High School Sports
Both baseball and softball contending for regional championships
Nick Wyatt (right) congratulations Gavin Call (left) after crossing the plate for the baseball team. (Archived photo)
UPDATE: Both the baseball and softball regional championship games slated for Saturday morning have been rained out. They both will be played on Monday, May 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the locations previously listed.
The Gillespie High School baseball and softball teams are regional championship bound with both games scheduled at different locations on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. although weather forecasts predict looming rain. Baseball will play at Citizens Park in Belleville (112 Barney Elser Drive) on the Whitney Herzog Field while softball will play at their home diamond behind Ben-Gil Elementary School.
BASEBALL
The baseball team (17-8) was seeded fourth in the Belleville Althoff Catholic Regional after finishing the regular season with 16 wins and 8 losses. Now the team will face Alton Marquette in the championship bout after Joey Carter’s bat sealed the fate of the Miners with a thrilling walk-off hit in the regional semi-final game against East Alton-Wood River.
Despite leading 6-1 after the second inning, the Oilers scored four runs in the third and another four runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-6 lead after the fifth inning. Gillespie eventually answered those eight runs in the sixth inning tying the game at 9 runs after Daniel Dobrino’s single crossed two runs. The team’s momentum spilled over to the seventh inning when Joey Carter’s RBI walk-off single sent the Miners into the regional championship with a 10-9 victory.
Gillespie accumulated 13 hits in the game with Nick Jarman, Tate Wargo, Dobrino (two RBIs), Carter and Rylee Bernot (two RBIs) each collecting multiple hits. Nick Wyatt also posted two RBIs for the team.
Bernot started the pitching duties for the Miners tossing four and one-third innings before being relieved by Wargo after surrendering eight runs. Wargo earned the win on the mound pitching two and two-thirds innings giving up one run, four hits and striking out one. Wargo and Bernot are expected to throw again on Saturday.
SOFTBALL
The Miners softball team (23-6) will host Hillsboro on Saturday after the number six seed beat Litchfield 5-1 to advance. Gillespie is ranked number one in the regional, has won eight of their last nine games, and ousted Carlinville 3-0 on Tuesday evening to punch their ticket to the regional championship.
Gillespie beat the Cavaliers with Addison Bryant on the mound who held Carlinville to only one hit over seven innings of play. Bryant struck out 12 batters and didn’t surrender any walks in the shutout victory.
The Miners collected five hits in the semi-final victory with Rylee Jarman having a two-hit afternoon. Jarman singled twice – once in the first inning when the Miners scored their first run and again in the sixth inning when Gillespie scored their other two runs. Megan Bray, Rylee Sarti and Mackenzie Kasarda also picked up hits against the Cavaliers.
Gillespie faced Hillsboro earlier this month on May 10 and beat the Hilltoppers 1-0. The pitching duel was a contentious battle with both teams combining for only four hits in the seven-inning battle. The Miners picked up three hits in that game, two from Jarman and one from Kasarda, and only one run which came in the second inning when Mackenzie Mix scored on an infield error.
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In a decisive finish that underscored his rising dominance in Illinois Class 1A cross country, senior Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie High School claimed the state title with a time of 14:31.10 at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships held at Detweiller Park on Saturday, November 8.
Finishing just behind Oberkfell, sophomore Evan Knobloch of Toulon (Stark County) crossed the line in 14:46.25, placing second. Rounding out the top five were senior Blake McLeese of Tuscola (14:46.45), senior Luca Bryja of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) with 14:48.38, and senior Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains at 14:49.02.
This victory marks Oberkfell’s second IHSA Class 1A state championship. He also won the state crown as a junior in 2024 with a time of 14:31.87. In his sophomore year, he finished 21st with a 15:21.43 season-best time.
Looking ahead, Oberkfell is set to compete in the New Balance NXR Midwest Regional Championships on Sunday, November 16, at the LaVerne Gibson Course in Indiana. The meet serves as a critical stepping stone toward the national championships, and Oberkfell will look to carry his state momentum into the regional stage.
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In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
