Greetings and welcome to the June issue of Southern Illinois Sports Connection.

With the high school spring sports season now behind us and those lazy, crazy days of summer in front of us it’s time to slow down, kick back and relax under a shade tree with a tall glass of ice cold lemonade.

Yeah, right.

Instead of that fictional thought it’s actually time to roll up our shirt sleeves, grab the proverbial bootstraps and dig in a little deeper as we prepare for our summer issues with an eye firmly fixed on some stories SISC will cover in the fall. That’s the sheer beauty of this magazine – there is no shortage of stories, never, ever.

In this month’s issue we look at a variety of topics as we close the books on spring sports, celebrate the talents of several local track athletes, highlight a young lady who has burst onto the Southern Illinois sports scene, celebrate a national championship and take the time to say goodbye to an old friend.

Let me quickly explain that previous paragraph.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ – we’ve all heard that phrase countless times. Well, that’s what will come to mind when you look at our picture pages full of great photos from the boy’s and girl’s track meet in Charleston. With so many area athletes advancing to state competition SISC photographer Christopher Kays also made the trip to Eastern Illinois and recorded the moments from this year’s event.

In today’s issue we also take a close look at a remarkable come-from-behind victory by the John A. Logan Volunteers men’s golf team who overcame a seven stroke deficit to win the Carterville-based community college’s first-ever national title. Writer/good friend John Homan was in Scottsboro, Alabama and details the history-making event.

Our cover story this month features Kenzi Tate, a Mount Vernon sophomore pitching phenom who literally ‘exploded’ onto the Southern Illinois sports scene this season. Armed with a miniscule ERA of 0.55 and a .485 batting average the Super Soph was named MVP of the tough South Seven Conference. Keep that name in mind because it’s one you’ll hear a lot about in the next two years.

And also this issue we say goodbye to Rodney Watson, a Southern Illinois fixture and a friend. After more than two decades as an assistant basketball coach at SIU Watson will take his coaching talents, work ethic and gregarious personality to the University of Southern Indians where he will be head coach.

I think the best story I can relate about Watson involves this month’s magazine. I trust completely the writers who contribute to this magazine so I don’t ever know what their monthly topic will be until the story arrives in my inbox. To show the impact that Watson has had on so many people, three different columnists – Mike Murphy, Tom Wheeler and Fred Huff – all Southern Illinois sports icons – chose to write about Watson’s departure.

While some editors might have frowned on that I embraced it because I believe it shows the impact, not only in basketball but also in lives touched, that Watson has left on this region. I join all of Southern Illinois in saying: ‘Good Luck, Coach Watson!’

Enjoy.

Jim Muir, Publisher