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He was one in a sea of 10,000 fans, but Mike Mose knew what it was like to be at the plate. From his seat in Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, Mike watched as the Lake Land College Lakers battled Blinn College on the biggest stage of community college baseball: the JUCO World Series tournament.

After facing an early deficit, the Lakers responded with a flurry of offense to tie the game at six apiece. Now, in the top of the seventh, the game reached its tipping point: Lake Land batting, bases loaded, two outs. At the plate, Lake Land sophomore Drew DuPont set his feet, bent his knees and raised his bat to his back shoulder. Above the action, thousands of fans jumped to their feet and held their breath.

Inside the stadium, the energy was electric, the tension thick. And it all sent Mike’s mind racing back to games from decades before. He knew how it felt to play on the World Series stage, in this very stadium, wearing the Laker red and black in front of a national audience. He knew what it was like to feel the pressure of an entire season magnified into one moment, to ignore the screams of 10,000 fans and focus on the incoming pitch.

CLANG! Drew DuPont connected with the first pitch and sent the ball soaring through the Colorado air. He didn’t rush to first base – he didn’t need to. The ball sailed more than 360 feet over the right-center field wall.

Mike knew what that felt like, too.

THINK GRAND JUNCTION

Amidst the wonders of western Colorado lies the city of Grand Junction, the home of community college baseball. There, in historic Sam Suplizio Field, the 10 best teams in the country converge every year for the World Series Tournament, with only one team returning home as the national champion. For the few players lucky enough to compete there, the city is also home to lifelong memories and unforgettable experiences. Mike Mose is among those lucky few. Yet, less than 40 years ago, he had never even heard of Grand Junction.

In 1984, Mike graduated from Stephen Decatur High School as a decorated pitcher for the Running Reds baseball team. His trusty right arm placed him in the Decatur Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame and made him a coveted collegiate recruit. He ultimately joined the Lake Land College roster to play under Coach Gene Creek, but Mike’s time pitching for the Lakers was destined to be short-lived. Following his first game with the team, he woke up to numbness throughout his right arm. He’d relied on that same arm all his life to strike out batters and win ballgames. Suddenly, he could barely move it. He had damaged his ulnar nerve in the elbow, and surgery was the only chance to restore the arm to its old glory. Mike declined, and he never pitched again.

Mike instead shifted his focus to serving his country and joined the United States Marines. He rejoined civilian life in 1987 and, to his surprise, found the Lakers waiting for him. Coach Creek evidently wasn’t concerned about Mike’s arm; if pitching wasn’t an option, they’d find another role for him. Mike eventually settled in at first base, and three years after first joining the Lakers, he was finally set for his first full season of college baseball.

The 1987 season brought plenty of excitement to the Lake Land fans who came out to watch the team play in Mattoon. But for Mike, the most memorable point of the season actually occurred in Marianna, Florida. Before a game against the local Chipola College, several Lake Land players noticed their opponents sporting the phrase “Think Grand Junction” across their T-shirts.

“We had never heard of Grand Junction, so we asked Coach Creek what it meant,” Mike explained. “He told us that’s where the JUCO World Series is played every year.”

There in Florida, Grand Junction seemed so far away to Mike. After all, just one day ago, he had never even heard of the place. Little did he know, however, that in just one year, he’d be playing there.

THE MOUNTAIN MAN

1987 was a strong season for the Lakers, but it was nothing compared to 1988. After a slow start with an equal number of losses to wins, something clicked. The team won 25 straight games to secure more than 50 victories for the first time in Lake Land baseball history. More importantly, the team won the Great Lakes District Tournament, the pre-qualifier to the World Series. For the first time in program history, the Lakers were heading to Grand Junction.

The national stage can feel overwhelming coming from a small town, but for Mike, the tournament began in a way most ballplayers can only dream of. Facing the College of Southern Idaho in the Lakers’ opening game, Mike stepped up for his first at-bat.

