The News-Gazette.com Weblog

Touching all the Bases

Golden ties in C-U

Posted by: Jeff Huth

Friday, August 15, 2008 10:37 AM

As Illini Nation hopefully watches the gold-medal quest of former UI guard Deron Williams and the rest of the Redeem Team , it raises this question:

Who is the last athlete with Champaign-Urbana ties to win a team gold in the Summer Olympics?

Parkland College athletic director Rod Lovett has the answer, pointing out that former Cobra Shane Heams played a significant role in USA Baseball's march to gold in the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia . The right-hander took the mound in three games as the Americans went 8-1 en route to the crown.

That particular Team USA was comprised of a number a players already in or headed to the Major Leagues: Ben Sheets, Roy Oswalt, Adam Everett , Ryan Franklin , Doug Mientkiewicz , Jon Rauch, Pat Borders, Brad Wilkerson, Ernie Young, and several others.

Although Heams never joined them in The Show, the Mariners minor leaguer did advance as high as Class AAA.

When we looked back in our files on Parkland baseball, we were reminded that Heams made his mark at the Champaign junior college not on the mound, but at the plate and in the field. In his one season at Parkland (1995) before signing with Seattle, the freshman outfielder hit .412 with 11 home runs and 63 RBI, earning team MVP honors.

There is no record of Heams pitching for the Cobras that year, but we did spot a Parkland hurler on that team with Illini ties. Mahomet native Brad Wagers was selected co-Most Valuable Pitcher of the Cobras in 1995 after going 7-3 with a 2.61 ERA in a team-high 82 2/3 innings.

Wagers lettered at Illinois in 1996 while appearing in 13 games and going 2-4.