La Salle County Sports
Here are The Times area’s state qualifiers and their postseason accomplishments, the 2026 Times Girls Track and Field All-Area Honor Roll.
In the short term, when the Marquette baseball team won the Class 2A St. Bede Supersectional, it sent the Crusaders back to the IHSA State Finals. In the long term, it also guaranteed Marquette will remain in Class 2A for baseball through at least the 2028 season.
The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp return home for four games this week after going 0-6 on a road trip.
Chandler Creedon won the 78th annual Pine Hills Invitational at Pine Hills Golf Course in Ottawa on Sunday. Creedon defeated Jeremy DeBernardi on the first sudden death playoff hole after the two had tied at 143 in regulation at the two-day, 36-hole event.
After an uncharacteristically quiet performance the night before, Marquette baseball's offense came out swinging Saturday with three runs in the home half of the first inning. It proved to be the difference in Marquette’s 4-1 win over Freeburg in 2A's third-place game.
The Marquette baseball team managed just four hits off St. Joseph-Ogden's Asher Pruemer in a 6-1 loss in Friday night's IHSA Class 2A State semifinal at Illinois Field in Champaign. The Crusaders play Freeburg for third place at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Marquette baseball team hopes to stay hot when it faces St. Joseph-Ogden (38-2) in Friday’s IHSA Class 2A semifinals at 7 p.m. on Illinois Field in Champaign. The Crusaders, which are coming off back-to-back 1A state championships, enter the contest with a 37-3 record.
The Illinois Coaches Association this week announced its lists of ICA All-State selections from the recently completed 2026 softball season, with numerous Times-area standouts honored.
The Marquette baseball team earned a third consecutive trip to the IHSA State Finals with a 9-6 victory over Brimfield in Tuesday's Class 2A St. Bede Supersectional. The Crusaders entered the season back-to-back Class 1A champions.
Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week, Marquette baseball's Anthony Couch!
The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp are on the road for six games this week. The Shrimp enter the week 5-6 after going 2-3 last week.
Seneca seniors Lexie Buis, Camryn Stecken and Tessa Krull led the Fighting Irish softball team to a runner-up finish at the IHSA Class 2A State Finals at Peoria's Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
The Seneca softball team battled to the very end but came up just short in a 3-1 loss to Carterville in Saturday's IHSA Class 2A championship on OSF Healthcare Field inside the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. The Fighting Irish ended the season 39-3.
Seneca and Carterville clash for the 2A softball title Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Peoria. Carterville took the win 3-1 in a tight game.
The Illinois Elementary School Association completed its 2025-26 school year with the Class 3A/4A IESA State Meet at Eastside Centre in East Peoria, with multiple area large-school student-athletes capturing all-state honors.
Some unlikely heroes – and some likely ones too – came through when the Seneca softball team needed it most Thursday in the Fighting Irish’s wild 8-6 Class 2A state semifinal victory over IC Catholic at Peoria’s Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
Seneca and IC Catholic play a thrilling game in the 2A softball state semifinal Thursday in Peoria. Seneca took the win 8-6 and will advance to the finals on Saturday.
Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week, Ottawa boys track and field state qualifier Joey Liebhart!