CLANG! The ball sailed over the outfield wall for a homerun. Mike rounded the bases, headed back to the dugout, and before he knew it, returned to the plate for at-bat number two.

CLANG! Mike’s second plate appearance yielded the same result as the first. He watched the ball disappear behind the outfield wall and looked forward to his next attempt.

CLANG! When the moment came, Mike did it again. Three at-bats. Three homeruns.

“Colorado has thin air. The ball travels,” Mike said with a laugh.

Thin air or not, the legendary performance helped Lake Land coast to a 10-2 opening victory. It also secured Mike a spot on the All-Tournament team and earned him the nickname “The Mountain Man” from the World Series radio broadcaster.

“Someone asked Coach Creek recently what his favorite memory was from all his years of coaching, and he said it was the three consecutive homeruns that I hit in that game,” Mike said. “I was about 20 years old when I hit those. I’m 59 now. It’s just cool to know that after all that time, my coach still considers that his favorite memory.”

The victory over Southern Idaho would be the last of the 1988 season, and the Lakers returned home with a sixth-place finish in the World Series. As the years since 1988 turned to decades, that season remained the pinnacle of Lake Land baseball, and still the Lakers never found themselves back in Grand Junction.

THERE’S NOT A TEAM YOU CAN’T BEAT

In 2019, Julio Godinez became the head coach of the Lakers baseball team and immediately got to work building a team that could “Think Grand Junction.” Among his first recruits was actually Mike’s son, Nash Mose, who took after his father’s pitching talents and served on the mound for the Lakers from 2020-2022.

“It’s unreal that my son played at Lake Land, too,” Mike said. “Seeing him out there playing on the Lake Land team is one of the proudest moments of my life.”

As the years progressed, the Lakers improved and slowly began their road back to Grand Junction. A slow start to the 2025 season saw the Lakers finish the first month of contests with a 7-6 record. Then, much like the 1988 team before, something clicked. The Lakers secured 42 wins and clinched a spot in the World Series by winning the Midwest District Tournament. After 37 years, the Lakers were heading back to Grand Junction.

The Lakers were unranked all season and given the ninth seed of out the 10 schools participating in the World Series. They would be entering the tournament as heavy underdogs, but they wouldn’t be going alone. Mike made the drive, all 1,200 miles of it, to be there and support the next generation of Lakers baseball. On the eve of the team’s first game against Blinn College, the fifth-ranked team in the country and second-seeded team in the tournament, Mike spoke to the Lakers and offered words of wisdom from his own experience decades ago.

“I told them that it all can feel overwhelming, but the players on every other team put on their uniforms the same way we do,” Mike said. “I told them, ‘There’s not a team you can’t beat.’”

The following day, the Lakers proved Mike right by shocking Blinn College with a 17-9 victory, never looking back after Drew Dupont’s seventh-inning grand slam. The Lakers then followed it up with two more wins to become one of the final four teams in the tournament, earning a fan-favorite status among the dazzled audience members in the process.

Ultimately, the run would end there. After a loss to top-ranked Walters State and another to eventual champion Salt Lake College, the Lakers completed their Grand Junction journey with a fourth-place World Series finish, the best in school history.

 LASTING MEMORIES

Having returned to Grand Junction for the first time in nearly 40 years, Mike found himself swimming through a flood of memories from the moment he entered the World Series stadium. Before the 2025 Lakers stepped onto the diamond, he took some time to reminisce about that 1988 season. As he looked out onto Sam Suplizio field, he could still picture his three homeruns, trace their paths through the sky and point out the spot each one crossed the outfield wall.

During that first night back in Grand Junction, Mike spotted a familiar face in the crowd: Christopher Hanks, former Boston Red Sox draft pick and current head coach of Colorado Mesa University. Hanks just so happened to be on that Southern Idaho team back in 1988.

“I walked up to Coach Hanks and introduced myself, and he stopped me and said, ‘You’re that guy who hit those three home runs,’” Mike said with a laugh. “I guess that just goes to show you that no matter what happens in the tournament, you’re going to make memories and have friends for life from this journey.”

