Thirty one years ago, Bill Storrs founded the Crestwood Panthers Amateur Baseball Team and assumed the role of head coach. Storrs continues to direct the Crestwood program, but he added another responsibility to his docket in 2008 –– head coach of the Prairie State College baseball team.
And after two seasons of hard work, the 2010 campaign proved to be the most successful of Storrs’ three at the helm of the Pioneers’ program.
PSC reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in the Storrs era, compiling a 34-23 overall mark.
The Pioneers also found themselves just one win shy of claiming an NJCAA Region IV Sectional title following a pair of wins in the sectional tournament, one of which was a 20-4 victory over Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference rival Elgin.
Storrs has produced a 62-77 career mark at Prairie State.
Post-season accolades were plentiful for the Pioneers in 2010 as six players (Dave Pellack, Tim Storrs, Zach Smerz, Adam Nykiel, Dave Plocharczyk and Tom Lally) were tabbed to the All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Team.
Pellack was selected to the All-Region IV First Team.
Pitcher Nick Gross was named to the 2010 NJCAA Academic All-America Team.
Six of Storrs’ charges, Adam Boyer, Joe Florek, Nick Gross, Ryan O’Connor and Scotty Smith, were named to the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference All-Academic Team.
PSC finished with a 12-30 mark in 2009 and 16-24 record in 2008. Seventeen Pioneers also received postseason awards in those two seasons, including Matt Harstead and Ben Huegel, who were selected to the 2009 NJCAA Academic All-America Team.
Prairie State is not the first collegiate position for Storrs as he coached at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights from 1988-96.
Both Crestwood and Trinity have benefited under Storrs’ tutelage.
When the Panthers were created three decades ago, they were primarily a local park district team. Today, Crestwood, which is comprised of current and former collegiate players along with ex-professionals, ranks among the elite amateur teams in the country. In 2006, the Panthers enjoyed their most successful season, earning the No. 2 ranking in the country by the National Semi-Professional Baseball Association and capturing both the Northern Illinois Wood Bat League and the Chicago Stan Musial Wood Bat League en route to compiling a 43-16 overall record. Crestwood took third at the 2007 National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series in Wichita, Kan., and followed that with a No. 10 showing at the tournament the following year before placing fifth last summer.
Crestwood also appeared in the NBC World Series in 1989 and 1999, ranking sixth and seventh, respectively. Furthermore, the Panthers claimed a pair of Chicago Suburban Baseball League crowns in 1999 and 2001.
In recognition of his team’s accomplishments, Storrs was inducted into the Chicago Suburban Baseball League Hall of Fame in February 2009, and he was named as the NBC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Sportsmanship Award in 1996.
Storrs’ time at Trinity Christian was spent as both the associate head coach (1988-94) and as head coach (1995-96). During his entire tenure with the Trolls, he also was the lead recruiter.
As the associate head coach, Storrs was the third base coach, hitting coach and fielding instructor for catchers and infielders. Besides improving from eight wins to 20 in a two-year span, Trinity also sent its first player to the professional ranks when Bob Schaaf was inked to a contract.
Storrs experienced success as the Trolls’ head coach, recording 20-plus wins, defeating St. Xavier and St. Francis for the first time in team history and advancing to the conference tournament.
Along with coaching, Storrs is the president of Storrs Insurance Agency, which he founded in 2000. Prior to starting up that company, he was an agent for Allstate Insurance for 20 years and received the organization’s Most Distinguished Sales Leader on 15 occasions.
Storrs and his wife Kathleen have three children, including Tim, a former all-conference second baseman for the Pioneers, and Bill Jr., a member of the PSC coaching staff. They reside in Palos Heights.
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Armed with a supreme knack for spotting top talent, Mike Jeffers carries a powerful baseball resume with him as he returns to the Prairie State staff in 2011.
In his first year as an assistant at PSC, Jeffers provided a stable presence on the Pioneers’ bench, employing his incredible wealth of knowledge to lend a hand in several different areas.
The 1991 graduate of De La Salle Institute has experienced the game as a player, coach and scout.
Jeffers was an All-Catholic League pick as well as All-Area selection as a first baseman by the Daily Southtown following his senior campaign for the Meteors.
He played collegiately at Morton College in Cicero and at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind.
