Zach Martini reaches back to unload a pitch in the Spartans' home game against Centennial. SJO narrowly lost the non-conference game against the Big 12 foe on March 27 last year, 2-1. It remains to be seen if Martini and the Spartans will take the field this season due to the growing threat of the Coronavirus and governmental shutdown schools and group events across the country. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
With an impressive line-up of 11 talented seniors, the St. Joseph-Ogden baseball team is stacked to win its eighth consecutive regional title this season and is a very strong challenger for one of four slots in the Class 2A state finals in June. In the past four seasons under head coach Josh Haley, the Spartans have amassed an impressive 110 wins against 36 losses. SJO finished the 2019 season with a record of 27-9. Unfortunately the St. Joseph-Ogden team and other baseball teams around the nation, the call to "play ball" may not be heard at least at the high school level this Spring due to the spread of the Coronavirus. On Friday governor J.B. Pritzker closed all Illinois public and private schools for nearly a two-week period to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, the official name for the flu-like virus. As of today the number of confirmed cases in the state rose from 42 yesterday to 64 out of the mere 708 residents who have been tested so far. Another 200 cases are currently under investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The earliest SJO will be able to practice or play at this point will be on April 6 and that is no guarantee. The pandemic strain threatening US citizens could extend the current postponement or cancel the season altogether if the IHSA follows suit and annonce the spring sport season over before it even started as the NCAA did last week. In a statement on Thursday evening after canceling the winter season hours before the tipoff of the first boys semifinal basketball game for Class 1A on Friday, Executive Director Craig Anderson said no decision had been made on taking similar action. "It is too early to make any decisions regarding IHSA spring state final tournaments," said Anderson. "We respect the NCAA’s decision to cancel its spring championships, but also recognize that the exposure and travel by our high school teams is not as expansive as collegiate teams. At this juncture, we recommend that all IHSA spring sport teams consult their local health departments, and follow their recommendations on if and how to proceed with practices and regular-season contests." With no organized practice allowed by school districts until then, the likely first contest for SJO will be sometime around April 11. Optimistically, teams across Illinois can resume practice starting sometime between March 30 and April 6. The Spartans have five litmus games on the schedule. Three of them may not be rescheduled unfortunately. Their doubleheader on March 19 with the opener against Oswego at 1p and then taking the field against Carbondale hours later would have been two solid early season tests for the SJO pitching corp. The other game on the schedule to look forward was the away contest at Morton High School against Joliet Catholic on March 27. In their last meeting back in March of 2018, the Hilltoppers, who went on to become Class 3A sectional finalists, defeated the Spartans, 11-3. If the season is allowed to continue, one of three games not to miss would be the Spartans' road game on the newly remodeled turf diamond at Unity on April 20. The other two can't miss 'em are home games. The first on April 4 against last year's Class 2A state champions Tuetopolis. The second, another non-conference matchup, is against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley on April 28.
2020 St. Joseph-Ogden Baseball Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home Away |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 March | Heritage High School | H | 4:30 |
| 17 March | Armstrong-Potomac High School-@ Potomac | A | 4:30 |
| 19 March | Oswego High School @ Edwardsville | A | 1:00 |
| 19 March | Carbondale High School @ Edwardsville | A | 4:45 |
| 24 March | Tuscola High School | H | 4:30 |
| 25 March | Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin High School | H | 4:30 |
| 26 March | Urbana High School | A | 4:30 |
| 27 March | Joliet Catholic @ Morton High School | A | 7:00 |
| 30 March | Salt Fork High School | H | 4:30 |
| 1 April | Champaign Centennial High School | A | 4:30 |
| 2 April | Westville High School | A | 4:30 |
| 4 April | Teutopolis High School (DH) | H | 10:00 AM |
| 6 April | Mahomet-Seymour High School | A | 5:00 |
| 7 April | St. Thomas More High School | H | 4:30 |
| 8 April | Heritage High School @ Broadlands | A | 4:30 |
| 11 April | Williamsville/Tremont High School @ Millikin (DH) | A | 12:00 |
| 13 April | Rantoul High School | A | 4:30 |
| 16 April | Bloomington Central Catholic High School | H | 4:30 |
| 17 April | PBL High School | A | 4:30 |
| 20 April | Unity High School | A | 4:30 |
| 21 April | Oakwood High School | A | 4:30 |
| 23 April | Pontiac High School | H | 4:30 |
| 25 April | Illinois Valley Central High School (DH) | H | 11:00 AM |
| 27 April | Prairie Central High School | A | 4:30 |
| 28 April | GCMS High School | H | 4:30 |
| 30 April | Charleston High School | A | 4:30 |
| 1 May | Maroa-Forsyth High School | A | 4:30 |
| 4 May | Olympia High School | H | 4:30 |
| 5 May | Fisher High School | A | 4:30 |
| 7 May | Monticello High School | A | 4:30 |
| 9 May | SJO Invite (DH) | H | 9:30 |
| 11 May | Danville High School | H | 4:30 |
| 14 May | Mattoon High School | H | 4:30 |
| 16 May | Salt Fork High School @ Jamaica (DH) | A | 11:00 AM |
| 18 May | Tri-Valley High School | A | 4:30 |
| 19-22 May | IHSA Regionals | A | TBA |
| 23 May | IHSA Regional Championship | A | TBA |
2020 JV Baseball Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home Away |
Time | 20 March | Normal West @ Edwardsville High School | A | 10:00 AM | 23 March | Mahomet-Seymour High School | H | 4:30 | 25 March | Danville High School @ Tilton | A | 4:30 | 28 March | Mahomet-Seymour High School (DH) | A | 11:00 AM | 31 March | Champaign Central High School | H | 4:30 | 2 April | GCMS High School | H | 4:30 | 4 April | Teutopolis High School (DH) | A | 10:00 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 April | Charleston High School-Baker Field | A | 4:30 |
| 8 April | St. Thomas More High School | H | 4:30 |
| 9 April | Heritage High School @ Broadlands | A | 4:30 |
| 10 April | Maroa-Forsyth High School | A | 4:30 |
| 11 April | PBL HS/Villa Grove HS @ PBL (DH-round robin) | A | 10:00 AM/12:00 PM |
| 13 April | Champaign Central High School | H | 4:30 |
| 15 April | Champaign Centennial High School | H | 4:30 |
| 16 April | Bloomington Central Catholic High School | A | 4:30 |
| 17 April | LeRoy High School | H | 4:30 |
| 18 April | Olympia High School (DH) | H | 10:00 AM |
| 20 April | Unity High School | H | 4:30 |
| 21 April | Oakwood High School | H | 4:30 |
| 22 April | Tri-Valley High School | A | 4:30 |
| 23 April | Pontiac High School | A | 4:30 |
| 25 April | Normal Community HS/IVC High School NCHS (DH-round robin) | A | 10:00 AM/12:00 PM |
| 27 April | Prairie Central High School | H | 4:30 |
| 28 April | Rantoul High School | A | 4:30 |
| 29 April | Oakwood High School | H | 4:30 |
| 30 April | Charleston High School | H | 4:30 |
| 4 May | Olympia High School | A | 4:30 |
| 6 May | TBA | H | 4:30 |
| 7 May | Monticello High School | H | 4:30 |
| 8 May | Westville High School | A | 4:30 |
| 14 May | Mattoon High School | A | 4:30 |
| 15 May | Champaign Centennial High School | A | 4:30 |
| 18 May | PBL High School | H | 4:30 |