May 6, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Heritage softball hires new coach

Greg Immke is no longer the Heritage softball coach.


The Heritage Board of Education accepted his resignation at their February meeting.


Superintendent Tom Davis said Immke informed him on Feb. 6 that he would be resigning.


Davis said the resignation caught him by surprise since they were in the process of getting ready to interview for the assistant position.


“However, his message to us made me understand why he was resigning,” he said. “I respected his coaching immensely, we were very lucky to have him.”


Davis said the focus immediately turned to the softball program and finding a new coach.


Davis said Heritage Athletic Director Lori Archer contacted Vicki Roberts, who formerly coached at St. Thomas More.


“Vicki has ties to the area so it was a natural fit,” Davis said.


Davis said a former Heritage coach recommend Roberts.


“Vicki and I talked at length about the first year of the program and she seemed very interested,” Davis said. “By the time of our next school board meeting, she had accepted after the job listing was posted the required number of days and we also had an assistant coach, current Heritage High School counselor and the former head coach for Heritage softball, Patti Knott, in place.”


Roberts was hired at the February meeting.     


Davis said he wanted to thank Immke for the job he did with the softball program last year.


“The girls enjoyed playing for him, and I was proud every time we took the field.” he said.


Davis said the team was competitive and won some great games last year.


Since last season the district has made some upgrades to the softball fields at the High School.


The district spent $25,000 on new fencing for the softball field at Broadlands, improved the infield mixture, and have a plan for the future to have a brand new scorekeeper, announcer, and concessions building like the one near the baseball field.


The building will include a sound system so they can announce games and play music like the baseball field has. 


Davis said despite the changes the team has maintained an upbeat attitude.
“Practices up to this point have been very positive, though all indoors due to the weather,” he said.   “I had met with the girls once we had Vicki in place as I knew they would be shocked, but so far what I have observed is a team working hard getting ready for their first game next Wednesday at Leroy. “

Banner
Related Posts

Vallee, Lannert help SJO girls’ basketball increase win streak to four games

December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019

Winning close games has become a theme so far this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team....

Five key SJO baseball games to watch for in 2019

March 5, 2019

March 5, 2019

The 2018 baseball season for St. Joseph-Ogden High School was another successful one. Under the leadership of coach Josh Haley,...

Hard work key to Gaskin’s success

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden senior track athlete Lane Gaskin is a hard worker. Boys track coach Jason Retz said Gaskin is willing...

Taylor reflects on SJO coaching tenure

August 16, 2021

August 16, 2021

Kevin Taylor realized he needed to make a change. But stepping aside from coaching the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’...

Martinie, Frick propel SJO girls’ basketball in two straight wins

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

More losses than wins have unfolded so far this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team.But the...

On the call: Sjuts delivers in PA role for Spartans

September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019

Even if you don’t know his name, chances are you know his voice. For nearly 20 years Keith Sjuts has...

Duval, SJO boys’ basketball ‘embrace high expectations’ ahead of upcoming season

December 2, 2019

December 2, 2019

More than nine months have elapsed since the last time the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team played a...

SJO cross-country is heading to state!

November 4, 2019

November 4, 2019

Detweiller Park, here they come. After two stellar postseason races, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ cross-country team and girls’...

Cook surpasses 1,000 career points

February 18, 2019

February 18, 2019

Before the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball teams plays Monday night for a shot to reach the state tournament, facing Chicago...

Ward, Cromwell help SJO softball end losing skid

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Losing streaks are never easy to deal with. But thanks to Kaylee Ward and Ashtyn Cromwell, the four-game skid the...

Smith, Pence and Wertz spark SJO football to first playoff win since 2015

November 5, 2022

November 5, 2022

The wait for a playoff victory from the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team is no more. Hosting the program’s...

Johnson exploring college choices

May 3, 2019

May 3, 2019

Caleb Johnson has options. The St. Joseph-Ogden senior committed to play baseball for William Penn University in January but the...

Cain, Pence help SJO boys’ basketball post two wins

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

Playing a competitive nonconference schedule is nothing new for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team. The Spartans face...

IPC announces all conference teams

March 5, 2024

March 5, 2024

1 st Team: (U: means Unanimous)PLAYER NAME GRADE WEIGHT CLASSAidan Scholwin (U) (Pontiac) Senior 106Holden Brazelton (U) (SJO) Junior 132Emmitt...

Hamilton, relay team place first at conference meet for Spartans

May 2, 2019

May 2, 2019

The intensity of a postseason meet is right around the corner for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and...

Comments
Leave a Reply