Seneca No. 9 hitter Aurora Weber's soft-hit single tied it, a two-run Geneseo error gave the Irish the lead, and pitchers Tessa Krull and Hayden Pfeifer made it stand up as Seneca softball came back to top Geneseo 4-1 Thursday.

Seneca defeated Geneseo 4-1 on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Seneca High School.

The 2026 Streator High softball team doesn't have any seniors, but they do show a lot of encouraging signs for both the now and the future of the program as the spring season gets underway.

A team-by-team 2026 season preview for softball teams across The Times coverage area, including Newark, Serena, Earlville, Somonauk/Leland, WFC, Dwight, Fieldcrest and Sandwich.

In an area loaded with softball talent and as the season gets underway, here are our picks for five players to watch across The Times coverage area.

The Marquette softball team will be young but returns a number of players with experience that will be looking to build off a 26-win, Class 1A regional championship season a year ago.

The Ottawa softball team has a solid mix of talent and experience coming off a 20-10 season in which it captured a third consecutive Class 3A regional championship.

The Seneca softball team returns eight starters from last spring's 34-2 ballclub including the 2025 Times Softball Player of the Year, pitcher Tessa Krull, hinting at another stellar season for the Fighting Irish.

Streator graduate Joyce Walkling has signed on to continue her education at Illinois Valley Community College and her softball career with the Eagles.