EDWARDSVILLE — After East St. Louis High School dropped a doubleheader at Edwardsville on May 6, 2026, catcher and infielder Jeremy Hill pointed to persistence and steady improvement as the foundation of a rebuilding Flyers baseball program.
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In a postgame interview following the losses, Hill said East St. Louis is working to revive its baseball program and compete in the Southwestern Conference.
“We are trying to become better as a program,” Hill said. “We are in the Southwestern Conference, so we have a lot of people to beat. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, so we have to keep pushing and fight off that adversity. We have to keep fighting all the way.”
Hill said he sees reason for optimism for East St. Louis, citing the program’s overall athletic tradition.
“We are the Class of 2027,” Hill said. “We’ve got the power, we’ve got the determination to move up in this conference and be better.”
Hill identified infield defense and pitching as key areas for the Flyers.
“Our infield is pretty locked in right now,” Hill said. “Some of our pitchers are good at location inside and outside, working the zone lately. And just fighting the barrels, for sure.”
During the two games against the Tigers, Hill said the team continued to compete.
“I can’t give up. I have to keep fighting, I have to keep playing baseball," Hill said. "I don’t want to be on the bench,” he said, “so I have to stay on the field.”
Hill said he believes the program’s future depends on continued work and attention to coaching.
“We can be one heck of a program,” Hill said. “We have to put the work in, the determination. We have to keep listening to our coaches, and we’ve got to make ourselves better, want to be better, and we’ve got to keep working.”
He added that he has seen progress during his time with the program.
“The development over time has been skyrocketing since my freshman year," Hill added. "So, everything is just development and progress. We’ve just got to keep working.”
