Illinois Valley fans enjoyed inaugural Pistol Shrimp season

By Kevin Chlum

Saralyn and Doug Fletcher were watching the Peru City Council meeting the night it was announced the Pistol Shrimp were moving to the city.

They immediately became fans.

“We got online and bought merchandise immediately,” Doug Fletcher said.

“That still said DuPage,” Saralyn Fletcher added.

“And we made plans to come to every game,” Doug Fletcher said.

And the Peru couple did.

Saralyn attended all 30 home games and even traveled to a road game, while Doug Fletcher missed only one home game because of work.

“I like the atmosphere and hanging out with friends and neighbors,” Saralyn Fletcher said.

Doug Fletcher enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the players.

“It was real neat having the interaction with the players,” he said.

The Fletchers are among a loyal group of fans who enjoyed the Pistol Shrimp’s inaugural season in the Illinois Valley.

Bob Johns of La Salle attended all but two games with his daughter, Lainey.

“We just started coming as a father-daughter activity, then we became more and more attached,” Bob Johns said. “The group kept growing. We became friends with so many new people. It became a big family of people hanging out at every game and cheering on the team. It’s been really cool.”

Lainey Johns said she enjoyed watching baseball and spending time with family. Her favorite player is Garry Maynard.

“He’s my absolute favorite for a lot of reasons,” Lainey Johns said. “He’s a really good player. He’s fun to cheer for. I really like his last name and his number.”

Pistol Shrimp owner/manager John Jakiemiec said he was happy to see the connections made between the players and members of the community.

“Tommy Jurak, an outfielder from the University of Illinois, came up to me and told me over the course of the summer if he had a bad at-bat, there was always a little girl outside the fence and she’d always say, ‘It’s OK Tommy.’ [Tuesday] after the game, she came up to him and showed him a picture she had drawn of Tommy and told him, ‘Tommy, I think you’re a great baseball player and I really like watching you.’ Tommy was touched by it,” Jakiemiec said. “Those are the things that tell me, No. 1, we have a really good crop of kids who understand it’s about more than whether or not they get a hit. There’s a responsibility to the community and our guys have embraced that. I’m really proud of the way the community has interacted with the guys.”

The Fletchers and Johns said they’d encourage more fans to attend Shrimp games. Doug Fletcher said it’s fun for all ages.

“We’d just tell them how much fun it is and they have good food and drinks,” Saralyn Fletcher said. “It’s a good time.”

None of the fans said there was much they’d change about the game day experience. Bob Johns said it may be nice to have more than one food vendor at each game.

“I hope they just continue to evolve and take feedback,” Doug Fletcher said. “It seems like they’ve been real fluid in terms of trying to get stuff people are interested in and the interaction.”