During the regular May meeting, the Lake Land College Board of Trustees approved an agreement in which the College will lease space in the Kluthe Center in Effingham to the Regional Office of Education (ROE) #3.

The ROE #3 works with local K-12 schools to help them provide the best possible education for students, serving Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery counties. Under the lease agreement, ROE #3 will rent the entire first floor of the Kluthe Center to host educational programs for students.

Lake Land has offered classes in the Kluthe Center since it opened in 1995, giving the College a steady presence in the Effingham community. In 2023, Lake Land made a transaction to magnify its impact in Effingham, acquiring a 100,000-square-foot facility from Patterson Companies. Now called the Effingham Technology Center, the new building has been remodeled with classrooms and labs to host all Lake Land College programs previously held in the Kluthe Center. Renovations to the Effingham Technology Center will be completed during the summer, and classes will be held there beginning with the Fall 2025 semester.

“As we begin to transition all of our Kluthe Center operations to our new Effingham Technology Center, we are pleased to partner with ROE #3, which shares our mission of creating educational opportunities for the region,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said.

“We are thrilled to partner with Lake Land College to create meaningful opportunities for both our students and staff. This collaboration offers an outstanding environment for learning and growth, and we look forward to building on this partnership for years to come,” said Julie Wollerman, Regional Superintendent of Schools for Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery Counties.

The lease will cover a three-year period beginning August 1, 2025 and concluding June 30, 2028.

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Lake Land College TRIO students were recently honored at an annual banquet. During the event, several students received awards.

The Leadership Award was presented to Emma Skowronski, Sullivan, for leading student involvement and serving as a TRIO ambassador. Katherine Carlson, Shumway; Jasmine Gast, Charleston; Eric Stanley, Charleston; and Aleah Wallis, Shelbyville, also received recognition as nominees for the Leadership Award.

The Above and Beyond Award was presented to Susie Holley, Mattoon, for exceptional representation of TRIO values. Drew Damery, Mattoon; Kailyn Tracy, Mattoon; and Aleah Wallis, Shelbyville, also received recognition as nominees for the Above and Beyond Award.

The TRIO Life Experience Award was presented to Adelina O’Connell, Sullivan, for determination in overcoming obstacles to achieve success. Jessica Jones, Charleston; Brookelyn Kraus, Altamont; and Eric Stanley, Charleston, also received recognition as nominees for the Life Experience Award.

The Perseverance Award was presented to Amber Lilley, Effingham, for consistently overcoming obstacles and achieving success. Katherine Carlson, Shumway; Georgia Firnhaber, Shelbyville; and Austin Sexson, Findlay, also received recognition as nominees for the Perseverance Award.

The TRIO Student of the Year Award was presented to Jasmine Gast, Charleston, for involvement in TRIO and campus activities while exceling in the classroom. Holly Cornell, Montrose; Natasha Dziesinski, Effingham; and Emma Skowronski, Sullivan, also received recognition as nominees for the TRIO Student of the Year Award.

The following students also received the Visionary Award in recognition of their commitment to future success and educational goals.

Several students were also recognized for maintaining a high GPA. The students recognized for academic excellence were as follows.

TRIO Student Support Services is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help students complete their academic goals and graduate from Lake Land College. Counselors and advisors work with each student individually, providing and connecting students with a wide variety of support services. TRIO provides one-on-one meetings with staff, informative workshops and access to educational, social and cultural opportunities available only to TRIO participants. All of TRIO services are free to eligible students.

To learn more about TRIO at Lake Land College, contact Director of TRIO Programs Lori Ohnesorge at 217-234-5007 or lohnesor@lakelandcollege.edu.

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Lake Land College is hosting a Juneteenth celebration on Thursday, June 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Luther Student Center. The event is open to students, staff, faculty and community members.

