Ottawa Preps

After not only making it to the IHSA State Final Tournament but winning a pair of matches there, the Ottawa No. 1 doubles team of Noah Gross and Evan Krafft are the 2025 Times Boys Tennis Players of the Year.

Ottawa sophomores Piper Lewis, Addie Russell and Bobbi Snook, as well as Streator senior Makenna Ondrey were named to the Illinois Coaches Association All-State teams in Class 3A, released late Sunday.

Shaw Media’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet always comes with a lot of laughs and smiles and fun remembrances each year. This year’s sixth annual event also came with sorrow and sadness Thursday at the Auditorium Ballroom in downtown LaSalle.

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.

Lemont defeated Ottawa 4-2 on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 in the Class 3A Sectional semifinal game at Ottawa High School. Check out photos from the game by MaKade Rios.

The Lemont softball team, behind clutch hitting and solid pitching, defeated host Ottawa 4-2 in Tuesday's Class 3A Sectional semifinal and advances to Friday's final against Providence Catholic.

Ottawa will host Lemont at 6:30 Tuesday in the second Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinal, following the 4:30 game between Tinley Park and Providence Catholic

Ottawa senior Weston Averkamp had a day to remember at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field, as the EIU recruit finished third in the Class 3A 300 hurdles and seventh in the 110 hurdles for Ottawa's best state place since 2006.

Joliet Catholic No. 9 hitter Matt Simmons broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth, and that was enough for Hilltoppers ace Lucas Grant, who shut out Ottawa in Saturday's 3A Pontiac Regional championship game.

Ottawa's Weston Averkamp qualified for Saturday's Class 3A finals in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles during Friday's preliminaries at the IHSA Track and Field State Meet, while Sandwich's Petter Popp in the shot put and Jacob Ross in the pole vault will move on in 2A.

Ottawa's softball team scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to come away with a 3-1 win over Morris in the Class 3A Morris Regional and capture its third straight regional crown.

Somonauk, Fieldcrest and Seneca all had advancers at the Class 1A state track and field preliminaries, while Ottawa's state-qualifying boys tennis doubles team got a pair of wins in the suburbs. This and more in The Times Thursday Roundup.

After nine and a half scoreless innings, Ottawa No. 8 hitter George Shumway delivered a two-out, run-scoring double to lift the Pirates past Streator 1-0 in 10 innings and into Saturday's 3A Pontiac Regional title game.

Ottawa played Streator in the Class 3A Regional semifinal game on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Pontiac High School. The Pirates will play Joliet Catholic in the Regional championship on Saturday at 11a.m. in Pontiac.

The Ottawa softball shrugged off a sluggish start in Tuesday's Class 3A Morris Regional semifinal and eventually rolled to a 14-3 win in five innings over Crete-Monee to advance to Friday's championship game.

We take a look at The Times area's boys track and field state qualifiers in Classes 1A, 2A and 3A, including past medalists Weston Averkamp of Ottawa and Simeion Harris of Sandwich.

Ottawa's Adam Swanson blasted a walk-off homer against Geneseo on Saturday, while Streator softball dropped a doubleheader and the Pirates state-bound tennis duo of Evan Krafft and Noah Gross placed 4th at the 1A sectional.

The Seneca softball team - behind the pitching and hitting of Tessa Krull - won a 2A regional title on Friday, Sandwich's Sunny Weber advanced to the 1600-meter run finals at state, and the Ottawa doubles team of Evan Krafft and Noah Gross clinched a state tennis berth.

Ottawa senior Weston Averkamp won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at the Class 3A Minooka Sectional on Wednesday to advance to the state meet in the events for the second straight year. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Plainfield South qualified seven out of the Class 3A Minooka Sectional. Athletes from Ottawa, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Joliet West, Minooka, Yorkville, Joliet Central and Kankakee also advanced.

Ottawa fell to Metamora 4-1 on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in the Class 2A Regional final at Metamora High School.

The Ottawa girls soccer team couldn't overcome three goals in the opening 12 minutes by Metamora in a 4-1, season-ending loss in the semifinals of the Class 2A Metamora Regional.

The Serena baseball team – behind the pitching of Tucker Whiteaker – defeated Earlville in a Class 1A regional quarterfinal on Monday, while the WFC and Fieldcrest softball teams had seasons come to an end. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Marquette baseball and softball teams both earned home wins over Forreston on Saturday, while the Seneca, Serena and Somonauk/Leland softball squads pick up victories. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Serena softball won in eight innings, Seneca softball split two games to take its first loss of the season, and the area went winless on the baseball diamond. That and more in The Times Friday Roundup.

