Cade Starrick’s Change of Heart: From UIUC to Parkland Baseball in Two Weeks
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By FRED KRONER
The best-laid plans, according to a line in the famous Robert Burns poem, often go awry.
That’s not necessarily bad.
Mahomet-Seymour senior muti-sport standout Cade Starrick was all set to attend the University of Illinois in the fall and leave behind his days as a competitive athlete.
Or, so he thought.
Even before the Parkland College baseball coaching staff reached out, Starrick was having misgivings.
His intentions, earlier in his high school career, were to play ball in college. Then, he decided not to pursue any such opportunities.
“I was more set on just going to college, but more recently, after seeing many of my friends continue to play, I realized that not playing could be something that I regret for the rest of my life,” Starrick said. “I decided to work harder and try to pursue my original goal.”
By early April, however, the M-S baseball team had played 11 games – approximately one-third of its regular-season schedule – and Starrick was just starting to think about getting his name out there to college coaches.
A turning point came on April 12, when Bulldog teammate Finn Randolph signed his letter of intent to play at Wabash College, in Crawfordsville, Ind.
“Parkland (coaches) reached out and asked, ‘Do you have anyone left?’” M-S head coach Nic DiFilippo said. “They were looking for a right-handed relief pitcher.”
Turns out that DiFilippo and M-S pitching coach Blake Begner had what they thought would be a perfect candidate for the Cobras.
Cade Starrick.
“His fastball and slider are really good,” DiFilippo said.
Starrick didn’t need to be subjected to arm-twisting.
“I had always really wanted to play at Parkland because they have an excellent program,” Starrick said.
The elapsed time from being unrecruited to being fully committed was quick.
“This all happened in the span of two weeks,” Starrick said.
All sides are now equally happy.
Parkland head coach Zack Pych hesitated only momentarily after getting the recommendation from Begner since Starrick was already committed – not to another college program, but simply to being a college student.
“I thought, ‘We might as well take a shot and see if he wants to play two more years,” first-year head coach Pych said. “I think saying goodbye to it had sunk in a little bit.
“We told him the UI will still be in Champaign in two years, and if you want to go back to that plan, you can.”
Starrick didn’t need to hear more.
“Once I got the offer, I knew that was the place I wanted to go.” Starrick said. “With Parkland being so close to home, and also having a great program, I knew it would be a great fit.”
Parkland carried a 40-13 record into Thursday’s NJCAA district tournament, a four-team competition which will determine which school qualifies for the Division II nationals.
Being a full-time pitcher will be different for the teen-ager.
“I started playing travel baseball at 8 years old … and … played pretty much every position,” Starrick said.
With the M-S varsity squad, his primary focus has been on playing center field and pitching.
Though he is tied for the team-lead in appearances (nine) with Randolph and Mason Orton, it is not always an easy call for DiFilippo to get Starrick on the mound.
“He has a great bat and a fantastic glove,” DiFilippo said. “It’s hard to take him from the outfield because of what he brought to the table.”
Starrick is ready to give his undivided attention to pitching.
“I am very excited to get in the weight room and start progressing and solely focus on pitching,” he said. “However, at the same time, I will be prepared for whatever is thrown my way, continuing to listen to coaches and improve as much as I can.”
Though adding a right-handed reliever was a priority for Pych, he doesn’t assign roles until after he has had the chance to evaluate all of the candidates.
“We have a fall schedule of about 15 games, so there is plenty of time to see where he fits in,” Pych said. “We love the way he looks athletic on the mound.
“We see him having an elite off-speed pitch and, when we put some weight on him, the room for velocity (improvement) is there.”
Whatever his role, Starrick will be ready to embrace it.
“I know that since I currently don’t throw in the 90s that the most important thing for me to focus on is continuing to throw strikes, work on gaining velocity and perfecting my other pitches,” he said. “I feel like I could be a reliever who can give innings during multiple games in a week or close out games.
“I will be prepared for whatever task I am given and will do anything I can to help the team win. “
This spring for M-S, Starrick is 1-0 with 20 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. In eight of his nine appearances, he has not allowed a run, earned or unearned. His earned run average is 1.58 and he has been touched for just eight hits.
There was an additional draw for Starrick beyond the proximity of Parkland’s campus to his home and the ability to continue playing ball.
The first commitment that Parkland received from the current senior class of 2024 – more than a year ago – is another current Bulldog pitcher, Alec Bergman.
“Alec has always been one of my best friends since we were little kids,” Starrick said. “It would be a lie to say that him going there didn’t affect my decision at all. It was amazing knowing that I got an offer where one of my best friends was also playing, and was extremely excited to tell Alec. I am really looking forward to playing with Alec for a few more years.”
Several coaches have been instrumental in helping Starrick’s career take flight.
“When I was younger, I played for the Mahomet Diamond Dogs and met my first impactful coach, Coach Scott Day,” Starrick said. “Coach Day helped me learn and love baseball at a young age, and made me a better person.
“Once I switched to the Illinois Braves, I had two amazing coaches in Eric Long and Ryan Tabeling. These two helped me get my name out there and showcase my abilities in certain tournaments, while also helping me progress as a player.”
Also instrumental was former Oakland Athletics pitcher Bert Bradley, a Mattoon native.
“Coach Bradley helped me refine a variety of pitching techniques,” Starrick said. “His pitching knowledge is unbelievable.
“In addition, Coach Flip (DiFilippo) was my head coach at Mahomet-Seymour and pushed me to get better and be a great person. Lastly, none of this would have been able to happen without Coach Blake Begner, my pitching coach at Mahomet. Coach Begner was the one who originally reached out to Parkland and helped me get in contact with them, and for that I will forever be thankful.”
Starrick appreciates having learned from so many different coaches over the years.
“I have always been open to trying new things, which makes me very coachable,” he said. “Being coachable is one of the greatest traits to have, because if you can’t adapt to change or aren’t willing to change anything, then you might not be able to progress and improve.
“It was also very hard playing many positions when I was young, that’s why when I got older I decided to focus on center field and pitching.”
Starrick finds the distance from Mahomet to the Parkland College baseball diamond – approximately 10 miles – as appealing.
“With me being very close to my family, it is exciting knowing I will be continuing to play baseball close to home,” he said. “My family is my biggest fans, and this way they will still be able to support me for a few more years.
“It would have been very difficult to go and play somewhere far away, knowing that my family wouldn’t be able to see me play as much. That’s why I am happy and relieved that they will still be able to support me and help me with whatever it might be when needed.”
Starrick will also use his time at Parkland to try and finalize a career path. He is still undecided.
“I still don’t really know what I want to major in or what I plan on doing in the future,” he said. “I’m hoping that at Parkland, I will start to find something that fits me for later in life.”
For starters, that will be baseball.
