Josh Kinney continues to struggle to regain his control.

Sent down to Class AAA Memphis by the St. Louis Cardinals after struggling to throw strikes out of the big leaue bullpen, the former Quincy University right-hander has had his struggles with the Redbirds. He has appeared in three games, pitching 3 2/3 innings with a 9.82 earned-run average.

He has allowed three hits and four runs — all earned — while hitting two batters, walking three and striking out four.

In his first appearance against Oklahoma City, Kinney lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowed won hit, two walks and three runs. He worked a near perfect inning against Nashville, striking out one and walking one.

Two nights later, against Nashville again, he allowed two hits and one run in two innings. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.

The Eastern Illinois University baseball team is nationally ranked for the first time since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1982, and Quincy Notre Dame product Brian Morrell has had a hand in the Panthers’ success.

Morrell, a 6-foot-7 senior right-handed pitcher, owns a 3-1 record with one save and a 4.86 earned-run average. He’s made three starts and 15 appearances overall — second most on the staff — while striking out 26 and walking 15 in 33 1/3 innings.

In his most recent outing, Morrell drew a mid-week start against Illinois. Although he got a no-decision, pulled with the game tied at 1, he was effective. Morrell went five innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out one and walking one.

Overall, the Panthers are 26-6 and 9-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They were ranked 29th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Top 30.

Meanwhile, at Creighton, junior left-hander Greg Hellhake has settled into the rotation as one of the Bluejays top four starters. The Quincy Notre Dame product is 3-1 with a 4.09 ERA in nine starts. He has struck out 23 and walked 21 in 44 innings — the second-most innings on the staff.

Hellhake has allowed 37 hits — fewest among Creighton’s starters. And the run he allowed last week against Northern Iowa ended a string of 15 1/3 innings without allowing a run.

At SIU-Edwardsville, Quincy High School product Mitchell Fairley has logged the most innings and starts for the Cougars pitching staff. The left-hander is 2-2 with a 6.25 ERA, having made seven starts and thrown 40 1/3 innings.

Fairley has struck out 47 and walked 22. He’s also recorded three pickoffs — the only pitcher on SIUE’s staff to do so.

SIUE freshman right-hander Blaise Haxel, a QND graduate, has appeared in nine games, logging 14 1/3 innings with a 9.42 ERA. He has struck out 11 and walked 12.

Haxel’s brother, Connor, who is a sophomore outfielder for the Cougars, has appeared in 15 games with a .167 batting average, one double and four RBI.

Despite the wind and rain that tortured teams throughout the area last week, I was able to see three area baseball teams for the first time this season. Each one left me intrigued and anxious to see them play again.

So here are my initial impressions on Quincy High School …

Until Saturday, when they dropped a Western Big Six Conference doubleheader at Rock Island, the Blue Devils had played relatively flawless defensively. That’s the biggest difference when you compare this team to last year’s four-win club.

QHS has been good at making the routine play. By not decimating themselves with errors, the Blue Devils gave themselves a chance to win the game at the plate. They did that against QND, rallying from two two-run deficits to win 7-6 on a walk-off single by Conner Schaefer.

The defense wasn’t as crisp against Rocky — seven errors in the two games — which ultimately led to defeat. But the positives that could be gleamed from those two games will help QHS end its 12-game WB6 losing streak soon.

First, the pitching of lefty Ryan Taylor and righty Nolan Kurfman was outstanding. Both threw strikes, kept hitters off-balance and used their defense. As long as they force hitters to keep the ball on the ground, they will be effective.

As for the offense, second baseman Stuart Roderick continues to produce in the No. 2 spot. He went 4 for 9 with three runs scored in three games I saw last week. First baseman Andrew Feyerabend was equally impressive. Feyerabend went 4 for 9 with a double, triple and six RBI.

“He’s staying back, he’s staying patient and he’s hitting some balls hard,” QHS coach Randy Mettemeyer said of Feyerabend. “We need him to do that all year, and he’s been doing a great job getting some timely hits.”

Feyerabend’s not the only one. Catcher Andy Schmitt continues to hit the ball hard. His homer against QND gave the Blue Devils a brief lead and he added an RBI double against Rocky. Hitting either sixth or seventh in the lineup, he gives the bottom of the order some pop and some consistency.

Despite the wind and rain that tortured teams throughout the area last week, I was able to see three area baseball teams for the first time this season. Each one left me intrigued and anxious to see them play again.

So here are my initial impressions on Quincy Notre Dame …

The most striking thing about the Raiders’ lineup was the number of unfamiliar faces. Actually, they were all recognizable, having watched most of them contribute during the QND football team’s 11-1 season. Still, they are fresh faces on the varsity baseball team.

