The Montini Catholic High School community is mourning the death of former teacher and baseball coach Bill Leeberg. Leeberg died on Monday

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester, a 2019 Cary-Grove graduate, will undergo season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and is expected to be sidelined for eight to 10 months.

More than 50 local youth baseball players with physical and mental disabilities gathered at Bishop McNamara for a doubleheader of All-City Baseball Association Champions League Baseball Saturday, June 13, 2026.

Every Saturday in June, the softball field at Bishop McNamara hosts the All-City Baseball Association Champions League, a four-team league for players ages 4-23 with physical and mental disabilities.

The Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association released its All-State teams on Tuesday and five area players were selected.

In the short term, when the Marquette baseball team won the Class 2A St. Bede Supersectional, it sent the Crusaders back to the IHSA State Finals. In the long term, it also guaranteed Marquette will remain in Class 2A for baseball through at least the 2028 season.

Morris graduate Jack Wheeler is putting up strong numbers in the Texas Rangers organization competing in the Arizona Comple League, hoping an single A invite is soon on the way.

Vintage rules base ball (spelled as two words in the 1800s) is played with authentic wool uniforms, no gloves, underhand pitching and “gentlemanly conduct.”

Oregon's vintage "base ball" team, the Ganymedes, hosted the DuPage Plowboys on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour.

After an uncharacteristically quiet performance the night before, Marquette baseball's offense came out swinging Saturday with three runs in the home half of the first inning. It proved to be the difference in Marquette’s 4-1 win over Freeburg in 2A's third-place game.

Marquette defeated Freeburg 4-1 in the IHSA Class 2A State third-place game on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Putnam County fell to Tremont in the IHSA Class 1A State championship on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Crystal Lake South's five-run seventh inning wasn't enough as East Peoria walked off a 7-6 win during Saturday's Class 3A state third-place game at Joliet Slammers Stadium. "I’m super proud of our group."

The Marquette baseball team managed just four hits off St. Joseph-Ogden's Asher Pruemer in a 6-1 loss in Friday night's IHSA Class 2A State semifinal at Illinois Field in Champaign. The Crusaders play Freeburg for third place at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Marquette fell 6-1 to St. Joseph-Ogden in the IHSA Class 2A State semifinals on Friday, June 12, 2026, at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Carson Trivellini had three hits, but he and his Crystal Lake South teammates didn't score for only the second time this season in a 2-0 loss to Triad in a Class 3A state semifinal Friday at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.

Putnam County fought off North Clay for a 4-3 victory in eight innings during the IHSA Class 1A State semifinals on Friday, June 12, 2026, at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

A number of Joliet area baseball players earned all-conference honors for their play this season.

Meet the final Daily Journal Athlete of the Week for the 2025-26 school year, Wilmington senior baseball player Ryan Kettman.

The Marquette baseball team hopes to stay hot when it faces St. Joseph-Ogden (38-2) in Friday’s IHSA Class 2A semifinals at 7 p.m. on Illinois Field in Champaign. The Crusaders, which are coming off back-to-back 1A state championships, enter the contest with a 37-3 record.

Crystal Lake South's baseball team started only two seniors in its supersectional win over Fenwick, but an experienced group of athletes, primarily basketball players, has helped the Gators earn a berth to state for the first time since 2022.

The Marquette baseball team earned a third consecutive trip to the IHSA State Finals with a 9-6 victory over Brimfield in Tuesday's Class 2A St. Bede Supersectional. The Crusaders entered the season back-to-back Class 1A champions.

Crystal Lake South's Michael Silvius worked out of a sixth-inning jam to pitch a shutout and went 3 for 4 with an RBI single, leading the Gators to a 4-0 win over Fenwick in the Class 3A Schaumburg Supersectional at Wintrust Field.

Marquette defeated Brimfield 9-6 on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at Schweickert Stadium in Peru. The Crusaders advance to the State tournament for the third consecutive season.

Crystal Lake South faces Fenwick in the IHSA Class 3A Wintrust Field Supersectional on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Schaumburg.

The Putnam County Baseball team took on Galena in a Class 1A supersectional Tuesday at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The winner advances to the state semifinal at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

A young Nazareth team that started four sophomores and a freshman Monday made its deepest postseason run in three years, but were limited to two hits by St. Rita's Will Rewers in a 2-0 loss in the Class 3A Crestwood Supersectional.