He spent two seasons (2008-‘09) as an Associate Scout in the Seattle Mariners organization and will work in the same capacity for the Texas Rangers during the 2010 campaign.
A Physical Education teacher at Hillcrest High School for the past seven years, Jeffers began his coaching career as an assistant at De La Salle (1996-2003). In 2003 he also worked as the pitching coach at Moraine Valley, before serving as the head coach at Hillcrest during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
“Mike is going to help us with recruiting and getting the Prairie State name out there,” Pioneers head coach Bill Storrs said. “Having been a big league scout, he adds instant credibility to our staff. He’ll be a tremendous help to us as a program. Mike is also going to help Coach (Tim) Wilson with our pitchers.”
Jeffers holds a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Chicago State University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Olivet Nazarene University.
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A former standout baseball player and 1981 graduate of Thornwood High School, Joe Malia is primed and ready to help the Pioneers take care of some unfinished business as he heads into his second season as a Prairie State assistant in 2011.
A home builder and union plasterer for the past 26 years, Malia also played and coached six seasons (1998-2003) for the semipro Beecher Muskies of the Chicago Suburban League.
Malia spent 1997-1999 as a varsity assistant at Peotone High School.
He currently resides in Peotone, and his son, Joey, is a sophomore outfielder for the Pioneers.
“Joe is basically my right-hand man when it comes to field maintenance and the administrative duties that go along with running the program,” Pioneers head coach Bill Storrs said. “Joe will also be our first base coach and will work with our infielders.”
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After completing his collegiate career at Robert Morris College in 2008, Bill Storrs, Jr. joined the coaching ranks in 2009 as a Prairie State College assistant.
Prior to going to Robert Morris, Storrs played at PSC in 2005. In his one-year stint with the Pioneers, Storrs batted .402, which is the ninth-highest single-season total in team history, and hit five homers, equaling the third most by a Prairie State player. In all, Storrs hit 24 home runs at the collegiate level.
Storrs serves as the Pioneers hitting coach and from an offensive standpoint, 2010 proved to be one for the ages for the program.
Under Storrs’ watchful eye, the Pioneers swung their way to a .357 team batting average, good for 15th in the nation.
Storrs also played an instrumental role in sophomore shortstop Dave Pellack turning in an outstanding campaign, which saw him hit .457 with a school record 98 hits.
In the summer, Storrs plays for the Crestwood Panthers and was the runner up for the Chicago Suburban Baseball League 2008 Player of the Year. While playing for the Panthers in 2005, he was the league’s recipient of the College Player of the Year.
Storrs is the CSBL’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs, and he is third in total bases. With the exception of triples and stolen bases, he ranks in the top-10 in all of the statistical categories on offense.
Storrs, who received a degree in business from Robert Morris, gives lessons at On-Deck Baseball Academy in Orland Park.
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| After 30 years of coaching at both the high school and semipro levels, Tim Wilson made his collegiate coaching debut in 2010.
Now he’s back for another round.
A 1968 graduate of Leo High School, Wilson will once again occupy the position of pitching coach for Prairie State.
Wilson’s first campaign at PSC was a rousing success as the entire pitching staff made great strides.
Under Wilson’s tutelage, Prairie State posted a team ERA of 6.87, striking out 347 hitters in 391.2 innings. The Pioneers also walked just 191 batters on the season.
Wilson was especially crucial in the development of sophomore right-handed starter Joe Florek, whose late-season surge helped carry the Pioneers into the post season. Florek, finished the slate with a team-high 77 strikeouts, good for second all-time in the PSC record book.
The veteran summer league coach also played a role in sophomore left-hander Nick Gross’s no-hitter against Illinois Valley, April 13.
Wilson, who served five years in the U.S. Navy, spent 10 seasons (1990-‘99) as the pitching coach at Oak Forest High School, working under legendary Bengals head coach Andy Scianna.
A longtime Healthcare Cost Consultant, Wilson also was an assistant varsity baseball coach at Marian Catholic High School for five seasons (2001, 2003-2006) and spent one year (2007) as a varsity assistant at Chicago Agricultural Science High School.
Wilson had a standout semipro career as well, playing both shortstop and second base for several teams in the Chicago Suburban League. He earned an Associates Degree from Moraine Valley Community College.
“Tim will add experience and stability to our staff and be a tremendous help to our pitchers,” Pioneers head coach Bill Storrs said.
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