The daily pitch from Sports Editor Matt Daniels: April 22, 2025 | Sports

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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:

Three reasons we love sports today

➜ 1. It’s Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon week. The signs are already going up around Champaign-Urbana about the upcoming event that takes center stage Thursday through Saturday.

➜ 2. What better way to start a week that celebrates the distance running community than seeing University of Illinois graduate Susannah Scaroni win her second Boston Marathon title on Monday in the women’s wheelchair division.

➜ 3. Scaroni still has a ways to go to catch former UI greats Jean Driscoll (eight Boston Marathon titles from 1990 through 2000) and Tatyana McFadden (five Boston Marathon titles from 2013-18). But Monday showed Scaroni is one of the best in the world. Well done.

Numbers game: 12

former Illini wide receivers drafted by NFL teams since the 1969 draft. Pat Bryant will look to join Casey Washington (2024), A.J. Jenkins (2012), Arrelious Benn (2010), Walter Young (2003), Brandon Lloyd (2003), Elbert Turner (1992), Mike Bellamy (1990), Darryl Usher (1988), David Williams (1986), Mitchell Brookins (1984), Oliver Williams (1983) and Mike Martin (1983) in that group this week.

Crowd control

Three events I’m paying attention to

➜ 1. Illinois at Indiana State baseball. Rematch of two NCAA tournament games a year ago between the two programs takes place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Terre Haute, Ind. The Illini (22-15) are coming off a weekend series loss at Washington, while the Sycamores (20-19) lost a weekend series at Evansville.

➜ 2. Illinois vs. Northwestern women’s tennis. The seventh-seeded Illini play the 10th-seeded Wildcats at 5 p.m. Wednesday in a Big Ten tournament first-round match. All the way in Ojai, Calif.

➜ 3. Illinois vs. Oregon men’s tennis. The eighth-seeded Illini and ninth-seeded Ducks play at 10 a.m. Thursday in a Big Ten tournament first-round match in Columbus, Ohio.

Coach’s corner

Three questions with Watseka volleyball coach Krista Pufahl:

➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Watseka volleyball team.

➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Kevin Hambly, Dan Meske and Katie Schumacher-Cawley.

➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … people who don’t work hard for what they want. Don’t wish for it; work for it.