) and Jack Hendrix (R-FR) are two names that have thrown well out of the bullpen this season for Kaskasia. 

NO. 4 OLNEY BLUE KNIGHTS 

The Blue Knights enter the conference tournament with a 19-30 overall record and 13-17 showing in GRAC play. Olney CC will play John A. Logan on Thursday, May 8th at 12:00 PM. 

Offensively, the Blue Knights are led by Caleb Seibers (FR), who homered five times and hit .330 in 176 at-bats with a .936 OPS, driving in 39 runs. Sammy Hallada (Sophomore) had a productive regular season, slashing .339/.479/.435 in 168 at-bats with 11 extra-base hits, 31 RBI, and a team-high 30 stolen bases. Brett Kocher (Sophomore) hit .338 in 148 at-bats, while names like Kyle Campbell (FR) and Carder Reich (Sophomore) were positive contributors as everyday regulars. 

Olney does have one of the GRAC’s top arms on the mound in Kaleb Marrs (Sophomore; U – Indy commit). In 64 innings of work, Marrs pitched to a 2.67 ERA, striking out 58 with just 13 walks, and opponents hit just .175 off him. Skyler Lhamon (FR), Cade Mungle (FR), and Braxton Betancourt (FR) are three young arms that all threw 30+ innings for the Blue Knights this season. 

Author: Diego