Sears helps WIU win most games since ‘07

 MACOMB, ILL. -- For the second straight year, Westphalia native Dillon Sears was part of a record-breaking season for the Western Illinois University baseball team.
 Sears played in 34 games and started 29 times - mostly at second base and shortstop - for the Fighting Leathernecks, who finished 22-31 overall and 16-14 inside the Summit League. The 22 total wins marked the program’s most since 2007 and the 16 conference victories set a school record for the second consecutive year.
 Sears, a 5’11”, 185-pound sophomore, is a 2017 graduate of Harlan Community High School and the son of Chad and Janelle Sears. He is a physical education major at WIU.
 Sears batted .205 this past season (18-for-88), but also drew 23 walks to raise his on-base percentage to .377. He had one double and one triple, scored 14 runs, drove in nine and stole four bases. Defensively, Sears was part of 14 double plays and had a fielding percentage of .960, committing five errors to go along with his 64 assists and 55 putouts.