BCR Notebook: Bureau Valley baseball has record-breaking season

It was a record-breaking season for the Bureau Valley baseball team in many ways.

The Storm won 22 games (22-10) to eclipse the single-season record for wins set by the 2004 team at 18.

Senior Elijah Endress left his stamp on Storm baseball by setting season records for hits (40), runs (48) and stolen bases (31). He also smashed the career records for runs with 77, previously held by John King (66), and for stolen bases with 59, with Carter Salisbury at 59.

Junior pitcher Logan Philhower also had a season for the record books with 103 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA while matching Sam Rouse’s mark with eight runs. He’s already set career records for wins (14) and strikeouts (224) with a season remaining.

Marquette, Newman make state

The Ottawa Marquette and Sterling Newman baseball teams are making return trips to state.

The Crusaders, who are the defending 1A state championship, punched their ticket back to state by defeating Fulton 6-3 in Monday’s DeKalb Supersectional and Aurora Christian 5-1 for the Elgin Harvest Sectional on May 31.

The Crusaders (33-3) will face Lexington (19-11) at 10 a.m. Friday in the first game of the day at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Game 2 matches Pawnee (24-13) vs. Glen Carbon Father McGivney (37-3) at 1 p.m.

Marquette is making its fifth trip to state in seven years, with first-place finishes in 2019 and 2024, third in 2022 and fourth in 2018.

Newman returns to state for the third straight year in 2A, coming off a fourth-place finish in 2024 and third place in 2023. The Comets beat Chicago Hope 5-1 in Monday’s Kane County Supersectional and Johnsburg 6-2 on May 30 to claim the Mendota Sectional title.

The Comets (28-7) will meet the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes (29-5) in the 2A semifinal at 7 p.m. on Friday. The first semifinal will match Eureka (34-4) vs. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (24-8).

This year’s 1-2A state tournaments are being played this year at the University of Illinois due to a scheduling snafu at Dozer Park in Peoria.

Storm earn Lincoln Trail All-Conference

Bureau Valley pitcher Logan Philhower, catcher Elijah Endress, outfielder Bryce Helms, infielder Blake Foster and infielder/outfielder Drake Taylor were named First Team All-Lincoln Trail Conference for baseball.

Philhower, Landen Birdsley, Brock Rediger and Landon Smith were named academic all-conference.

On the softball side, Bureau Valley pitcher Carly Reglin and shortstop Kadyn Haage were named First Team All-Lincoln Trail Conference, while outfielder Sadie Bailey was an honorable mention selection.

Lesleigh Maynard, Danika Benavidez, Ali Carrington, Abigail Jamison, Kloey Trujillo, Emily Wright, Reglin and Bailey were named academic all-conference.

Area softball players named All-Three Rivers East

Princeton junior pitcher Reese Reviglio and outfielder Caroline Keutzer were one of six unanimous selections to the All-Three Rivers East team by the league’s coaches based on their play in conference games.

Mendota senior infielder Ava Eddy, Erie-Prophetstown pitcher Wynn Renkes and outfielder Alyssa Padia, Kewanee pitcher Kalleigh Galle and Newman infielder Lucy Oetting also were chosen unanimously.

Princeton sophomores Kiyrra Morris (catcher) and Avah Oertel (infielder) and senior Ellie Harp (utility) were also named to the first team.

Second-team honorees included Hall’s Brynn Blair (pitcher) and Caroline Morris (catcher), Mendota’s Leah Henkel (infielder) and Addy Perryman (infielder) and Princeton’s Piper Hansen (pitcher), Kelsea Klingenberg (infielder) and Keely Lawsone (outfielder).

Hall’s Charlie Pellegrini (pitcher/outfielder), Leah Burkart (infielder) and Ella Sterling (utility), Mendota’s Karsen Doyle (infielder) and Princeton’s Samantha Woolley (catcher) and Sylvie Rutledge (infielder) received honorable mention.