Nick Torrence scored the lone run for Geneva in the first inning as the Vikings saw their historic season come to an end with an 8-1 loss to East Peoria in an IHSA Class 3A Supersectional at Black Hawk College.

Minooka's deepest playoff run since 2012 ended on Monday with a 4-2 loss to Naperville Central in the Normal Community Supersectional.

With Forreston’s loss in sectional baseball, it’s a wrap for another high school sports season in Ogle County and also for this column. Both will return in August.

Glenbard West volleyball and Wheaton Academy boys lacrosse won state championships, Fenwick softball won the Class 3A third-place game behind Sofia Kateeb's one-hit shutout and Michael McMahon's three-run homer paced Fenwick baseball to a sectional title.

It has become very difficult to contain the Minooka baseball team's offense as Edwardsville found out on Saturday as the Indians pounded out 14 hits in a 15-1 win to claim the Class 4A Normal Community Sectional title.

Downers Grove North Oliver Gibson capped off a strong first varsity season – and stellar playoffs – by tripling in the Trojans' first run, but Naperville Central got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to win the Class 4A Lockport Sectional final, its first title since 2012.

St. Charles North's postseason run came to an end in the sectional finals after Barrington scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to secure a 4-3 victory for its first sectional title since 2009.

Lincoln-Way Central saw its season come to an end with a 7-1 loss to Sandburg in the title game of the Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central Sectional.

Nazareth sophomore catcher Marco Fiore drove in Landon Thome with the tie-breaking and eventual winning run in the sixth inning, Connor McKay struck out 10 and the Roadrunners – no-hit for five innings – edged De La Salle to win the Class 3A Nazareth Sectional title.

Dane Chock missed almost the entire baseball season for Crystal Lake South, and then his uncle died last week. Saturday, his key at-bat in the sixth inning helped the Gators rally for a 3-2 win over the host school in the Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional final.

In the biggest game in school history, the Geneva baseball team went small to get things started in an 11-7 win over Rockford Boylan on Saturday in the Class 3A Sycamore Sectional championship game. Josh Frieders was 3 for 3 and scored in both the third and fourth innings.

Crystal Lake South defeats Grayslake Central in an IHSA Baseball Class 3A Sectional Championship game on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at Grayslake Central High School.

The Marquette baseball team racked up 16 hits in an 11-2 win over Wilmington in Saturday's IHSA Class 2A Herscher Regional championship, clinching the 11th sectional title in program history and third in a row following a pair of 1A titles.

Marquette pulled away from Wilmington for an 11-2 victory in the IHSA Class 2A Herscher Sectional championship on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

Sterling baseball player Eli Penne is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week, presented by Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning. He pitched a one-hitter in a 2-0 win over Dixon in the regional semifinals. Here is a Q&A with Penne, who will attend UW-Plateville.

St. Charles North baseball senior Ben Auer, who pitched nine innings and allowed just one run and struck out 11, while also driving home two runs off three hits in the regional final, is the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week.

Forreston fell behind early and never recovered in a 10-7 loss to Galena at the 1A Forreston Sectional on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Galena plays Dakota for the sectional title on Saturday, June 6, at Forreston High School.

Harvest Westminster Academy scored a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Riverdale 2-1 at the 2A Byron Sectional on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Wilmington is now a game away from its third straight sectional championship after defeating rival Manteno 6-2 in a Class 2A Herscher Sectional semifinal Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Kam Alikhan's standout play in center field helped lead Nazareth past Montini 5-2 in the Class 3A Nazareth Sectional semifinals Wednesday.

Geneva swiped 10 bags on the way to a 12-1 win over Belvidere North and Wheaton Academy saw its season end to Boylan in the Class 3A Sycamore Sectional semifinals Wednesday.

The Forreston baseball team got off to a tough start and just could not get over the hump in a 10-7 loss during Wednesday’s Class 1A Forreston Sectional baseball semifinal matchup against Galena.

Colin Doyle struck out 11 and Downers Grove North held off a late Lockport rally to capture a 7-6 win in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional nightcap. In the first semifinal, Naperville Central's Grant Umbright shut out Hinsdale Central in a 2-0 affair.