Third-year coach Chris Martin started five sophomores against Hannibal and seven sophomores against QHS. The youth shows in some situations, but this team showed some moxie in the way it has battled.

No one has shown more than Conner Cramsey.

With bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning and QND trailing Hannibal by one run, the QND second baseman struck out, something the coaches and his teammates didn’t expect because he has been such a good contact hitter.

Cramsey didn’t dwell on one at-bat, and the next day against QHS, he went 3 for 4 with a triple, a stolen base and a run scored.

That sort of resiliency is what will make this team better as the season wears on.

Blake Doane showed the same moxie on the mound. Despite giving up four runs in the first two innings against Hannibal, he settled in, threw strikes and kept the Pirates off the scoreboard for three consecutive innings.

Doane, Kramer Barnes, Luke Stamerjohn and Ryan Terstriep form a fairly formidible staff just in the sophomore class alone. Senior third baseman Tim Haley and senior outfielder Ryan Stuckman offer quality leadership, which makes Martin confident this team will find its stride.

“I see flashes of them being really, really good,” Martin said. “It still might be four games away, 10 games away, I’m just not sure.”

Despite the wind and rain that tortured teams throughout the area last week, I was able to see three area baseball teams for the first time this season. Each one left me intrigued and anxious to see them play again.

So here are my initial impressions on Hannibal …

The first question most people asked me when they found out I had been to Hannibal and watched the Pirates was is if Neil Hugenberg pitched.

He hadn’t, but the intrigue in understandable. Hugenberg, a senior right-hander, was as dominant as any pitcher in the area two years ago. An injury sidelined him for all but one game his junior year and there was never a certainty he would be able to pitch this season.

Well, he has and he’s been effective.

But there is more to the Pirates pitching staff than Hugenberg. Ian Hatton and Charlie Fohey showed that.

Hatton, a right-hander who is heading to Culver-Stockton to play football, doesn’t have overpowering stuff. He simply locates his pitches, get good movement on them and works ahead in the count more often than not. Other than one inning where he elevated some pitches, he stayed on top of hitters until tiring in the seventh.

That’s when Fohey, a crafty lefty, bailed Hatton out in relief.

Fohey entered with the bases loaded and one out and Hannibal clinging to a one-run lead. He promptly struck out the first batter he faced and then induced a game-ending fly ball to center field. Although he admitted to being a little nervous, he pitched with a veteran’s cool.

All the Pirates hit that way.

Catcher Zach Nichols is a line drive machine. Sophomore Kyle Arthaud has a keen eye for the strike zone and senior Brandon Mundle won’t let pitchers made mistakes. Mundle and Arthaud went a combined 5 for 5 with two doubles and three runs scored hitting in the seventh and ninth spots, respectively, in the order.

Hannibal hasn’t won a district baseball championship since 1972.

This just might be the year.

Let’s set the record straight.

Has veteran boys basketball coach Pat Rafferty resigned at Payson Seymour? No.

Is he considering submitting the proper paperwork to the Payson School Board? Yes.

Will he do it at next week’s board meeting? Well, maybe.

Rafferty met with his players earlier this week and informed them he was planning to resign, but as word leaked of his decision, he was inundated with phone calls asking him to reconsider. That has given him pause. He said he’s is taking the Easter weekend to consider the right move.

Hired two years ago, along with veteran coach Mike Fray as his assistant, to bring stability and success back to a program he once helped flourish, Rafferty gave the Payson School Board a three-year commitment to get it done. His goal was to put a system in place for players and coaches that would benefit the middle school program through the varsity level.

In the process, he and Fray were grooming younger coaches who could, if the administration saw fit, take over the program without losing much in transition.

It took just two years for Rafferty and Fray to accomplish their goals. The Indians went 12-15  in their first season to 15-12 this past winter with a team that graduates only two seniors. Meanwhile, the coaching staff was in place, all the way down to the fifth- and sixth-grade levels.

That gave Rafferty the confidence he could step away now.

He could have let selfish reasons dictate his decision. With 487 career victories and a talented team returning, Rafferty would likely hit the 500-victory milestone next winter. But he has said from the start, he wants to do what’s best for the Payson program — now and in the future.

That may mean resigning, but as of late Wednesday night, no official decision had been made.

Scoring for cancer research

The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team looked pretty good in pink.

The Lady Raiders ditched their traditional home attire in favor of pink shorts, pink wristbands and pink headbands as QND and Quincy High School took part in a “Pink Night” for breast cancer awareness during Tuesday’s crosstown showdown.

During warmups, both teams and coaching staffs wore pink t-shirts made to commemorate the event, and according to QND coach Mark Longo, more than 100 t-shirts were made and sold. The teams also raffled off two game balls — one autographed by the Lady Raiders, one signed by the Blue Devils.

