January 12, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Heritage softball hires new coach

Greg Immke is no longer the Heritage softball coach.


The Heritage Board of Education accepted his resignation at their February meeting.


Superintendent Tom Davis said Immke informed him on Feb. 6 that he would be resigning.


Davis said the resignation caught him by surprise since they were in the process of getting ready to interview for the assistant position.


“However, his message to us made me understand why he was resigning,” he said. “I respected his coaching immensely, we were very lucky to have him.”


Davis said the focus immediately turned to the softball program and finding a new coach.


Davis said Heritage Athletic Director Lori Archer contacted Vicki Roberts, who formerly coached at St. Thomas More.


“Vicki has ties to the area so it was a natural fit,” Davis said.


Davis said a former Heritage coach recommend Roberts.


“Vicki and I talked at length about the first year of the program and she seemed very interested,” Davis said. “By the time of our next school board meeting, she had accepted after the job listing was posted the required number of days and we also had an assistant coach, current Heritage High School counselor and the former head coach for Heritage softball, Patti Knott, in place.”


Roberts was hired at the February meeting.     


Davis said he wanted to thank Immke for the job he did with the softball program last year.


“The girls enjoyed playing for him, and I was proud every time we took the field.” he said.


Davis said the team was competitive and won some great games last year.


Since last season the district has made some upgrades to the softball fields at the High School.


The district spent $25,000 on new fencing for the softball field at Broadlands, improved the infield mixture, and have a plan for the future to have a brand new scorekeeper, announcer, and concessions building like the one near the baseball field.


The building will include a sound system so they can announce games and play music like the baseball field has. 


Davis said despite the changes the team has maintained an upbeat attitude.
“Practices up to this point have been very positive, though all indoors due to the weather,” he said.   “I had met with the girls once we had Vicki in place as I knew they would be shocked, but so far what I have observed is a team working hard getting ready for their first game next Wednesday at Leroy. “

Banner
Related Posts

10 things you don’t know about me… SJO Quarterback Logan Smith

September 2, 2022

September 2, 2022

We asked St. Joseph-Ogden quarterback Logan Smith to tell us 10 interesting things about himself. Here are his answers. My...

Get to know SJO Volleyball player Chloe harper

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022

What do you think makes the team so successful? I think the motivation and fight our team has is what...

Immke, host of others help SJO softball pile up the wins in May

May 26, 2021

May 26, 2021

The last three weeks have seen the St. Joseph-Ogden softball team play a whole bunch of games — 15 to...

All conference basketball teams announced

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

The 2021 Illini Prairie Conference Girls Basketball All Conference Team has been announced. Junior Taylor Wells from St. Joseph-Ogden was...

SJO baseball ups win streak to 13 games and Haley nets 400th career victory

April 26, 2023

April 26, 2023

The path to 20 wins each season can take high school baseball teams on a different path. Maybe the majority...

5 Question friday

August 26, 2022

August 26, 2022

Each Friday we will ask some SJO athletes five questions. Up first, junior football player Ethan McElroy. What made you...

SJO football adjusts its routine this summer, picks up formidable Week 1 opponent

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

Life the last few months for St. Joseph-Ogden High School football coach Shawn Skinner has been much like it has...

SJO girls’ basketball embarks upon IHSA postseason play

February 13, 2023

February 13, 2023

Throw the records out the window.Take it one game at a time.Survive and advance.Pick any well-used cliche, and it’s applicable...

Plotner’s positive attitude key to success

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

Jillian Plotner is having an amazing track season. The St. Joseph-Ogden junior helped the 3,200 relay team win first place...

SJO girls’ basketball tips off season tonight

November 14, 2022

November 14, 2022

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team has lofty expectations each winter. This winter is no different for the...

Commitment pays off for Mattsey

December 10, 2019

December 10, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden Junior Brandon Mattsey is a leader. That is why his cross country coach Jason Retz, nominated him for...

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

Coursey, Rose help carry SJO baseball into regional title game

May 18, 2019

May 18, 2019

All hands are on deck come Saturday morning for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. With postseason hardware at...

SJO baseball hits 20-win mark, pushes win streak to four games

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Every year Josh Haley has coached the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team, the Spartans have won at least 20...

Mattsey, Poe highlight SJO boys’ cross-country’s recent success, while Plotner, Rajlich do the same for SJO girls’ cross-country

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

All the miles, all the training and all the preparation will come to a head this Saturday for the St....

Comments
Leave a Reply