Youth baseball program registration starts Monday

Online registration for the 2019 St. Joseph Youth Baseball program opens on Monday, January 7. Kids, boys and girls, ages 4-14 are eligible to play in one of 11 age groups.

Athletes must sign-up before February 1 and $5 early bird discount is applied to everyone who registers via the online registration system. After the online system closes that Friday, parents have one last opportunity to register. On February 2, from 9 am until noon, there will be a in-person registration session held in the Middle School cafeteria on that Saturday morning.

There will be a evaluation session on Saturday, March 2, in the auxiliary gym at St. Joseph-Ogden High School to determine the skill level of each athlete. After that session, coaches will select their team and notify parents and players with practice and game schedules.

Board president Jim Cotter expects team practices to start around the middle of March.

All players will need a glove, cleats and bag to carry their gear. The board has several bats, helmets and other equipment that players can use. Players who have their own equipment are encouraged to use it.

The season starts mid-April for players 9-14 and in early May for youth 8 years-old and under. The season runs until the end of June. The number of games for each level varies.

Girls, who don't want to play softball can play in the league.

"Girls tend to play softball at age eight and above," Cotter said. "There is no restriction if they want to play past the age of seven. We welcome them!"

The link to the age chart and registration page can be found at https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1580844

In addition to Cotter, this year board members are Cindy Johnston (Treasurer), Barb Babb (Secretary), Kevin Buskirk (Board Member), Bethni Gill (Board Member), Katie May (Concessions) and Jennifer Wells (Fundraising Chair).

For more registration or league information contact Jim Cotter at 217-840-7844.

#TBT: A stroll around the memory lane in 2007

The Sentinel, courtesy of PhotoNews Media, has more than 250,000 images from more than a decade and half of sport coverage at St. Joseph-Ogden High School at our fingertips. Each week, as space and time allows, we will publish great action photos, memorable moments and treasured images from the massive collection of images of Spartan athletes online and in your weekly paper.

This week's feature is from the 2007 Girls Spartan Classic featuring five of SJO's memorable athletes. The five runners never failed to impress with their competitive spirit and their dedication to their team's success in every sport they donned the Spartan uniform.


Two-sport St. Joseph-Ogden athlete Catherine Foreman heads to the finish line ahead of the field in the 4x100 Relay. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Senior Amy Schleef clears the bar while competing in the in the pole vault division. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Sprinter Rachael Graham explodes out of the blocks at start of a relay race. The three-sport athlete ran in several events for the Spartans at the Classic. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Three-sport athlete Bria Olson sails through the air on a long jump attempt. The junior also competed as a high jumper. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Molly Cinker starts her run next to a runner from Villa Grove and the East Central Coop in one of the two distance events held at the 2007 Spartan Classic. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)


Can't wait until next week for more photos from the archives? Search for your favorite athlete by name, sport or date of the event in the PhotoNews Media online photo archives.



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Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks