The spring weather is starting to get nicer outside.
And the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team is starting to heat up, too.
The Spartans carry a four-game win streak in to Wednesday’s 4:30 p.m. nonconference game at
Villa Grove, with SJO (10-4) outscoring its foes 49-1 during this recent run of success.
Coach Josh Haley’s program is once again among the most respected teams in the area, and
this year’s group seems apt to continue building on the tradition the Spartans have accumulated
during the past decade that has seen SJO win nine regional titles, five sectional championships
and two state runner-up finishes since 2013.
Here’s a roundup of how the 2023 season has gone so far for the Spartans:
Spartans roll by Olympia
Five SJO players collected at least two hits during Monday’s 15-0 nonconference home win
against Olympia that lasted four innings.
Junior Luke Landrus went 3 for 4 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored out of the
leadoff spot to spark SJO. Fellow junior Tanner Jacob was just as effective at the bottom of the
lineup, going 3 for 3 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Other key offensive contributors for SJO in this win included senior Adam Price (2 for 4, four
RBI, two runs scored), senior Charles Voorhees (2 for 3) and senior Connor Hale (2 for 3, RBI).
Hale threw all four innings for SJO, scattering four hits and striking out seven to pick up the
shutout victory.
Price throws perfect game
The Spartans pulled off a close 2-0 win against Williamsville thanks to a dominant pitching
performance from Price before steamrolling past Tremont 17-1 this past Saturday in Tremont for
two nonconference victories.
Price delivered a perfect game against Williamsville, not allowing a base-runner to reach in
throwing all seven innings. He struck out 13 batters, with 71 of his 87 pitches going for strikes.
A two-run double by sophomore Coy Taylor brought home the only runs in the bottom of the
fourth against Williamsville, and that was all the offense Price needed. Landrus, Price and junior
Caleb Ochs all added singles for the Spartans against the Bullets.
In SJO’s five-inning win against Tremont, the Spartans scored at least three runs in four innings
to cruise past the Turks.
Sophomore Nolan Earley went 3 for 3 with an RBI to pace SJO, while Price (3 for 5, three RBI),
Voorhees (1 for 3, four RBI) and Hale (2 for 2, RBI) also had multi-hit performances.
Earley was stellar on the mound, throwing all five innings and only giving up three hits. He
struck out eight.
Johnson deals no-hitter
A 12-run first inning was more than enough offense for SJO pitcher Kendrick Johnson to work
with last Thursday during an Illini Prairie Conference home game against Rantoul.
Johnson, a sophomore, did not allow a hit in four innings as the Spartans eased past the Eagles
15-0. Johnson needed only 42 pitches to get by Rantoul, striking out seven and walking one.
Earley (2 for 2, two RBI, two runs scored), sophomore Jared Altenbaumer (2 for 2, RBI),
Landrus (2 for 3, two RBI, two runs scored) and freshman Will Haley (2 for 2, RBI) led the
offensive output for SJO.
Pleasant Plains too much
In a nonconference game on April 5 played at Millikin University in Decatur, the Spartans never
led before losing 5-3 to Pleasant Plains.
Plains took a 4-1 lead after the top of the second and SJO could never trim its deficit to less
than two runs the rest of the game.
Price went 2 for 2 with two RBI and a double, while Landrus was 3 for 4 with a double. Senior
Maddux Carter was 1 for 3 with an RBI and Altenbaumer went 2 for 4.
Ochs sustained the loss, giving up four runs on six hits in two innings of work. He walked two
and struck out one. Hale pitched five quality innings of relief, allowing only one run on two hits
while striking out eight and walking one.
Spartans top Saints
SJO took an early led against Bloomington Central Catholic during an Illini Prairie game on April
3 in Bloomington, and then held off the host Saints to earn a 3-1 win.
A two-run double by Altenbaumer with two outs in the top of the third gave SJO its 3-1 lead that
it held the rest of the game after Voorhees drove in the game’s first run on a single in the top of
the first.
Earley and Landrus combined to keep BCC at bay, with Earley throwing five innings and getting
the win. He allowed five hits and one run, while striking out eight and walking one. Landrus
earned the save with two shutout innings of relief. He only allowed one hit and two walks while
striking out one.
Price (4 for 4), Carter (2 for 3) and Voorhees (2 for 4) also contributed at the plate.
SJO picks up road win against STM
Big innings propelled the Spartans to a 16-2 win at St. Thomas More on April 1 in the Illini
Prairie opener for SJO.
The Spartans led 3-0 after the top of the first and tacked on four runs in each the fourth and fifth
innings before putting up five runs in the top of the seventh.
Earley hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to help open up the scoring binge by SJO,
and he finished 2 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Landrus went 3 for 5 with three RBI
and three runs scored, falling just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
Jacob (3 for 4, RBI, two runs scored), Taylor (2 for 4, three runs scored, two RBI), Price (2 for 5,
four RBI) and Carter (2 for 4, two runs scored) also had timely hits for the Spartans.
