Lexi Rodriguez

Oregon junior softball player Ella Dannhorn is set to compete overseas this week and next, and Sterling native and Nebraska volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez added another accolade to her decorated college career.

Rock Falls native Jakob Junis got a no-decision in a stellar start for the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, pitching seven innings of one-run ball before Brandon Crawford hit a walk-off home run to give the Giants a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Rock Falls native Jakob Junis picked up his third win in his last four starts Friday, pitching five innings in San Francisco’s 7-2 win over the Dodgers. Also, Sterling native Lexi Rodriguez led Team USA's U21 volleyball squad to the gold medal at the Pan American Cup on Sunday.

A pair of local players were selected to the Class 1A All-State team by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association, the group announced Friday.

Sterling native Lexi Rodriguez earned National Freshman of the Year honors and was a first-team All-American this fall for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and she capped a sensational freshman season with a special honor from her hometown: the Sterling City Council declared this past Tuesday as Lexi Rodriguez Day to celebrate her individual accomplishments for the national runner-up Cornhuskers.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team, with Sterling native Lexi Rodriguez playing libero, finished second in the country Saturday night, falling to Big Ten rival Wisconsin 3-2 in the NCAA Tournament National Championship game in Columbus, Ohio. The Dixon girls basketball team won twice at the Ottawa tournament, while Rock Falls split two games at the Sterling Shootout, where the host Golden Warriors dropped a pair of games. The Sterling boys won their game at the Genesis Shootout at Augustana College.