Five key SJO baseball games to watch for in 2019

The 2018 baseball season for St. Joseph-Ogden High School was another successful one. Under the leadership of coach Josh Haley, the Spartans finished 21-15 and won the program’s sixth consecutive regional title.

Haley, back for his eighth season in charge at SJO, and his current team are slated to start the 2019 season at 4:30 p.m. next Monday against Villa Grove/Heritage in Broadlands if the weather cooperates. Before the season gets underway, here are five noteworthy games on SJO’s schedule:

March 19
at Tuscola, 4:30 p.m.
Tuscola is always a good nonconference test for the Spartans. Particularly when the Warriors are coming off a third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament in 2018. SJO reached Peoria in 2016 and 2017, placing second both times, so this early-season game at Ervin Park — which can be conducive to home runs — features a matchup between two of the preeminent small-school programs in the state.

March 22
at Morton, 4:30 p.m.
One constant this decade is SJO doesn’t shy away from playing the best competition. Case in point: Morton. The Potters are the defending Class 3A state champions, capping a 30-6 season last spring with a 4-1 win against Chicago St. Igantius in the state title game in Joliet.

March 30
at Teutopolis, 10 a.m.
The rivalry between SJO and Teutopolis is a good thing. The two teams meet annually in boys’ basketball and the Spartans’ girls’ basketball team played the Wooden Shoes last month in the Class 2A state semifinals. Haley won’t need any introductions about what Teutopolis will bring. Quality pitching, clutch hitting and a gritty effort are the Wooden Shoes’ trademarks. The programs have a history on the baseball diamond, too, with Teutopolis defeating SJO in the 2017 state championship game. The Wooden Shoes also made it to Peoria last season, placing second in state. And if the weather cooperates on the final Saturday in March, SJO is also slated to play Stillman Valley, a Class 3A program that reached the Elite Eight last season, in Teutopolis.

April 12
vs. Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 4:30 p.m.
The two former Sangamon Valley Conference rivals always seem to field competitive baseball programs that are capable of making a deep run come May. It’s always a possibility the Panthers may wind up in the same regional as SJO, so this game could be important for postseason seeding implications, too.

May 2
vs. Monticello, 4:30 p.m.
This is in the midst of a solid stretch of home games for the Spartans, with four scheduled in a week’s span. The two Illini Prairie Conference teams met last season in a regional championship game in St. Joseph, with the Spartans holding on for a 10-7 win. The Sages are one of the more consistent programs in the area, and if both programs play up to their capabilities this season, could have an effect on the conference championship race.