Baseball

Having some cents of Ogle County history: Centennial, quasquicentennial, sesquicentennial, dosquicentennial … Ogle County can observe them all this year, from the anniversary of driving through a cut up rock to blazing trails and rails.

A collection of 40 of the top prep baseball players this past spring from across The Times' 13-school coverage area.

Congratulations to the 2025 Times Baseball Player of the Year, Marquette all-state pitcher/leadoff man Alec Novotney.

Top high school baseball players from around the state will take the field one more time as prep players during the 48th annual Illinois Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games on Monday at Schweickert Stadium in Peru.

After powering the Boilermakers to back-to-back regional championships against some of the best teams in the state, Bradley-Bourbonnais' Cody Freitas is the Daily Journal Baseball Player of the Year.

Whether at the plate, on the mound or in the field, top-tier players abound on this year's Daily Journal All-Area Baseball Team.

McHenry's Brian Rockweiler is the 2025 Northwest Herald Baseball Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to a record-breaking season that ended with a runner-up finish in the Class 4A state tournament.

Senior pitcher Brandon Shannon and McHenry enjoyed a historic season. Shannon set school records for career wins and single-season strikeouts and led the Warriors to a second-place finish at state. Shannon is the 2025 Northwest Herald Baseball Player of the Year.

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area baseball team.

Here is the 2025 Record Newspapers All-Area baseball team.

Sandwich junior Braden Behringer, who starred both on the mound and at the plate for the Indians this spring, is the 2025 Record Newspapers Baseball Player of the Year.

See if your favorite player made the 2025 Herald-News All-Area Baseball Team, featuring the best of the best across the Will/Grundy County area.

Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg was the Herald-News Baseball Player of the Year last season and improved in almost every statistical category, making him an easy choice to repeat in 2025.

The 2025 Streator Little League 12U city champions are Winterrowd Funeral after surviving a Hatzer & Sons comeback and an extra inning Wednesday at Southside Park.

Take a look back at the drama, excitement and all-out effort put forth by the hundreds of high school spring sports athletes from throughout the Sauk Valley who competed in 2025.

Roy Cordes retired this spring after 17 years announcing for Kankakee Community College Athletics, becoming know as the "Voice of the Cavaliers" during his time there.

One of the oldest Little League organizations in the United States is making plans for its next 74 years with the help of the Joliet Slammers, Rotary Club of Joliet, and other local businesses and organizations.

With the conclusion of the 2025 high school spring sports season, take a look back at some of the best images from the Sauk Valley.

Chicago Cubs alum Ray Burris brightened the day for patients at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville during a special visit June 12.

The Interstate 8 released its all-conference teams on Thursday for six spring sports.

Ryan Ritter, a 2019 graduate of Lincoln-Way East, made his Major League debut with the Colorado Rockies on June 6. It was a "crazy" path to get there, but he's embracing all the challenges and enjoying the ride.

When a player averages more than one intentional walk per game, it can be hard to feel like they are contributing to their fullest. Hinckley-Big Rock senior slugger and two-time Daily Chronicle Player of the Year Martin Ledbetter found a workaround. He stole 33 bases.

DeKalb's Brodie Farrell and Kaneland's Kanon Baxley shined both at the plate and on the mound and Sycamore's Davis Collie had a monster year the plate. They are just a handful of players named to the Daily Chronicle 2025 All-Area Baseball Team.

Nazareth senior Jaden Fauske and junior Landon Thome, York senior Josh Fleming, Downers Grove North senior Brady Schallmoser and Glenbard East senior Josh Ziemer were among those named Class 4A All-State by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association just announced.

The All-State baseball teams have been released, and the Northwest Herald coverage area is well represented.

Take a look at this year's local baseball standouts that made the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team.

This week, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association unveiled its 2025 All-State Team, recognizing standout players from each class, including Minooka’s CJ Deckinga and Providence Catholic’s Enzo Infelise.

DeKalb pitcher and outfielder Brodie Farrell was selected to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State Team released Wednesday. DeKalb’s Cole Latimer and Jackson Kees, and Kaneland’s Preston Popovich were honorable mention selections.

This week, the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association unveiled its 2025 All-State Team, celebrating standout athletes, including Class 1A champions Marquette’s Alec Novotney and Sam Mitre.

A dozen Bradley-Bourbonnais athletes from across six spring sports earned spots on All-SouthWest Suburban Conference teams for their 2025 seasons

Here is the 2025 All-Fox Valley Conference baseball team, as selected by coaches.

The Joliet Slammers and Joliet Pride Network are partnering to host a Pride Night at Slammers Stadium on Wednesday.

The Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association released its All-State teams, and players from Newman, Rock Falls, Fulton and A-FC were selected.

A look at the best baseball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A look at the NewsTribune area's baseball stat leaders for the 2025 season.

St. Bede senior Alan Spencer was dominant on the mound this spring with a 9-0 record, 0.86 ERA and 105 strikeouts to earn NewsTribune Baseball Player of the Year.

A look at the area baseball and softball players named to the All-Illinois Central Eight Conference teams this season.

In a dramatic Class 3A title showdown, Benet's Luke Wildes, just months post-ACL surgery, kept hope alive with a crucial hit. Despite a valiant effort, the Redwings fell to St. Laurence 8-5, marking a historic season finale.

Troy Triad defeated Cary-Grove 3-1 to win the IHSA Class 3A state third-place game on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet.

McHenry tried to figure out a way to scratch and claw out some offense in the Class 4A state championship game on Saturday night, but Libertyville starter Josh Holst wasn't having it, tossing a two-hitter in a 4-1 Wildcats' victory.

Charlie Taczy turned in a gutsy performance on the mound, and Brock Iverson was 3 for 3, but Cary-Grove's baseball team lost to Troy Triad 3-1 in the Class 3A third-place game Saturday morning in Joliet.

Keith Schweigert absorbed all he could from baseball coaches he played for and coached with, passing it down to his son Brad, the Bradley-Bourbonnais baseball coach. After Keith's recent cancer diagnosis, some of those lessons are being applied off the field.

Benet Academy sophomore Quinn Rooney isn’t going to finish the baseball season where he started it, the JV team. His two-run triple highlighted a five-run seventh, giving Benet an 11-6 win over Cary-Grove and a berth in Saturday's Class 3A state title game.

It was Brandon Shannon’s show and his baseball. And the Louisville commit wasn’t letting go of the ball, not with McHenry going for more school history. He pitched six-plus innings as McHenry beat Brother Rice 4-1 in a state semifinal Friday night in Joliet.

The McHenry baseball team's record-setting season continues Friday when the Warriors face Brother Rice in a Class 4A state semifinal at Slammers Stadium in Joliet. Ace Brandon Shannon is expected to throw for the Warriors.

First-year Cary-Grove coach Kyle Williams always thought the Trojans could qualify for the IHSA state finals for the first time since 2009. Here's how his leadership helped the Trojans overcome adversity to get there.

Benet senior pitcher Jake Rifenburg is an absolute competitor in whatever he does – even, it turns out, batting practice. He leads a stellar pitching staff that's thrown three playoff shutouts into the program's first-ever state semifinal appearance this weekend.

A look at the area baseball and softball athletes that were named to All-River Valley Conference and All-Iroquois County teams this season.

Marquette baseball's Alec Novotney has been named the Tri-County Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year, while the Interstate 8, Illinois Central Eight, Little Ten, Kishwaukee River and Heart of Illinois Conferences have released all-league baseball teams.

Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way West each had five players make the All-Conference team in baseball for the Southwest Suburban Conference. See who else made their all-conference teams here.