Ochs registered the win, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up two runs on six hits while striking out
eight. He did not walk a batter.
Taylor threw the final 2 1/3 innings, giving up no runs on two hits and striking out two.
Spartans slow down Chargers
SJO never trailed during a home nonconference game against Centennial on March 29, taking
an early lead and keeping the Chargers’ offense mostly silent during a 4-1 win.
A two-run double by Ochs sparked a solid first inning for SJO, which led 3-0 after one inning.
Earley and Landrus drove in the other SJO runs via sacrifice flies.
Senior Jack Robertson tossed four effective innings to earn the win on the mound, scattering
four hits and overcoming four walks. He struck out six. Hale pitched two shutouts innings out of
the bullpen, overcoming three hits and three walks to strike out three.
Price threw the final inning, striking out one and needing only nine pitches to set down
Centennial in order.
Spartans rally late past Storm
SJO used clutch hitting in the late innings to defeat Salt Fork 6-2 on March 27 in a
nonconference game in Catlin.
Trailing Salt Fork 2-1 after five innings, SJO took the lead for good when Carter put the ball in
play with both Voorhees and Jacob on base in the top of the sixth as Voorhees and Jacob both
came around to score on an error by Salt Fork.
Voorheen, Hale and Jacob each then drove in a run in the top of the seventh to create some
additional breathing room for the Spartans.
Earley picked up the win in relief, not allowing a hit or a run in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four
and did not walk a batter. Johnson started for SJO, going 4 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs
(one earned) on five hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Price (2 for 3, RBI), Voorhees (2 for 4, RBI), Landrus (2 for 5) and Robertson (2 for 4) all
chipped in offensively.
Potters’ pitching slows down SJO
Host Morton only allowed three hits by the Spartans as the Potters picked up a 4-2
nonconference win on March 24.
Earley, Hale and Ochs were the only SJO batters to deliver hits, with the trio each recording a
single apiece, and Morton scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-1 lead it
would hold the rest of the game.
SJO manufactured both its runs on an error by Morton in the first inning that scored Landrus
and on a passed ball in the seventh that scored Hale.
Price picked up the loss, getting tagged for all four runs on seven hits in three innings of relief.
He struck out three and walked two. Hale started and went three innings, giving up only one hit
and striking out five.
Balanced offense lifts SJO past BHRA
Nine different SJO players compiled at least one hit, leading the Spartans past Bismarck-
Henning/Rossville-Alvin 9-2 on March 22 in a nonconference game in Bismarck.
Junior Braxton Waller led the way for the Spartans by going 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI.
Landrus, Earley, Voorhees, Hale and Robertson all had one hit and one RBI, while Jacob was 2
for 4.
Ochs earned the win on the mound, lasting four innings and striking out 10. He gave up both
runs (they were unearned) and three hits while walking one.
Landrus was effective in relief, throwing three no-hit innings and striking out six.
SJO rolls past Tuscola for first win.
Johnson was unhittable on the mound and nearly every time SJO stepped into the batter’s box
against Tuscola on March 21, the Spartans delivered. It all added up to an 18-0 nonconference
win in four innings against the host Warriors at Ervin Park, the first victory of the season for
SJO.
Johnson secured the win with a no-hitter, striking out seven in four innings that saw 38 of his 52
pitches go for strikes.
Waller highlighted the offensive slugfest for SJO, going 3 for 3 with a home run and six RBI.
Robertson was stellar as well with a 3 for 3 effort and three RBI, while Voorhees also hit a home
run and finished with two RBI.
Edwardsville handles SJO
Facing the reigning Class 4A state champion on its home field is no easy task.
SJO found out the hard way during a 12-2 in five innings loss to Edwardsville on March 15 as
part of the PBR Metro East Classic.
Edwardsville scored at least one run in every inning as the Spartans never led. Price had two of
SJO’s three hits, with Waller contributing the other hit.
Ochs was tagged with the loss, going 2 2/3 innings and giving up six runs (five earned) on five
hits. He walked two and struck out three. Johnson and Early both pitched in relief for the
Spartans.
Offense struggles in season opener
The Spartans did not get a hit during their season opener on March 15 in Edwardsville, losing
10-0 to Columbia in five innings as part of the PBR Metro East Classic.
SJO fell behind 5-0 after the first inning and could not recover from there against Columbia.
Hale took the loss on the mound, with Robertson and Price also throwing in relief.
What’s next
The Spartans have three games in the next three days on the slate, taking a road trip to play at
Villa Grove at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. SJO will stay on the road on Thursday, traveling to Paxton
to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda at 4:30 p.m. in an Illini Prairie game before wrapping up the week
at home by facing Normal U-High at 4:30 p.m. Friday in a nonconference game.
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