Newark, Ottawa, Serena all score softball victories, Fieldcrest sends two girls to state track and field, plus more in The Times Thursday Roundup.

From regional play-ins to state championships, here are the complete baseball and softball postseason schedules for Times-area teams Ottawa, Streator, L-P, Morris, Sandwich, Marquette, Seneca, WFC, Fieldcrest, Earlville, Newark, Serena and Somonauk/Leland.

The Ottawa baseball team topped Rochelle in an I-8 game Wednesday, while a number of girls from Sandwich and Flanagan-Cornell punched their tickets to the state meet in sectional competition. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

All five Ottawa senior softball players were key contributors in a fourth-inning, three-run rally in the Pirates' 7-3 Interstate 8 Conference and senior day win over Rochelle on Wednesday in Ottawa.

Ottawa defeated Rochelle 7-3 on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at Ottawa High School.

The Seneca softball defeated St. Bede 5-2 to finish off a second straight undefeated Tri-County Conference season on Tuesday, while Marquette and Newark also earned wins. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

Sycamore surged late and held off Kaneland to win the Interstate 8 Boys Conference Championship, not only snapping the Knights' streak of seven straight conference wins but winning its first since 2002.

The LaSalle-Peru, Kaneland, Rochelle, Morris, Ottawa and Sycamore High School boys track teams took part in the Interstate 8 Conference Championship meet Tuesday at Rochelle High school.

The Marquette baseball team topped Midland to wrap up the Tri-County Conference on Monday, while the Ottawa boys and Streator girls track and field teams claimed titles at the Illinois Valley Invite. Plus more results from around the Times area.

The Ottawa baseball team used a seven-run third inning to take control of an eventual 13-9 Interstate 8 Conference win over Rochelle in Ottawa on Monday afternoon.

Sycamore starter Bella Jacobs stuck out 13 in a shutout, besting Ottawa and starter Adelynn Russell, who allowed three hits, no walks and no earned runs, in a 1-0 Spartans' win.

The Ottawa softball team traveled to Sycamore Monday to take on the Spartans in an Interstate 8 Conference clash.

Here’s a look at the all-time Illinois Valley Track & Field records, including schools in the BCR, NewsTribune and Times coverage area as of May 12, 2025

The Marquette Academy baseball club earned wins No. 23 and 24 on the season in a round robin in Tolono, plus more in The Times Saturday Roundup.

The Earlville baseball team picked up a one-run win over Sandwich on Friday, while Seneca, Newark and Sandwich earned wins in softball. Plus more results from around the Times area.

The Sycamore girls track and field team won the final three events at Friday's Interstate 8 Conference meet to claim the title over runner-up Morris and third-place Kaneland at Morris High School.

Area girls track teams from L-P, Ottawa, Morris, Rochelle, Kaneland and Sycamore competed during the Interstate 8 girls track conference championship on Friday, May 9, 2025 at Morris High School.

The Seneca softball team topped Marquette in 10 innings on Thursday, while the Streator boys track and field team won the Illinois Central Eight Conference meet. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Sycamore baseball team scored three runs in the first and sophomore Jackson MacDonald fired 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the Spartans 8-1 win over host Ottawa in Thursday's Interstate 8 Conference game.

The Marquette softball team - behind a big day at the plate by Makayla Backos - rolled past Pontiac on Wednesday, while the Ottawa girls soccer team - led by a hat trick from Chloe Carmona - blanked Rochelle. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

A tremendous catch turned double play by La Salle-Peru senior second baseman Callie Mertes in the sixth inning was the key play in the Cavaliers holding on for a 1-0 Interstate 8 Conference win over host Ottawa on Wednesday afternoon.

L-P defeated Ottawa 1-0 on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Ottawa High School.

The Seneca girls capture the title of the Tri-County Conference track and field meet on Tuesday. Plus, more results from around The Times area.

Ottawa and Sycamore combined for 24 runs and 28 hits. But it was Tyler Lojko's three bunt singles that proved big in the Spartans' 14-10 win.

The Sycamore baseball team took on conference foe Ottawa Tuesday afternoon at the Sycamore Community Sports Complex.