Laurie Laaker, whose daughter, Megan, is a former QND player, helped organize the event.

“She deserves a big thanks for all of the help,” Longo said.

Injuries mount for QND

Two four-year varsity players and one of the Lady Raiders’ leading scorers hobbled off the field Tuesday night.

Senior midfielder Hilary Obert and junior forward Alex Reis both suffered slight ankle sprains. Reis walked off the pain of rolling her ankle, while Obert had her ankle re-taped. Both returned to the game shortly after suffering their injuries.

Jennifer Adam wasn’t as fortunate.

The senior midfielder was helped off the field late in the first half with a knee injury. An all-sectional pick a year ago, Adam had an assist on QND’s first goal. She will have her knee examined today.

“We hope she’s all right, hope she comes back, hope it’s not anything serious,” Longo said. “She’s been a big part of our program.”

A three-pronged attack

With each game, Longo is getting more comfortable and confident with a significant change in the Lady Raiders’ attack that has three forwards on the field at the same time.

The players are adapting, too.

“I like it a lot,” Obert said.

What’s there not to like. QND has scored 16 goals with hat tricks from three different forwards — Alex Reis had a trifecta against Jefferson City Helias, Leigh McLaughlin against Hannibal and Shannon Foley against QHS.

Foley became the second freshman to net a hat trick against the Blue Devils as McLaughlin did it two years ago in a 4-1 victory in the regional final.

“It’s pretty cool to have another freshman step up and do that because we always need people scoring,” Obert said.

Here are my predictions for the Major League Baseball division races for the 2009 season. Maybe, after watching Jason Motte’s debut as the Cardinals closer, I should amend my postseason picks.

American League
East Division
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Baltimore
4. Tampa Bay
5. Toronto
Central Division
1. Minnesota
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Detroit
5. Kansas City
West Division
1. Oakland
2. Los Angeles
3. Texas
4. Seattle

NATIONAL LEAGUE
East Division
1. Philadelphia
2. New York
3. Atlanta
4. Florida
5. Washington
Central Division
1. Chicago
2. St. Louis
3. Cincinnati
4. Milwaukee
5. Pittsburgh
6. Houston
West Division
1. Los Angeles
2. Arizona
3. San Francisco
4. Colorado
5. San Diego

The Playoffs
American League
Boston d. Oakland
New York d. Minnestoa
ALCS
Boston d. New York
National League
Chicago d. Los Angeles
St. Louis d. Philadelphia
NLCS
Chicago d. St. Louis
World Series
Boston d. Chicago

AL MVP — Matt Holliday, Oakland
NL MVP — Albert Pujols, St. Louis

AL Cy Young — Jon Lester, Boston
NL Cy Young — Carlos Zambrano, Chicago

AL Rookie — Matt Wieters, Baltimore
NL Rookie — Cameron Maybin, Florida

Let’s put the finishing touches on this, and I want to thank everyone who commented, e-mailed and played along with Spring Training Trivia. Hope you enjoyed the questions, learned a little bit more about the grand game and look forward to an entertaining 2009 season.

For the last time, here were the questions …

The St. Louis Cardinals organization was founded in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings. The nickname became the Browns in 1883 and was officially changed to the Cardinals in 1900. The franchise had another nickname, for only one season, prior to becoming the Cardinals.

Can you name it?

Now, in Chicago, the Cubs organization began in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings. The team didn’t become the Cubs until 1903. In between, the franchise had two other nicknames. One was the Colts.

Can you name the other?

And here are the answers …

In 1899, the St. Louis franchise was known as the St. Louis Perfectos. That season, the Perfectos went 84-67 and played their home games at Robison Field. One of the players on that team was Cy Young, right,  who went 26-16 with a 2.58 ERA.

As for the Cubs organization, from 1898 through 1902, Chicago’s nickname was the Orphans and they fit in with the franchise’s legacy. The Orphans put together a .485 winning percentage in five seasons and finished sixth out of eight teams twice and eighth out of 12 teams once.

Opening Day is Monday, arguably the best day of the year, and you should be primed for what will be a dandy of a season. The All-Star Game is in St. Louis. The Cubs and Cardinals should both be in contention. And a local product is on an Opening Day roster, giving fans of this area someone to root for.

Hopefully, Spring Training Trivia has you primed for this season.

To wrap it up, we’re giving you some nickname trivia.

Here are the questions …

The St. Louis Cardinals organization was founded in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings. The nickname became the Browns in 1883 and was officially changed to the Cardinals in 1900. The franchise had another nickname, for only one season, prior to becoming the Cardinals.

Can you name it?

Now, in Chicago, the Cubs organization began in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings. The team didn’t become the Cubs until 1903. In between, the franchise had two other nicknames. One was the Colts.

Can you name the other?