Mizzou Baseball Recruits

■ Opel will wait (BND.com)

Edwardsville senior outfielder Dane Opel, a 41st-round draft pick by the Washington National, is still undecided about his baseball future.

Opel, who is playing summer ball for the Midwest Mules, a select team based out of Litchfield, was the 1,222nd overall pick in the 2009 Major League draft. The Nationals will follow him during the summer and may make him an offer in August.

Opel said he's in a win-win situation. If he doesn't sign, he has a baseball scholarship to Missouri. His father, Brad, played football at Missouri.

"It'll be a late decision this summer, that's even if they offer me anything," Opel said. "It's going to take quite a bit to get me away from Mizzou. I really want to go there. It'll be up to the Nationals if they really want me. I've been saying it's a great situation either way, no matter what happens."

■ Lightning early and some late (PJStar.com)

A couple of lightning-quick strikes over the right-center wall in the second inning were all the West needed to beat the East on Saturday in the 35th annual Illinois Coaches Association East-West Senior All-Star Game at EastSide Centre.
. . .
“I’d never seen Blake Brown play before, and it was exciting to see him there, and face him. He’s intimidating, but I loved the chance to face a D-I guy. That’s why this is such a great game to play in, you get a chance to measure yourself against good players.”

Brown, an outfielder from Normal West, was taken in the 2009 June Draft by Pittsburgh, and is headed on a full ride to the University of Missouri. Razo got him both times he faced him, including a first-inning strikeout.