February 14, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Expectations remain high for SJO baseball in 2019 season

For a program that has accomplished everything in the last decade except win a state championship, the goals veteran St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball coach Josh Haley has established for his 2019 team are straightforward.


And don’t differ from what the eighth-year coach has set for his previous SJO teams:
—Compete every day with energy and enthusiasm
— Earn a top-two seed in the sub-sectional
— Play in Peoria
The Spartans have already faced a rigorous schedule during the season’s first two weeks, all in an effort to ensure SJO is ready to go once the postseason arrives in mid-May and the challenge of playing in the state tournament at Dozer Park in downtown Peoria intensifies with each game.


SJO (5-4) is scheduled to host Westville at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday after the Spartans won 12-2 in five innings on Tuesday at Salt Fork but lost 2-1 at home on Wednesday to Centennial.

The win against the Storm came after a 2-0 loss last Friday at Morton. Both Morton and Centennial are Class 3A schools, with Morton the defending 3A state champion.


This is on top of SJO suffering a 4-0 loss to Belleville West, a 4A school, on March 15 as part of the PBR Metro East Kickoff Classic.


“We have a similar schedule to what we have set up in the past,” Haley said. “It should have us prepared for whatever we will see in the postseason.”


SJO has five returning starters and 13 returning players from last year’s team that finished 21-15 and won the program’s sixth consecutive 2A regional championship.


Seniors Adam Frerichs, Adam Rose and Kaden Jacobs, along with junior Blake Primmer and sophomore Crayton Burnett, all brought starting experience into this season from 2018. Frerichs helps anchor the defense at catcher and provides a steady bat in the lineup, while Rose is one of SJO’s top pitchers and contributes in the outfield. Burnett is back at shortstop and Jacobs returns at third base, while Primmer helps in the outfield.


Other returnees from 2018 include seniors Nick Boggs and Caleb Johnson, juniors Drew Coursey, Keegan McCarty, Jaden Miller, Brayden Weaver and Sam Wesley and sophomore Zach Martini.


Along with Rose, Burnett, McCarty, Martini, junior Joe Acton and Johnson are expected to shoulder the majority of innings as SJO’s starting pitchers.


“We have a very deep rotation,” Haley said. “There’s a lot of talent in this group and many are underclassmen. Our pitching and defense will be a strength. We have a lot of options to put on the mound.”


The nine Illini Prairie Conference games the Spartans will play this season starts on April 4 with a 4:30 p.m. game at St. Thomas More.

Other league games on the docket are as follows: April 8 at home against Rantoul, April 11 at Bloomington Central Catholic, April 15 at home against Unity, April 18 at Pontiac, April 20 at Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central, April 29 at Olympia, May 2 at home against Monticello and May 8 at home against Prairie Central. All of those games except for the one at Chillicothe IVC (11 a.m.) are slated to start at 4:30 p.m.


“I believe our conference schedule is similar to our nonconference schedule,” Haley said. “t will be important to compete each day, but we treat every game the same. We have never emphasized a conference game importance over a nonconference game. They are all important.” 


The games will take on more significance once regional action gets going in mid-May.

The fact SJO has won at least 20 games in every season with Haley in the dugout, plus the postseason success — sectional titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017 with state runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017 —of recent past doesn’t diminish what SJO fans hope is another successful baseball season for the Spartans.


“We continue to set the expectation at a high level, yet understand that past success doesn’t lead to inherited wealth this season,” Haley said. “This is a new season, and it is our job to compete and do what is necessary to be successful this year. The expectation is to continue to be in the position to make a postseason run. (Winning a) regional is hopefully just the first step for this team in reaching their goals.”

Banner
Related Posts

Taylor wins twice for Spartans at Rantoul meet

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

The first big outdoor invitational is the season is nearly here for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and...

SJO falls to Charleston

April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021

—-CHARLESTON—- The St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans varsity football team traveled out of conference on Thursday night, and was defeated 56-14 by...

SJO girls’ track and field wins eighth straight sectional title, qualifies 13 athletes for state

May 13, 2019

May 13, 2019

Winning sectional titles and sending multiple athletes to the state meet. That’s the standard the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’...

Smith, Wertz shine as SJO football wins homecoming game

September 26, 2022

September 26, 2022

It was a happy homecoming for the St. Joseph-Ogden football team.And with the Spartans defeating Nokomis 42-12 this past Friday...

SJO cross-country teams eager to start season off and running

August 31, 2019

August 31, 2019

The end goal for every high school cross-country runner in Illinois is to end the season racing at Detweiller Park...

5 Question Friday with senior Jackson Greer

September 2, 2022

September 2, 2022

Every Friday we are asking an SJO junior or senior athlete five questions. This week we talked to Jackson Greer....

Road tough: Jones, Armstrong key unbeaten Illini Prairie start for SJO girls’ basketball

January 20, 2022

January 20, 2022

The Illini Prairie Conference title is there for the taking. And the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team has...

Scholarship honors, remembers Dick Duval: ‘His legend will live on in St. Joe’

October 5, 2021

October 5, 2021

If you want to know who Dick Duval truly was, all you have to do is ask St. Joseph-Ogden Superintendent...

Student-Athlete of the Month Rylee Sjuts

September 3, 2019

September 3, 2019

Every month in season coaches at St. Joseph-Ogden High School nominate athletes to be the student-athlete of the month. A...

Postseason quest begins for SJO baseball after strong finish to regular season

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

The regular season ended on a positive note for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. Now, the Spartans hope...

5 question Friday with SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage five questions. Here are his answers. What does it mean to you to...

Postseason play begins for St. Joseph Middle School baseball, softball teams

September 22, 2020

September 22, 2020

Whether the St. Joseph Middle School would have baseball and softball teams this school year was uncertain. All because of...

SJO baseball adapting to strange times this spring: ‘The most difficult part is not seeing the players’

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

Ever since Josh Haley took control of the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team, success has followed. So have solid...

Rydell looks to the future

April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021

Jackson Rydell’s first football season is his last football season. The senior is playing playing football for the first time...

Commitment pays off for Mattsey

December 10, 2019

December 10, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden Junior Brandon Mattsey is a leader. That is why his cross country coach Jason Retz, nominated him for...

Comments
Leave a Reply