The News-Gazette's final softball Top 10: Champaign Central finishes at No. 1
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 4—➜ 30-5-1
➜ No. 2
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➜ Backed by All-Area Player of the Year Haley Helm and a talented pool of contributors around her, the Maroons made more history this season. Central earned its first Big 12 Conference championship and established a single-season school record with its 30 wins. The Maroons earned their second straight Class 3A regional title with a convincing 10-0 win against Urbana on May 23, and then advanced to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to Washington 3-2 in a sectional title game.
➜ 28-8
➜ No. 3
➜ The Rockets were an example of a team that got progressively better each game by playing a difficult schedule. Case in point: Reese Frye and Co. only had a 7-7 record after a 2-1 loss on April 14 at Champaign Central. Then, Matt Reed's team rattled off a 21-game win streak, highlighted by a 10-0 victory in five innings against Tri-Valley in a Class 2A regional title game on May 21 and a thrilling 4-3 win in eight innings against Robinson in a 2A sectional semifinal game on May 27.
➜ 37-2
➜ No. 1
➜ LeRoy won a Heart of Illinois Conference title, its first 33 games and its fifth consecutive Class 1A regional title during a memorable season. Led by a strong senior class that featured Parkland signees Laila Carr and Morgan Fleming, along with top pitching from Illinois Wesleyan commit Jacey Hageman, LeRoy outscored its opponents 401-79. An 8-7 regular-season loss at Westville on May 15 and a 1-0 loss against Meridian in a 1A sectional title game on May 29 were its only setbacks.
➜ 23-10
➜ No. 6
➜ Playing in the rugged Illini Prairie Conference is no easy task. But the Sages topped the 20-win mark for the second straight season and came agonizingly close to the program's first regional championship since 2014 before losing 5-4 in nine innings against eventual sectional champion Bloomington Central Catholic on May 22. Coach Lauren Klein's team, paced by seniors Sadie Walsh and Cassidee Stoffel, relied on a dynamic offense, steady pitching and reliable defense.
➜ 20-6
➜ No. 4
➜ Quick pitch: The Tigers are still waiting to hoist their first IHSA regional plaque in the air since 2006, but they keep putting themselves in a good position to do so. Westville won at least 20 games for the fifth straight season and was the only team in the regular season to defeat LeRoy. Coach Brandon Zaayer will miss seniors Laney Cook, Lilly Kiesel and Jazmyn Bennett, but everyone else on Wesetville's roster should return in 2027 after winning a share of the Vermilion Valley Conference title this season.
➜ 22-13-1
➜ No. 5
➜ The tradition-rich program continued its streak of at least 20 wins in a season, a mark that has been in place since the 1987 season. A 12-2 loss to Tri-Valley in its postseason opener saw the Spartans end their season quicker than they would have liked, but talented players like Hayden Dahl, Brynn Ikemire and Ella Mohr, among others, are key pieces to build around next season for coach Larry Sparks as they try to win SJ-O's first regional championship since 2024.
➜ 16-14
➜ No. 8
➜ Late April featured impressive Illini Prairie Conference wins against St. Joseph-Ogden and Monticello for the Eagles, who registered their first winning season since 2017. Coach Tori Schmid's program, bolstered by seniors like Lauren Herbert and Airiana Bell, advanced to a Class 3A regional championship game after an 8-1 win against Jacksonville on May 19 in a regional semifinal game, but saw its season end two days later with a 3-1 loss to Normal U-High.
➜ 18-12
➜ Not ranked
➜ An up-and-down season featured a positive ending as the Storm won its second straight Class 1A regional title — and third in the last four seasons — after a 7-4 win at Villa Grove on May 21. Coach Kalyn Learnard has kept her alma mater competitive, not only in the Vermilion Valley Conference, but also among elite 1A programs. Salt Fork nearly reached a sectional championship game, too, but sustained a 4-3 season-ending loss at LeRoy on May 26 in a sectional semifinal game.
➜ 19-11
➜ No. 9
➜ The addition of Schlarman to the co-op has proven beneficial, with players like Irene Rangel and Jelanna Tall contributing to the Comets' turnaroud. A turnaround that saw Oakwood/Schlarma produce a share of the Vermilion Valley Conference regular-season championship with Westville thanks to a 4-3 home win in nine innings on May 14 against the Tigers. Oakwood kept it close with Monticello before losing 2-0 on May 19 in a Class 2A regional semifinal game.
➜ 20-14
➜ No. 10
➜ With Parkland signee Piper Kiser and Izzy Dodd providing a spark nearly every game, the Blue Devils hit the 20-win mark for the third time in the last four seasons and fifth time since coach Jeana Block started coaching Villa Grove in 2017. The Blue Devils overcame a rough start to the season as they stumbled to a 3-6 record into the first week in April. Villa Grove rattled off a 10-game win streak from mid-April until mid-May and advanced to a Class 1A regional championship game.