Girls Softball

For three local high school softball players, the summer season ended as well as they could’ve hoped. Polo's Cheyenna Wilkins and Forreston's Ella Ingram and Ayla Kiper were part of a title team at the USSSA Great Lakes National Championships.

Montini names Amy Bukovsky new head varsity softball coach.

Here is the 2023 Sauk Valley Media All-Area Softball Team, along with the season's final stats leaderboard.

Katie Thatcher couldn’t wait for the 2023 softball season to get here. Finally feeling 100% healthy after two knee surgeries her sophomore season, the Rock Falls senior was chomping at the bit to get back on the diamond.

There were a lot of question marks surrounding the Sterling softball program coming into the 2023 season. When you’ve won 10 straight regional titles, there is always going to be some preseason scrutiny.

It was another strong spring around the area on the softball diamonds in 2023, as four teams won regional titles and two teams advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond. Here are a few of the more noteworthy achievements around the Sauk Valley this spring in softball.

The Illinois Coaches Association released its 3A and 4A All-State softball teams on Monday, and a pair of Sterling players were named to the 3A squad.

Here we are again at the end of another successful high school sports year in the Sauk Valley – and 2022-23 was a doozy.

The Big Northern and Three Rivers Conferences announce their baseball all-conference teams, while the TRAC also releases its softball team and the BNC names its girls soccer squad.

Led by a trio of first-team selections, 21 local softball players were named to the Illinois Coaches Association All-State Team, released Tuesday.

Several local league release their 2023 all-conference teams for spring sports.

Junior Sienna Stingley pitched a one-hitter and also provided the big blow with her bat with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the fifth inning as Sterling topped Woodstock North 3-0 on Tuesday in their Class 3A Belvidere North Sectional semifinal.

Stingley was in complete control for Sterling (24-11), allowing only two baserunners in the game and striking out 14 without a walk. Pitching coach Larry Rice said he didn’t think she missed a spot all game.

After Rock Falls took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in Monday's Class 2A East Peoria Supersectional, two-time defending state champion Rockridge answered right away and pulled away for a 14-2, five-inning victory.

The Golden Warriors capitalized on five Bucs' errors, and junior pitcher Sienna Stingley had a big game at the plate and in the circle to fuel an 11-0, five-inning win in the Class 3A Belvidere Regional championship on Saturday.