Darren Kinnard
Section618.com

WOODLAWN — In an effort to play more baseball games this fall, the Woodlawn Cardinals have joined both the Egyptian Illini Conference and the National Trail Conference. The move is only for baseball and only for this fall.

The games will not count in the conference standings, and Woodlawn will not play in either conference tournament.

So why the move?

Guidelines provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health currently allow intra-conference and intra-region competitions in sports deemed in the “Lower Risk” category, which baseball falls under. According to Woodlawn head baseball coach Sam Root, many of the Cardinals’ scheduled opponents in fall come from Region 6, mainly from Clay, Effingham, and Fayette Counties.

The move will allow the Cardinals to play Mulberry Grove and St. Elmo/Brownstown out of the EIC as well as Altamont, Dieterich, Effingham St. Anthony, Neoga, North Clay, South Central, and Windsor/Stew-Stras.

The Cardinals fall schedule will open 4:30 Wednesday at Mulberry Grove. Their home opener will be Thursday against St. Elmo/Brownstown, also at 4:30.

Two weeks ago, Mt. Carmel made a similar move, joining the Little Illini Conference as a “provisional” member for the entire 2020-21 school year. The Aces also will not play for conference titles, but being a member allows the Aces to play LIC schools, which are predominantly in a different region. Monday, Mt. Carmel announced sports were being “paused” with all practices and contests canceled. A tweet from the school’s athletic account stated the Aces hope to resume their seasons once they are able to continue in-person learning