Mark Clark throws out first pitch of last game
Jacksonville Little League season returned to the community early in May with 24 players ages 10-12. Teams included the Jacksonville Cardinals coached by Aaron Scott and Brad Cors, and the Jacksonville Yankees coached by Kevin Johnson and Dustin Weiss.
The two teams, made up of students from the Morgan County school districts, played a 12-game season against surrounding area teams such as Winchester, Chapin, Pittsfield and Rushville.
City of Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard threw out the first pitch to open the season, and former Major League Baseball pitcher Mark Clark attended and threw out the pitch of the last game. Clark is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched all or parts of 10 seasons in the majors.
Clark was born in Bath, Illinois, and made his debut on September 6, 1991 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Over the next nine seasons, Clark would develop into a journeyman starting pitcher, being traded from team to team. He pitched in one postseason game in the 1998 National League Division Series for the Chicago Cubs.
He was released by the Texas Rangers during the 2000 season, then retired. He and his wife live in Kilbourne, Illinois. He is now a baseball coach for children in the Kilbourne area.
For more information and to try out for this league, follow “Jacksonville Little League” on Facebook.
