Big tailgate crowd takes in softball sweep

Ask Loren Tate about his visit with Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams here.

URBANA – You can call him Rich, or you can call him Goose.

Whatever you call Mahomet resident Rich Geese, you'd better call him one of the University of Illinois' superfans.

As admirers looked at his Illini-adorned camper Saturday during The World's Largest Softball Tailgate, Year 6, Geese said, "It's probably more team spirit than common sense."

The smells from charcoal grills consumed Eichelberger Field throughout the afternoon. For the Illini, who had hopes of tasting a victory against eighth-ranked Michigan, the Wolverines left a sour taste in their mouths.

Illinois lost 8-2 in Game 1 of what became a doubleheader, with the second game replacing today's scheduled series finale. Michigan secured the sweep with an 8-3 second-game win.

Win or lose, tailgaters such as Geese always have an enjoyable time.

"Tailgating is like a big reunion with people who have a common interest," Geese said, "people you haven't seen since last year."

And some newcomers, too.

Among the spectators who made the day's attendance at Eichelberger Field (1,028) the third-largest crowd in the 10-year history of the softball program, was baseball Hall of Famer Billy Williams.

He was a first-timer at Eichelberger Field, returning recently from Arizona to see one of the games of his granddaughter, UI freshman outfielder Nikki Simpson.

"The atmosphere was good," Williams said. "I didn't think there'd be that many people."

When quizzed if he could have hit a softball, Williams didn't have to guess.

"We played fastpitch softball in high school," the ex-Cubs outfielder said. "We didn't have baseball. That's how I learned to hit the ball, I guess."

Geese and his crew – who secured a prominent parking position by arriving almost seven hours prior to the first pitch, thrown out by UI football coach Ron Zook – passed the pregame hours watching the day's Cubs-Cardinals broadcast on a flat-screen television.

Geese's camper started out as a 32-foot, 1984 Itasca before "we gutted everything and put it back the way we wanted," he said.

The Orange-and-Blue theme – which includes a large "I" on the speakers – serves a dual purpose. When the family travels to Mahomet-Seymour athletic events, "the paint scheme works both ways," Geese said.

Geese and his wife, Tonya, purchased the camper last April and devoted countless hours – not to mention finances – to the restoration.

"Every free minute was spent working on this," Geese said, "and it wasn't ready until the day before the Illinois-Missouri football game (last August)."

An Illini awning is one of the few remnants salvaged from the family's pull-behind camper. Anything UI fans would need are easily within reach inside: an assortment of caps, a Zook Zone towel, and ticket stubs that serve as reminders to the noteworthy games the Geeses have attended.

There's one lingering question, which Geese hopes he will need to address in either December or January.

"We're not convinced if it can make it to a bowl game and back," he said.

Illinois' softball team has seven games remaining in the regular season to put itself in position for a third NCAA postseason berth.

Helping the Illini's cause is an offense which has been productive against most opponents – and one which loaded the bases in back-to-back innings of Game 1 against the Wolverines and clubbed two home runs in Game 2.

Coach Terri Sullivan's team (24-14) ranks in the top three in the Big Ten in batting, and freshman pitcher Monica Perry is one of the top 25 national leaders in victories.

With her next win, Perry will be the seventh Illini in the 20-win club for a season.

Katrina Ross' fourth-inning, bases-loaded double drove in the only runs the Illini could muster against Nikki Nemitz (19-5) in the opener. Ashley Conrad had two of the five UI hits against Nemitz, who was one of two Wolverines to hit home runs.

In the nightcap, Ross hammered a two-run homer. The other UI run came on Meredith Hackett's team-leading seventh home run.

While the outcomes were not favorable for the Illini softball team, one fan had a reason to celebrate. Even though his beloved Cardinals were beaten, too, Geese was awarded the top prize in the tailgating contest for "the most spirited."

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