Baseball

There will be a lot to celebrate at Little Illini Conference schools during the 2025-26 school year. Three different conference schools will be honoring a total of six state championship teams from five different sports.

Casey-Westfield takes the cake, though. Three of those six state championship trophies belong to Warrior Nation. This is the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Class 1A state championship football team. The Warriors, coached by Keith Sinclair, finished with a perfect 14-0 record. They routed Woodstock Marian in the finals, 34-6.

That title kicked off a magical year at Casey-Westfield, which racked up two state crowns in the same school year. The following spring, 1986, the softball Warriors won the Class A state championship. They finished 30-1 for coach Denny Throneburg that season, after blanking Genoa-Kingston, 5-0, in the finals. It marked the first of seven state softball titles for the school – six by Throneburg-coached teams.

C-W will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of Throneburg’s 1996 Class A championship squad, which finished with a 38-3 record. They also won the title via shutout, defeating Lansing Illiana Christian, 9-0.

Newton will be honoring two of its’ most accomplished teams during the 2025-26 school year. Next spring will mark the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Class A state championship baseball team. The Eagles routed Monmouth, 12-2, in the finals to finish 35-4 for coach Steve Schulte.

This is also the 20th anniversary of Newton’s 2006 Class A boys track state championship. The Bob Horst-coached team came back from the meet at Eastern Illinois University with the top trophy, in an event which dates to1892.

One of Mt. Carmel’s proudest athletic moments will also be honored this year. The Golden Aces boys golf team, coached by John White, won the 2010 Class A state title by a five-shot margin over Effingham St. Anthony.