The event will include several free activities for participants, including Calm App group meditation sessions, games, music, giveaways, hair tinsel, glitter tattoos, face painting and more. The event will also feature a roving crowd magic show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. by Noah Sonie, who appeared on the hit CW magic competition show Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

Guests are also encouraged to participate in a fundraiser walk during the event to support the Lake Land College Opportunity Fund, which provides assistance to marginalized students facing financial barriers. The Mattoon Rotary Club has pledged to contribute up to $1,000 in support of the College’s opportunity fund and will donate $10 for each individual who completes at least a half-mile walk. Indoor and outdoor walking paths will be available throughout campus during the event and marked at half-mile and full-mile intervals.

Heartland Health Foods will be on campus for the event with acai bowls available for purchase. Lake Land College students and employees in attendance can each receive one free acai bowl as supplies last. All students and employees must show proof of enrollment or employment.

The event will also offer an opportunity for local black-owned businesses to promote and sell their goods with a black-owned vendor fair. The fair will be held in Laker Point of the Luther Student Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All business owners interested in hosting a booth at the event can contact Mercury Bowen, Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, at 217-234-5244 or mbowen@lakelandcollege.edu. There is no cost to host a booth at the event.

The Lake Land College Juneteenth celebration is one of many events throughout the local community to celebrate the ongoing history of liberation, resilience and overcoming in Black/African-American cultures. On Tuesday, June 17, two organizational advocates for racial justice, the RealiTea ProjecT and the Faith Alliance for Racial Justice, will be holding a viewing of the PBS Documentary Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom at the Charleston Carnegie Public Library at 4 p.m.

The Mattoon Public Library will also be hosting a story time event on Friday, June 20 at 2 p.m. The event will include a Juneteenth storybook reading, crafts, food and giveaway for all children present.

On Saturday, June 21 beginning at 9 a.m., the Mattoon Junior Football Complex will be hosting a Family Fun Run/Walk event in honor of Juneteenth. Tickets to participate in the event are available now on Eventbrite. All proceeds will support the Conduit of HOPE Project, a Mattoon-based organization which seeks to provide sustainable development and dignified housing for individuals in need.

Peterson Park in Mattoon will also be hosting Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 21 from 1-4 p.m. The event will take place at the Rotary Bandshell and will include free music, food, exhibits, games, a bounce house and a poetry jam event.

To learn more about the Lake Land College Juneteenth event and other celebrations throughout the community, visit the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Celebrations.

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The Lake Land College Lakers Baseball team finished 2024-2025 with one of the best seasons in program history, making its first appearance in the NJCAA Division I World Series since 1988 and finishing fourth in the tournament.

Entering the World Series, Lake Land received the tournament’s ninth seed out of ten participating schools. The Lakers opened the tournament on May 24 by stunning the defending champions and second-ranked Blinn College 17-9 before securing consecutive victories over Salt Lake Community College and Florence-Darlington Tech to become one of the final four remaining teams.

The Lakers lost their first game of the tournament to top-ranked Walters State on May 28 before being eliminated by eventual champion Salt Lake Community College the following day.

Having reached the World Series for the first time since 1988, the Lakers cemented the 2024-2025 season as one of the best in the baseball program’s history. The team finished the season with a 45-21 record, including a record of 24-11 in conference play. In May, the team clinched its first Region XXIV (A) Championship since 1998 with back-to-back victories over John A. Logan College.

The Lakers followed up the Region XXIV Championship with an impressive performance in the Midwest District Tournament. After dropping the first game of the tournament, the team secured four straight victories to win the Midwest District Championship to clinch a spot in the national World Series Tournament.

The Lakers will look to continue the success of the 2024-2025 season when they return to action for the 2025-2026 season.

The 2024-2025 Lake Land College baseball team is comprised of the following student athletes:

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In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Lake Land College Student Wellness Center provided several mental health wellness stations throughout campus for students during finals week.

The stations were located in commons areas in seven buildings across campus. Each station was stocked with free water, snacks and giveaways such as stickers, pens, fidgets and pins. The stations also included information about TalkCampus and the Calm App, two online mental health services available for free to all Lake Land students.

“It’s critical that we support our students’ health and well-being to ensure they can get the most out of their educational experience,” Student Wellness Center Manager Kendra Bierman said. “Finals week is often a stressful time of the semester for students, so we wanted to provide these stations as a source of support and reassurance.”

To learn more about the mental health resources and initiatives at Lake Land College, visit the Student Wellness Center webpage at LakeLandCollege.edu/Student-Wellness-Center/.

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Lake Land College recently celebrated the John Deere Tech program graduates at an annual John Deere Tech banquet.

During the event, Eric Ebersole, Sterling, was recognized for receiving the John Deere Tech High GPA Award.

Chance Hank, Tonica, was recognized for earning the John Deere Tech Outstanding Student award.

The following students were honored at the ceremony:

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Graduating nurses received their pins at the 2025 Lake Land College Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) pinning ceremony.

Several students received awards and special recognition during the ceremony.

The Associate Degree Nurse Program Peer Awards were presented to Rena Hershberger, Sullivan; Brandon Stone, Paris; and Dustin Lowry, Charleston; for exhibiting excellence in the classroom with professionalism and care.

The Patient Advocate Award was presented to Jarrad Walters-Chester, Effingham, for displaying professionalism and compassionate care in the ADN program.

Lexi Will, Teutopolis, received the Clinical Excellence Award for displaying professionalism, confidence and clinical excellence in the ADN program.

Kyle Repking, Dieterich, and Bailey Carter, Atwood, were recognized as the Student Liaisons of the class of 2025, serving as positive representatives of the ADN program.

Carter also received the Marilyn Fuqua Thompson Nursing Award, presented each year to the graduate selected by faculty as the all-around best student in the class. The award recognizes professionalism, responsibility, wise decision-making, compassion, dedication, superior technical skills, strong scientific knowledge and composure in class and clinical experiences. Carter’s name will be engraved on a plaque that is located in the nursing lab in Neal Hall.

The following students received pins at the ceremony:

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Lake Land College dental hygiene graduates received their pins at the annual pinning ceremony. Several students received scholarships or awards during the ceremony.

Kylie Miller, Assumption, and Sydney Miller, Vandalia, were recognized for receiving the Linda Lee Fletcher Scholarship earlier this year.

Abria Herron, Vandalia, received the Colgate Student Total Achievement Recognition (STAR) Award, which is offered to a graduating student who shows excellence and commitment to the hygiene profession and exhibits extraordinary compassion in patient care.

Herron was also recognized for receiving the Heartland Dental Scholarship.

Mackenzie Fonner, Effingham, received the Best Dental Hygienist Award, which was voted on by students in the program.

Emily Stern, Ashley, received the Golden Scaler Award for demonstrating advanced skills in instrumentation.

The following students were pinned during the ceremony:

Dental Hygiene is a special admission program at Lake Land College. The program prepares students with specialized skills necessary for employment as a dental hygienist. Emphasis is on dental hygiene treatment and on the hygienist’s abilities as a dental health educator. The hygienist’s services are sought by dentists, schools, prisons, hospitals, departments of health and industry. The dental hygiene program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

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Lake Land College recently recognized Emergency Medical Services (EMS) graduates at an annual pinning ceremony. During the event, several students received awards for their outstanding performance in the program.

The Academic Achievement award went to James Owen, Mattoon, for earning the highest score in the program.

Jacey Probst, Greenup, earned the Perseverance Award for overcoming obstacles to succeed in the program.

The Professional Development award for growth in skills and confidence went to Colton Dodson, Mattoon.

The Bumble Bee Award for untapped potential went to Kimberly Hippard, Tower Hill.

The Shirley Sherwood Award for Excellence in EMS education went to Kristin Hawker, Pana.

The following graduates were pinned at the ceremony:

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